CAUSES OF KIDNEY STONES
An estimated 10 percent of Americans develop kidney stones at some point in their lives. The reason for this is not known. Following are the cause that can lead to kidney stones.

• Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine.
• There may be a geographic predisposition to form kidney stones. There are regional "stone belts," with people living in the southern United States, having an increased risk of stone formation. The hot climate and poor fluid intake may cause people to be relatively dehydrated, with their urine becoming more concentrated and the beginning of a stone (nidus).
• Some people are more susceptible to forming kidney stones, and heredity may play a role in forming kidney stones.
• Dehydration from reduced fluid intake or strenuous exercise without adequate fluid replacement increases the risk of kidney stones. Obstruction to the flow of urine can also lead to stone formation. Kidney stones can also result from infection in the urinary tract; these are known as struvite or infection stones.
• Men are especially likely to develop kidney stones, and Caucasians are more often affected than blacks. The prevalence of kidney stones begins to rise when men reach their 40s, and it continues to climb into their 70s. People who have already had more than one kidney stone are prone to develop more stones. A family history of kidney stones is also a risk factor for developing kidney stones.
• A number of different medical conditions can lead to an increased risk for developing kidney stones. People taking diuretics and those who consume excess calcium-containing antacids can increase the amount of calcium in their urine and potentially increase their risk of forming stones. Patients with HIV who take the medication indinavir (Crixivan) can form indinavir stones. Other commonly prescribed medications associated with stone formation include Dilantin and antibiotics like ceftriaxone (Rocephin) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). Taking excess amounts of vitamins A and D are also associated with higher levels of calcium in the urine.

• Gout results in an increased amount of uric acid in the urine and can lead to the formation of uric acid stones.

• Diet may or may not be an issue. Hypercalciuria (high calcium in the urine), another inherited condition, causes stones in more than half of cases. In this condition, too much calcium is absorbed from food and excreted into the urine, where it may form calcium phosphate or calcium oxalate stones.

• Other conditions associated with an increased risk of kidney stones include hyperparathyroidism, kidney diseases such as renal tubular acidosis, and some inherited metabolic conditions including cystinuria and hyperoxaluria. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) are also associated with an increased risk of developing kidney stones.

TYPES OF KIDNEY STONES
Stones can range in size from microscopic specks to the size of a fingertip. There are four kinds of kidney stones: calcium stones (composed of calcium oxalate); uric acid stones; struvite stones (composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate); and cystine stones.
About 80 percent of all stones are calcium oxalate stones. High blood calcium levels lead to hypercalciuria-excessive absorption of calcium from the intestine-which increases the level of calcium in the urine. This excess calcium eventually forms a stone.
Uric acid stones form when the volume of urine excreted is too low and/or blood levels of uric acid are abnormally high. The latter condition is commonly associated with symptoms of gout. Unlike other types of kidney stones, struvite stones are unrelated to metabolism; these stones are caused by infection. Women often get them with recurrent urinary tract infections.
 Cystine stones are caused by a condition called cystinuria, a rare congenital defect that can cause stones composed of the amino acid cystine to form in the kidney or bladder.
A struvite stone, also known as an infection stone, may form after there is an infection in the urinary system. This type of kidney stone contains the mineral magnesium and the waste product ammonia.

Calcium stones often run in families because the tendency to absorb too much calcium is hereditary. Also, in people with a family history of kidney stones, there seems to be stronger than normal correlation between the intake of either vitamin C or oxalic acid and the urinary excretion of oxalate. Apparently, such individuals either absorb more oxalate from their diets or metabolize greater amounts of proxalate precursors.
People who have Crohns’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome, or who eat diets high in oxalic acid, may have an increase risk of kidney stones as well, as these factor can cause the excretion of oxalate in the urine to increase. Other risk factor for kidney stones include low urine volume, low bodily pH, heredity, living in a tropical climate, and reduced production of natural inhibitors of crystal formation.

Kidney stones are ten times common now as they were at the start of the twentieth century. While the consumption of food high in oxalic acid (mostly eggs, fish, and certain vegetables) has declined markedly in this country in that time, the amount of animal fats and protein in the average America’s diet has increased significantly.

RECOMENDATIONS  

• For pain relief, drink the juice of half a fresh lemon in 8 ounces of water every half-hour until the pain subsides. You can alternate between lemon juice and fresh apple juice.
• Increase your consumption of foods rich in vitamin A. Vitamin A is beneficial to the urinary tract and helps to discourage the formation of stones. Good sources of vitamin A include alfalfa, apricots, cantaloupes, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and squash.
• Minimize your consumption of animal protein, or eliminate it from your diet altogether. A diet high in animal protein causes the body to execrate  calcium, producing excessive amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and uric acid in  the kidneys and often resulting in painful kidney stones.
• Do not omit calcium from your diet – it is important in lowering your risk of developing osteoporosis, which is a much more common problem than kidney stones, especially for women. Getting extra magnesium can reduce the risk of kidney stones by increasing the solubility of calcium oxalate. Seafood, brown rice, tofu, and soybeans are naturally high in magnesium.
• Try drinking a large amount of liquid (preferably pure water), allow twenty minutes for digestion, and then run up and down stairs vigorously. This has been known to allow small, stubborn kidney stones to pass naturally.
• Avoid all refined sugar and products that contain it. Sugar stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which in turn causes extra calcium to be excreted in the urine.
• Stay active. People who are sedentary tend to accumulate high levels of calcium in the bloodstream. Exercise helps pull calcium into the bones, where it belongs.

Most of the kidney stones ultimately pass to the urinary tract by their own within the two days (48 hours), by taking lot of fluid intake. Medications for the pain relief are prescribed for the kidney stone symptoms.

HOME REMEDIES
Stones lesser than 4mm in size usually pass out spontaneously, without any complications.  Prevention is always the preferable way to treat kidney stones. Remaining well hydrated and keeping the urine dilute will help prevent kidney stones from forming.

• Take one teaspoon each of basil juice and honey daily for six months.
• Dried French beans or Rajmah is an effective ingredient to get rid of all kidney problems including Kidney stones. Remove the beans from the pods, and slice the pods in small sizes and boil it in 4 liter of hot water in low flame for six hours continuously. Strain the liquid twice through fine muslin and cool it for eight hours. A glass of this fluid should be given to the patient every two hours throughout the day in plenty.
• Intake of vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is the best treatment for kidney stones. A daily therapeutic dose of 100 to 150 mg of Vitamin B6 combined with other B complex vitamins helps in getting a permanent cure.
• Take a tablespoon of pomegranate seed and grind it into a fine paste and give it to the patient with a cup of horse gram soup. A cup of horse gram soup should be prepared by using two tablespoon of it.
• Drinking plenty of water will help push the stone down the ureter to the bladder and hasten its elimination.
• Nettle helps to keep crystals from forming into stone. It even helps to wash away the bacteria. Drink 2-3 cups of nettle leaf per day to prevent kidney stones. Mix 1-2 tablespoon of dried nettle leaf with 1cup of hot water and steep for 10-15 minutes.