Kidney Stone Research
Kidney stones are hard stones formed in the kidneys but lodged in the urinary tract . Most of them consist of calcium, but a few are made of cystine or uric acid. These come in various shapes and sizes. Some are small and some cannot even be seen except with a microscope. The tiny stones do not cause any symptoms and just disappear in the urine. Some of the stones can be as much as one inch in diameter. This can be excruciatingly painful and usually requires hospitalization for treatment. The stones may form because of excessive salt in the urine. The urine normally has substances that prevent stone formation, but if these substances are missing, stones could form.
Treatment for the small stones will respond to drinking a generous amount of water and liquids. The smaller stones will then generally be washed out in the urine. The larger stones sometimes can be broken up by ultrasound waves and then the much smaller components of the stone will pass with the urine. There are natural treatments that many people have used that dispose of the stones. Some small stones can be removed by a doctor with an endoscope which is a long flexible tube placed through the urethra and bladder. Some of the massive stones may require surgery.
