Kidney Stone Tips

Kidney stones are deposits of minerals and acid salts, which are present in your kidneys. Normally, the substances that create kidney stones pass with urine, but when this doesn't happen, the substances stick together and form kidney stones. Symptoms of kidney stones are described as "excruciating," and include back and side pain, foul-smelling urine, pain while urinating, fever and chills. Here are a few tips to minimize occurrences of kidney stones.

Drink Plenty of Water

According to the Mayo Clinic, patients with a history of kidney stones should drink plenty of water--at least 14 cups of fluids daily. You aren't limited to just water. Drinking lemonade can boost the amount of citrate in the urine, which can help prevent kidney stones from forming.

Make Diet Changes

The only way to know if diet is causing kidney stones is to have your doctor run an analysis of the stone. This is accomplished by filtering urine when the stone is being passed and sending the stone off to the lab to be tested.

If your stones are made of calcium oxalate, ask your doctor about cutting out foods that are rich in this substance, including refried beans, spinach, almonds, soy products and collards.

Also, according to the Mayo Clinic, a diet low in sodium and low in protein from animals, can reduce the chances of getting kidney stones.

Ask about Medications

After your doctor has determined what is causing your stones, she may be able to prescribe a medication. For example, if you have uric acid stones, she may put you on Aloprim, which reduces uric acid in your blood.

Struvite stones are caused by bacteria in the urine. Preventing these stones can be accomplished by taking small doses of antibiotics long-term.

Crystine stones are very hard in texture, and according to the Mayo Clinic, are the hardest to treat. A doctor may prescribe medications which even out the alkalinity in the urine.

Understand the Risk Factors

Like many medical conditions, there are risk factors for developing kidney stones. These include family history of kidney stones, not enough exercise and a high body mass index. Having high blood pressure may also boost the chances of having this condition. Talk with your doctor about these risk factors.