Kidney Stones – Pain And Prevention.
By Pieternel Van Giersbergen
Working as an emergency room RN, I have seen many people
suffering from kidney stones. About 80% are men, why we don’t
know. They have lower abdominal pain or flank pain on one side.
The pain they feel is intense.
We first ask them for a urine sample. Using a dip stick the
nurse typically finds blood in the urine, often with hardly any
infection (though there may well be infection, and often the
presence of ketones, a sign of dehydration). The patient is then
given intravenous fluids (salt water) to help flush the kidneys,
and after the doctor’s formal diagnosis, pain medication also.
The aim of the pain medication is to give the patient a rest as
the fluids help the stones pass through less painfully.
A blood test and cat scan is often ordered for further
confirmation. The scan can show both the size and location of
the stone. If there is no sign of infection, the patients go
home with pain medication and instructions to increase their
water intake. They are also advised to use a strainer to catch
and save the kidney stone, which can then be sent for analysis.
Certain foods may then be proscribed to diminish the likelihood
that more kidney stones are produced.
From many patients I have heard what works best for kidney
stones. Their advice is first, and above all, to drink lots of
water. If you do not drink a lot of water your urine becomes
more concentrated, making you more prone to develop new kidney
stones. Here are some other tried-and-true tips:
o Avoid stress (as if that’s easy!) Kidney stone patients are
very often
o under unusual stress.
o Avoid alcohol and sodas. They dehydrate you.
o Drink corn silk tea to flush the kidneys.
o Another helpful beverage is catnip tea with apple cider
vinegar.
o Drink aloe vera (It’s sold in health food stores)
o If your kidney stones are calcium-related, lemonade helps to
absorb the calcium.
o Walk, walk, walk. Prolonged body movement helps to move the
stones out. We call this “the tough way”.
o Be sure to have your thyroid and parathyroid checked. In some
cases there is a connection.
How to prevent kidney stones in general:
1. Again - lots of water. This means eight 8-ounce glasses, and
twelve glasses if you work outside. If your urine is smelly, you
are probably not drinking enough water, and are at risk for a
urinary tract infection (UTI).
2. Take vitamin C – 2,000 mg. a day.
3. No sodas or alcohol. If you do partake, for every glass of
beverage drink an extra glass of water.
4. Work to strengthen your immune system.
5. Check your family history. Did any of your parents or
grandparents have kidney stones? Get the story and learn from
it, which often means to improve your lifestyle.
6. In Chinese medicine, the kidneys represent fear. To
counteract any fear, try this positive affirmation: “Water flows
freely through me, making me safer.” As you repeat this
affirmation regularly, try to sincerely feel its significance.
Visualize it as a reality, not just words.
For real inspiration, try this wonderful quote from Aldous
Huxley:
The kidneys are so beautifully organized; they do their work of
regulation with such a miraculous--it's hard to find another
word--such a positively divine precision, such knowledge and
wisdom, that there is no reason why our archetypal man, whoever
he is, or anyone else, for that matter, should be ashamed to own
a pair."
Warmly, Pieternel van Giersbergen.
© 2005 Pieternel van Giersbergen. www.pieternel.com
About the Author: Pieternel van Giersbergen is an RN with over
25 years of experience in different fields of health care.
Pieternel discovered the limitations of the tradition health
care system, and developed her own common sense health business
http://www.pieternel.com.
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=24935&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
By Pieternel Van Giersbergen
Working as an emergency room RN, I have seen many people
suffering from kidney stones. About 80% are men, why we don’t
know. They have lower abdominal pain or flank pain on one side.
The pain they feel is intense.
We first ask them for a urine sample. Using a dip stick the
nurse typically finds blood in the urine, often with hardly any
infection (though there may well be infection, and often the
presence of ketones, a sign of dehydration). The patient is then
given intravenous fluids (salt water) to help flush the kidneys,
and after the doctor’s formal diagnosis, pain medication also.
The aim of the pain medication is to give the patient a rest as
the fluids help the stones pass through less painfully.
A blood test and cat scan is often ordered for further
confirmation. The scan can show both the size and location of
the stone. If there is no sign of infection, the patients go
home with pain medication and instructions to increase their
water intake. They are also advised to use a strainer to catch
and save the kidney stone, which can then be sent for analysis.
Certain foods may then be proscribed to diminish the likelihood
that more kidney stones are produced.
From many patients I have heard what works best for kidney
stones. Their advice is first, and above all, to drink lots of
water. If you do not drink a lot of water your urine becomes
more concentrated, making you more prone to develop new kidney
stones. Here are some other tried-and-true tips:
o Avoid stress (as if that’s easy!) Kidney stone patients are
very often
o under unusual stress.
o Avoid alcohol and sodas. They dehydrate you.
o Drink corn silk tea to flush the kidneys.
o Another helpful beverage is catnip tea with apple cider
vinegar.
o Drink aloe vera (It’s sold in health food stores)
o If your kidney stones are calcium-related, lemonade helps to
absorb the calcium.
o Walk, walk, walk. Prolonged body movement helps to move the
stones out. We call this “the tough way”.
o Be sure to have your thyroid and parathyroid checked. In some
cases there is a connection.
How to prevent kidney stones in general:
1. Again - lots of water. This means eight 8-ounce glasses, and
twelve glasses if you work outside. If your urine is smelly, you
are probably not drinking enough water, and are at risk for a
urinary tract infection (UTI).
2. Take vitamin C – 2,000 mg. a day.
3. No sodas or alcohol. If you do partake, for every glass of
beverage drink an extra glass of water.
4. Work to strengthen your immune system.
5. Check your family history. Did any of your parents or
grandparents have kidney stones? Get the story and learn from
it, which often means to improve your lifestyle.
6. In Chinese medicine, the kidneys represent fear. To
counteract any fear, try this positive affirmation: “Water flows
freely through me, making me safer.” As you repeat this
affirmation regularly, try to sincerely feel its significance.
Visualize it as a reality, not just words.
For real inspiration, try this wonderful quote from Aldous
Huxley:
The kidneys are so beautifully organized; they do their work of
regulation with such a miraculous--it's hard to find another
word--such a positively divine precision, such knowledge and
wisdom, that there is no reason why our archetypal man, whoever
he is, or anyone else, for that matter, should be ashamed to own
a pair."
Warmly, Pieternel van Giersbergen.
© 2005 Pieternel van Giersbergen. www.pieternel.com
About the Author: Pieternel van Giersbergen is an RN with over
25 years of experience in different fields of health care.
Pieternel discovered the limitations of the tradition health
care system, and developed her own common sense health business
http://www.pieternel.com.
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=24935&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
