Renal Calculi: Diet Precautions and Treatment

Renal Calculi, or otherwise commonly known as a Kidney stone, is a medical condition wherein unwanted chemicals get concreted inside the kidney. Our urine consists of several minerals in a solution medium. These minerals, if occurs in excessive proportion, can precipitate and form crystal-type shapes, which are commonly called as stone or kidney stone. They may become quite large that it will be normally unable for you to pass out these chemicals during the urination process. The usual stone-forming chemicals are calcium, urate, oxalate, cystine, and phosphate.

The most common reasons for the formation of kidney stone are:

1. Inadequate consumption of water.
2. The consumption of food items with a high percentage of salt and sugar

• Obesity

Common Symptoms of Renal Calculi or Kidney Stone:

A patient suffering from kidney stones can generate one or more of the following symptoms.

1. Severe pain on either side of your lower back
2. Traces of blood in the urine

• Urine with severe odor

1. Stomachache (in the lower abdomen) or pain near the groin

Treatment for Renal Calculi: 

Depending on the size of the renal stone, it can be treated either with oral medication or surgically in a serious case. If the stones are found to be small in size, oral medication can help in the gradual disintegration of the stone, and they can be passed out of the body through the urine. Surgeries are only recommended when the case cannot be treated with the former method. In either case, if a patient comes across any of the above-listed symptoms, the affected individual should consult a medical practitioner for medication.

Homeopathy offers a range of remedies, with excellent relief, to the people suffering from Renal Calculi or Kidney stones. Depending on the symptoms, the medication and dosage can be decided. A few of the commonly prescribed homeopathic remedies for Kidney Stone are: 

• Berberis Vulgaris: This homeopathic medicine is recommended to the patients who complain of the sensation of urine remaining after urination or urine noticed with mucus and sediments. Berberis Vulgaris is also recommended if the kidney stones are identified as being formed on the left side.

• Cantharis Vesicatoria: Cantharis Vesicatoria is suggested for the treatment of kidney stones when the patient suffers from an intense burning during urination and when the burning sensation prevails before and even after passing the urine.
• Hydrangea Arborescens: When whitish deposits or sand-type formation is noticed in the urine, Hydrangea Arborescens is recommended as a remedy. Hydrangea Arborescens can help in disintegrating the stone to fine particles so that these can be discharged with the urine from the body.
• Ocimum Can: Ocimum Can is another effective homeopathic remedy for the patients suffering from a kidney stone that originated in the right kidney and that is followed by nausea or vomiting. When the urine turns red with a persistent burning sensation while urination, Ocimum Can is indicated.
• Sarsaparilla Officinalis: Sarsaparilla Officinalis is recommended in case where recurrence of kidney stones is noticed. Once again, the patient may experience discomfort, such as excessive pain at the end of urination.
• Lycopodium Clavatum: Lycopodium Clavatum is prescribed as a remedy to the patients who suffer from the pain in the right kidney or right ureter. The pain in such cases worsens before urination.

Dietary Precautions to Follow For the Patients of Renal Calculi:

By following a few lifestyle changes along with the medications, one can completely obviate the recurrence of Renal Calculi and related discomforts. A few of the advisable and practicable dietary changes to prevent stone formation are:

• Increase Your Fluid Intake: A general thumb rule to one and all is to increase your daily intake of water. This can help in the early dilution of unwanted chemicals in your body. Make a practice to consume a minimum of 2 liters of drinking water a day.
• Minimize Sugar Consumption: Excessive intake of sugar, sugar syrup, and processed foods rich in sugar increase the level of sucrose and fructose in your body. This can trigger the formation of kidney stones in the long run. Try to minimize food items, such as soft drinks, cakes, honey, cane sugar, and corn syrup, in your daily diet.
• Check Your Salt Intake: Sodium present in the salt can support the formation of unwanted calcium in the urine. Keep an eye on the amount of salt you consume through your food intake. The lesser the better.
• Increase Your Calcium intake: Calcium helps in preventing the stone formation because it binds well with oxalate before it enters the kidney. Too much of oxalate, if it goes unchecked, can form calcium oxalate stones. This occurs when the body doesn’t have enough fluid to dissolve these oxalates. Try to include foods rich in Calcium or Vitamin D, such as dark leafy vegetables, fresh milk, etc., in your diet.
• Have Citrus Foods: Food items rich in citrus can help in the prevention of stone formation in the kidney. A few items which are rich in the citrus base are orange, lemon, etc.,
• Check Your Meat Intake: Red meat contains a high amount of proteins which can act as a stimulus in increasing uric acid production. Excess of proteins can also reduce the level of citrate, an essential chemical to prevent the formation of kidney stones. Your diet should have the right amount of red meat and seafood and you should not be overly dependent on these items only.

Of all the recommended diet practices, one needs to understand that complete removal or elimination of a certain food item may not be very helpful since a few of them are required by our body in decent proportions. Take the example of red meat, depending on the diet style, one may not be able to completely remove these food items from their diet. The best advice one can suggest is to strike a good balance between the variety of food items consumed by a person. A common notion that cannot be overlooked has to be sufficient intake of drinking water at regular intervals which can go a long way in reducing renal calculi related complaints.