Preventing Kidney Stones from Forming

Preventing kidney stones is a smart way to save yourself from a great deal of pain. Kidney stones are hard deposits that can build up on the inner walls of your kidney. The small deposits are comprised of various minerals and salts that normally remain combined with your urine. Sometimes the substances can stick together and harden, resulting in a kidney stone.

Kidney stones rarely grow big enough to require surgery. They can usually be passed from the kidney and through the urinary tract to be expelled. However, passing a kidney stone is extremely painful. There can be several different reasons for developing a kidney stone, so it's vital to consult with a doctor about the problem. Knowing the exact reason for your kidney stone can help you prevent developing one again.

Preventing Kidney Stones
The best way to prevent kidney stones is to know why they're developing in the first place. Some kidney stone causes can be treated with prescription medication. Some causes can be prevented by a change in diet. However, despite the cause, you can help prevent most types of kidney stones by drinking plenty of water.

• Drink water. All kidney stones are created when minerals and salts build up in your kidneys. By drinking heavy amounts of water, you help dilute the overall percentage of these substances in your urine. Diluting the substances helps spread them apart, making it less likely they will cluster together. However, you may need to drink several quarts of water each day, depending on the severity of your problem.
• Drink lemon water. In addition to drinking plenty of water each day, you want to drink one large glass of lemonade or lemon water. It's important to use fresh lemon or real lemon juice. The lemon juice contains citrate and increases the overall citrate levels in your urine. Citrate can help prevent many different types of kidney stones from forming.
• Reduce salt and meat. If your kidney stones turn out to be calcium based, a few changes it diet can help prevent more from forming. Reduce your salt intake as much as possible. This means you need to not only stop salting your food, you need to reduce your intake of naturally salty foods. You should also limit the amount of meat protein you consume. You don't have to stop eating meat, but you do want to avoid filling your system with excess animal protein.
• Change your diet. Certain types of kidney stones can help be prevented by avoiding certain foods. However, eating a healthy and well-balanced diet can also reduce your overall risk of developing most types of stones. A balanced diet keeps your body healthy and helps maintain chemical levels. The more stable and healthy your urine chemical levels, the less likely you will develop stones.
• Take medication. Uric acid and cystine kidney stones can be prevented by taking prescription medication. You'll need to consult with your doctor to confirm the source of your kidney stone problem so that the proper medication can be prescribed. If you do require medication to help prevent stones, it's highly likely that you will have to remain on that medication indefinitely.