Renal Stones And Their Recurrence

Abstract

Renal stones are something which are either totally symptom free or if they have symptoms then they are worse than anyone can ever have thought. There is a very funny saying that kidney stones are just your body telling you "Eat ka jawab patthar se". Yes, the phrase is funny but it's true. Renal stones develop due to having too much protein in your diet. This excessive quantity of protein starts accumulating in the kidneys and hence the situation of kidney stones appears in action. This article is all about kidney stones, their recurrence and how Ayurvedic herbs can be useful in this situation.

Introduction

Renal stones or kidney stones which are also called renal calculi, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis are hard deposits of minerals and salts inside the kidneys. In a kidney, there are many sites where these stones can be present and the intensity of symptoms can also vary according to the site of the stone. Sometimes you can even pass the stone along with your urine which can be really painful or you may not observe anything. The stones can give you urinary tract infection if they block the passage or ureter tract. Let's know what renal stones are capable of.

Starting from the causes of Urinary stones or kidney stones.

Causes of Renal Stones

The most possible cause of renal stone is drinking too little water, exercising too much which result in more water loss from body, having too much protein rich diet like heavy to digest pulses, for example black lentils or having too much animal meat based products like chicken, lean meat, red meat, turkey etc. Even excessive intake of excessive sugars or salts can result in the same. Some studies mentioned that having too much fructose on a regular basis increases your chances of developing kidney stones.

Ayurveda explains certain typical causes for developing renal stones.

• Irregular detoxification of body
• Ingestion of food which is non beneficial for the body like junk food, heavy, cheesy food.
• Metabolic disturbances of the body
• Intake of food which increases kapha dosha.

Ayurveda explains that in the etiopathology of urinary/ renal stones the urine (mutra) is the main dushya, the dushya is mutra vaha srotas (urinary micro channels) and the toxification of micro channels is sanga which means the toxification or dushti is interrelated with the other srotas too.  

The ancient Ayurvedic texts explain that there are four types of renal stones and termed them as ashmari. There are four types of shmari:

1. Vataj Ashmari
2. Pitta Ashmari
3. Kaphaj Ashmari
4. Shukraj Ashmari

According to the various types of ashmari, each type is having its specific symptoms as mentioned in Ayurveda. So, now we will be discussing the symptoms of renal stones in modern as well as in Ayurveda.

Symptoms of Renal Stones

• Sharp pain at the side of back and below ribs.
• Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin.
• The intensity of pain is wavy and is fluctuating.
• Burning sensation while passing urine.
• The colour of urine can vary from pink, red to brown.
• Cloudy and foul smelling urine
• Persistent urge to urinate
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever with chills in case of infection.

Symptoms to Ayurvedic Types of Ashmari or Renal Stones

Vataj Ashamri Symptoms

• The colour of stone will be like kadamb pushp vat (Blackish, reddish stone)
• Irregular surface of stone
• Retention of urine
• Acute bladder pain which radiates to groin
• Increased frequency of urine
• Mostly present in children
• Pressing the groin region with your hand.

Pitaj Ashmari Symptoms

• Burning in bladder region
• Inflammation in lower abdomen and bladder
• Reddish stone
• Small sized stone and marking nut like

Kaphaj Ashamri Symptoms

• Pricking pain in urinary tract
• Feeling of cold and heaviness in bladder
• Large sized smooth stone
• White and brownish stone
• Stone coloured as honey

Shukar Ashmari Symptoms

• Pain in bladder
• Dysuria or pain while passing urine.
• Orchitis or infection in the testicles.
• Retention of urine
• White and soft stone
• Adults are more prone to developing these stones.

Complications with Recurrent Renal Stones

Ayurveda also explains certain complications that can be noticed in people with recurrent renal Stones. These are as follows:

• Weakness
• Heaviness in body
• Emaciation (State of being abnormally thin)
• Pain in abdomen
• Anorexia (lack of appetite)
• Anaemia
• Gonorrhoea
• Polydipsia (increased urine frequency)
• Vomiting

Now, it is time for the most important section of this article that is the herbs. These herbs can do miracles and can prevent recurrence of renal stones plus have renal protective effects.

The Herbs are as Follows:

1. Punarnava( Boerhavia diffusa )
2. Varun ( Crataeva nurvala )
3. Gokshur( Tribulus terrestris )

1. Punarnava ( Boerhavia diffusa )

Punarnava is a potent ayurvedic herb which literally means something that can regenerate life. It has immense health benefits and is very popular in Ayurveda for treating various renal disorders. It works as a diuretic and also has a very  good effect in protecting renal parenchyma from various damages due to endotoxins and also regulates removal of toxins from the kidneys. It has rejuvenating properties and has a creatinine lowering effect, GFR increasing effect and prevents accumulation of salts and sugars in the kidneys that results in stone formation. It also has an antispasmodic effect and reduces inflammation. It relieves pain while urinating.

2. Varun ( Crataeva nurvala )

Varun, which is known as azapa in sanskrit and garlic pear in english is a very effective herb and is having its great use in all kinds of renal disorders including renal stones. Varun attains its name from its effect on bodily fluids and urinary system. Varun is having antiseptic and litholytic properties that are stone breaking properties. Varun is easy to digest due to its light guna and has a  vata and kapha pacification property as well. It manages the symptoms like pain very well in case of renal stones. Varun is also having appetizing and digestive effects.

3. Gokshur ( Tribulus terrestris )

Gokshura is a herb which is famous in Ayurvedic texts due to many reasons and its effect on kidney stones is one of the reasons for its popularity. Gokshura Tribulus terrestris is very good at maintaining uric acid levels in the body thus preventing the accumulation of uric acid in kidneys and hence causing destruction in the renal parenchyma. The gokshura has an anti lithiasis property which means it prevents the formation of renal stones with whatever composition. The herb also has a dosha balancing effect . It balances vata and pitta dosha and hence relieves pain and burning sensation due to renal stone at its best. Along with renal stone the herb is very effective as a diuretic which means it helps in flushing out the toxins from the body through urinary passage.

Dietary Restrictions

Along with the consumption of these herbs there are some diet restrictions which must be followed. These are:

• Restricting protein rich diet in your meals
• Avoiding consumption of milk and milk products
• Avoid using too much heavy pulses like black lentils, black gram, kidney beans and chickpeas.
• Restricting use of protein rich green leafy vegetables

Conclusion

Too big or too small, the recurrence of kidney stones is never a good sign. Kidney stones recurrence can result in various complications and thus can be very dangerous. We are built in a world in which we usually ignore a lot of things including our health and we all know deep inside our hearts that this is not correct. So start caring for your body and you will see the change by yourself. In case of any query kindly visit www.PlanetAyurveda.com . For more queries, you can send your queries to our email id  herbalremedies123@yahoo.com .