Is there a cure for kidney stones or in the very least, a way to help reduce the risk of getting kidney stones?  In this article, I am going to be asking that very question and hopefully answering it for those who are either currently suffering and trying to pass a stone or for those who are looking for a kidney stone cure so that they can say goodbye to them forever.

What are kidney stones and where do they come from?

A kidney stone or renal calculi are basically nothing more than mineral salts that build up in your urinary tract and eventually bond and form little "stones".  Understand that urine in humans is typically loaded with uric acid, phosphates and calcium oxalate but thanks largely to various protective compounds in the body that control the pH of your urine, these minerals never get a chance to bond and simply pass out of your body through urine.

The problem actually happens when these protective compounds fail or get overwhelmed.  When this happens, the minerals crystallize and clump together, eventually forming stones.  In some cases, these stones can be gigantic in relation to the urinary tract causing blood in the urine because the stones are literally scraping along the walls on its way to get passed.  Obviously, the result is excrusiating pain that some liken to child birth.

Some of the major symptoms are visible in your urine.  This includes a blood and pus in the urine (kidney stones cause urinary tract infections), as well as urine that smells and urine that is cloudy.

The pain is incredible and usually starts at the upper back and moves down through the lower abdomen and finally to the groin as the stone passes through the urinary tract.  This can cause an notable increase in urination OR a complete absence of urine as well as profuse sweating.  In passing smaller kidney stones, the symptoms may mimic stomach flu or gastrointestinal problem.

It is estimated that 10% of all Americans will develop at least one kidney stone in their life.  That said, older white men are more likely to get them than females or African-Americans as long as they don't live in what experts call the "stone belt", or the lower southeastern part of the US.  The reason for this isn't totally understood but many doctors point to the hot climate which increases the risk of dehydration as well the regional diets.

If you are an adult male and have passed a kidney stone already, your likelihood of passing another one in eight years is 50%.

While some theorize that kidney stones are genetic, the fact that this problem has escalated in numbers over the last 100 years points to a more logical answer- diet.  Our diets in the modern world are filled with processed foods (what I call Not FOOD) as well as a marked increase in sugar intake.  This said, it does run in the family but one has to wonder if this is because of dietary habits that are passed down from generation to generation.

The short answer is there isn't...not with doctor administered medication that is.  This said, since many believe that diet plays such a crucial role in the risk factors of developing a kidney, simple changes in your diet could make a difference in lowering risk.

You should be drinking plenty of water.  I recommend that you drink at least half your weight in ounces a day.  In other words, if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink at least 50 ounces.  This is, by far, the easiest and best way to prevent recurring kidney stones.  Water helps to dilute urine and inhibits the formation of minerals bonding to each out.  Dehydration accounts for 14%-20% of people who develop kidney stones.

Another thing that can help prevent the formation of stones is to add lemon juice to a glass of water each morning and drinking it.  The citric acid in lemon juice actually breaks apart and helps to dissolve minerals in your urine.  Studies have shown that people who drank lemonade daily reduced the risk of stone recurrence.

Reduce the amount of animal protein you eat-  Animal protein actually causes your body to excrete calcium which produces excessive amounts of uric acid, calcium, phosophorous for the kidneys to try to process.

Adding magnesium to your diet can also help to cure kidney stones as magnesium actually increases the solubility of calcium oxalate..the most common of all kidney stones.

If you believe that the stones you are passing are uric acid kidney stones, try following a gout diet as this will help reduce the amount of uric acid in your body.