5 Types of Kidney Stones
Kidney Stones are formed due to crystals in your urine. But here’s the thing…
However, the body has a mechanism to prevent these stone promoters from sticking together and forming big crystals stones with inhibition substances. When these inhibition substances are low or when there are more crystals than the fluid urine can dilute, kidney stones are formed.
There are five major types of kidney stones:
1. Calcium Phosphate Stones
They are mainly caused when the urinary system begins to fail or function abnormally. This is why doctors usually perform blood tests to determine and ensure the proper functioning of the urinary system. The stones often occur along with calcium oxalate stones.
2. Calcium Oxalate Stones
It is formed when the levels of citrate are low and levels of calcium, oxalate or uric acid are high in the urine.
It is the most common type of kidney stones due to the popular consumption of foods that are rich in oxalate.
These include plant and animals products like chocolate, nuts, potatoes, spinach, etc.
3. Struvite Stones
These stones are comparatively larger with a quicker growth rate and wider distribution in the kidneys. They are usually caused or triggered by urinary tract infections.
Image Credit: Flickr
4. Cystine Stones
They are caused when a person suffers from cystinuria, a hereditary genetic condition. Due to this, excessive amounts of the amino acid crystals start collecting in the urine and as a result, stones are formed in the kidneys, bladder, and ureters.
5. Uric Acid Stones
It is mainly a hereditary condition in families that suffer from gout, people who don’t consume adequate amounts of water, and people who consume too much protein.
Essentially, these stones are formed when the levels of uric acid are too high, or in other words, when the urine is too acidic.
Beer: Cause or Cure?
Some people believe that beer can cause kidneys and others believe that beer can cure kidney stones – Both may be true. However, it is still an ongoing debate as there is not enough clinical proof to support either of the theories.
On one hand, beer is a diuretic. This means that it causes an excessive loss of water from the water in the form of urine and thus can lead to dehydration. Now, because dehydration is one of the common triggers or causes of kidney stones, some people believe that beer consumption is bad.
On the other hand, since beer is a diuretic and causes you to urinate frequently, people believe that drinking it can be helpful.
Stress and Kidney Stones
Both psychological and physiological stress can greatly affect your kidneys.
When the person is stressed out, blood pressure increases, heart rate quickens, and excess fats and sugar get deposited in your blood as a result – this can be very harmful to your bodily functions.
Abnormalities in your blood directly affect the functioning of your kidneys as they have to pass through this organ to get filtered out. When the blood pressure is high or when there is too much glucose in the blood, your kidneys will have to work twice as hard to filter the blood. Thus it creates an additional strain to your kidneys which can be harmful.
Stress, Image Credit: Pxhere
Sex and Kidney Stones
People commonly assume that kidney stones compromise sex life but to the contrary, sexual intercourse actually aids in their passing.
Reason: During sexual arousal, blood vessels large amounts of nitric acid. It acts as a vasodilator, which relaxes the veins and arteries. In addition to that, they also help the ureter walls relax. This structure (ureter) carries the urine from the kidney to the bladder.
Thus when these walls relax the stones are able to pass out from the kidneys more easily, and with less pain and discomfort.
Homeopathy and Kidney Stones
Homeopathic medicine helps relieve the pain during the passage of kidney stones and it can effectively help and increase the passage of stones with less discomfort.
They are also capable of dissolving the stones formed in the kidney or reducing the size of large stones so that pain is reduced during urination.
Can Kidneys Stones Kill You?
Usually, kidney stones are not life-threatening but they have the potential to develop into infections.
In some cases, kidney stones increase the risk of a kidney infection which can lead to sepsis or septic shock. This progression is very fatal as needs to be treated early and rapidly in order to ensure survival.