If kidney stones are not treated in
time, they can cause irreversible damage. However, lifestyle and diet can play an important role to keep away kidney stones. Here are
some preventive measured you can take:-
- Daily water intake is an important preventive measure. Drink water as much as possible along with other fluids to produce at least 2 litres of urine daily.
- The amout of water should be consumed on a periodic basis about a glass or two, every hour. People who work in hot weather should drink more water to replace the fluid they lose by sweating.
- Drinking enough water helps keep urine diluted and flushes away materials that might from stones. Lemon & orange juice hinder stone formation. Grapefruit juice, colas, beer, wine, coffee and tea should be avoided.
- Eating spinach once in a while or adding tomatoes to the daily food preparation does not really harm or increase the risk of stone formation, but harmful if taken on daily basis.
- Milk helps in reducing the stone formation.
- People who take supplementary calcium to maintain the bone density should take the calcium tablets along with the food.
- Reducing sodium intake is preferred to reducing calcium intake. The consumption of meat, fish and eggs should be reduced, as they contain purines, which break down in to uric acid in the urne, resulting in uric acid stones.
- Eating excessive chocolates and nuts like cashew also should be avoided as they contain oxalate.
- Once a person forms a stone, his chances of forming another stone are very high. most of the small stones pass spontaneously, but the larger stones may require treatment. If te stones are not treated in time, there can be irreversible damage to the kidneys.