Exploding Kidney Stones

Kidney stones, also known as calculi, are usually made up from calcium, uric acid, oxalate or phosphate. These are found accumulated in the urinary track and the kidneys. There are many likely causes for kidney stones including not drinking enough water to flush out the your system, consuming too much milk, cheese, and protein, and of course, that roll of the dice we call genetics.

It is estimated that 10% of the general population will suffer from this extremely painful condition. Men (1 out of 5 cases) are more apt to experience kidney stones than women and Caucasians are more likely to have them than Afro-Americans. There also seems to be an increase in the occurrences of kidney stone cases over the last 20 years.

There are many treatments for this painful condition. after the appropriate testing including 24 hour urine samples, blood test, provocative calcium loading tests, and stone analysis to determine the type of stone, and it's possible underlying cause. The treatments range from very invasive, surgery to a less invasive treatments involving shock waves, a tub of water.This three hour long process is known as lithrotripsy - which means stone crushing, and even though the tub of water has been eliminated it still is somewhat invasive and expensive. There are other treatment including lasers, removing the stones through the urethra, and using air pressure.