Home Remedies for Kidney Stones

When it comes to treating kidney stones, people usually think of visiting the doctor to have it removed through various means. However, not everyone has access to a doctor, and some people would prefer to use alternative methods of treating kidney stones.

In this case, knowing how to remove kidney stones naturally at home simply makes sense. While these alternative methods might not always be as effective as undergoing therapy or surgery, these methods have been proven to work on smaller kidney stones.

As always, do not hesitate to consult your doctor if you feel that your condition might be getting worse. If you are suffering from severe pain because of your kidney stones, it would be better to seek help immediately.

What are kidney stones?

Your kidneys filter out waste material from your blood, and expel them as urine. Part of these waste materials are minerals such as calcium, uric acid, and oxalate.

If a person’s blood contains too much of these minerals, then it could start to deposit inside the kidneys. Over time, the minerals build up and form a ‘stone’.

Kidney stones can be very painful, especially the larger ones. This is because they block the ducts of your kidneys, and make it difficult for urine to go through.

Kidney stones can also cause problems with urination, and chronic kidney stones can also increase your risk for developing UTI or urinary tract infection.

About 13% of men and 7% of women develop kidney stones. Additionally, people who have had kidney stones, have a 50% higher chance of developing it again.

What causes kidney stones?

Kidney stones can be caused by a number of factors. The most common would be a person’s diet.

If a person eats too much food that’s rich in oxalate, sodium, and other  minerals, then there is a possibility that kidney stones would form. Additionally, not having enough water in your diet also increases your risk of developing kidney stones.

In some cases, certain medications can increase a person’s risk for kidney stones, but these are relatively rare instances.

How to Remove Kidney Stones Naturally at Home

Here are some effective ways on how to remove kidney stones naturally at home.

Drink a lot of water

The first and most straightforward method on how to remove kidney stones naturally at home is to drink water.

Smaller kidney stones can usually pass through your kidneys even without treatment. By drinking more water, you are producing more urine which can help flush out any small stones from your kidneys.

Drinking water also lowers your risk of developing kidney stones, so you should always be drinking a lot of water daily. Ideally, you should be drinking enough water to produce 2-2.5 liters of urine daily. This means that you should drink at least 2 liters of water each day.

So be sure to drink enough water everyday to help keep you hydrated and to prevent kidney stones from recurring.

Lemon juice can sometimes help

Lemon juice contains citrate, which is a kind of salt contained in citric acid. Citrate binds to calcium in your body, and can help prevent stone formation.

Aside from this, it also prevents kidney stones from growing larger, as well as makes it easier for you to pass kidney stones. Ideally, you should drink at least 1/2 cup of lemon juice diluted in water each day. This should help make stones easier to pass while lowering your risk of kidney stones.

Remember, try to avoid drinking lemon juice concentrate or powdered lemon juice as it is not as effective as fresh lemon juice.

Eat foods that are diuretic

One great tip on how to remove kidneys stones naturally at home is to eat foods that are diuretic.

Foods that are diuretic increase the urine production in your body. Increased urine production means that it would be much easier for you to pass kidney stones.

Good examples of diuretic foods are celery, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, watermelon, and celery. Having more of these in your diet would make it much easier for you to pass kidney stones.

Avoid eating too much sodium

Sodium is a stone-forming mineral that is present in any food that has salt. Cutting back on sodium not only lowers the risk of developing kidney stones, but it also prevents small kidney stones from growing larger, which makes them easier to pass.

To lower your sodium intake, try to avoid eating processed foods, as well as foods that are high in salt such as chips and other snacks. Ideally, you need to limit your sodium intake to 2,300 mg or less in order to avoid kidney stones.

Eat high oxalate foods in moderation

Aside from sodium, oxalate is another common stone forming mineral. Foods such as spinach, beets, and almonds are rich in oxalate, so they should best be eaten only in moderation.

Certain foods such as chocolate and berries also contain oxalate, but only in small amounts, so you can eat a bit more of these foods.

In general, it would be a good idea to follow these tips, even if you do not have any kidney stones.

Because aside from making kidney stones easier to pass, these methods on how to remove kidney stones naturally at home work to lower your risk of developing kidney stones in the first place.

However, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor if these methods are not effective, or if you are experiencing a lot of pain.

Learn more about urological health, here.