Q: Can kidney stones be treated with homeopathy?
A: Kidney stones are clumps developed from solidified crystals in the kidney or urinary tract. The urine has all the ingredients that form the stone, but all these ideally pass through without our knowledge. When there is an imbalance in any of these substances, the crystals cluster together into stones. The size of the stone can be as small as a grain of sand to fairly large ones.
Kidney stones are one of the most painful of urologic disorders. Men tend to be affected more frequently than women.
Certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are susceptible. This stone formation is enhanced when there is an increased intake of calcium, calcium oxalate, uric acid or salt in our diet, without an adequate intake of water. A positive family history also makes a person prone to stone formation.
Symptoms: Kidney stones can remain asymptomatic until they obstruct the flow of urine. When obstruction to the flow of urine occurs at some point in time, the patient starts experiencing acute symptoms. The patient usually presents with the most agonising pain in the lower back just below the ribs, which often extends into the groin area. The patient may also experience nausea, vomiting, blood in the urine (haematuria), restlessness and fever (if an infection is present).
Stones less than 5mm in size usually pass out spontaneously; however, the majority of stones greater than 6mm can cause discomfort and pain, especially if the stone is stuck, causing persistent obstruction and/or infection of the urinary tract.
Homeopathy is likely to help in the passing of stones as well as in relieving the agonising pain. If the stone size is extremely large, surgery can be considered. However, even after surgical removal of stones, homeopathy still has a role to play in preventing its recurrence (as the chance of having recurring stones are about 70-80%).
Consult a homeopathic doctor who can select the remedies based on the individual’s symptoms.
Dr Riyaz Badami is a homoeopathic practitioner and medical director at Good Living Medical Centre. Got a problem? Our fantastic panel of renowned experts is available to answer all your questions related to fashion, well-being, nutrition, finance and hypnotherapy. Email your queries to firstname.lastname@example.org.