Working as an emergency room RN, I've seen numerous people suffering from kidney stones. About 80% are men, why we don't know. They have lower abdominal pain or flank pain on one side. The pain they really feel is intense.

We first ask them for a urine sample. Using a dip stick the nurse typically finds blood in the urine, frequently with hardly any infection (though there might well be infection, and frequently the presence of ketones, a sign of dehydration). The patient is then given intravenous fluids (salt water) to assist flush the kidneys, and after the doctor's formal diagnosis, pain medication also. The aim of the pain medication is to give the patient a rest as the fluids help the stones pass via less painfully.

A blood test and cat scan is often ordered for further confirmation. The scan can show both the size and location of the stone. If there's no sign of infection, the sufferers go home with pain medication and instructions to increase their water intake. They're also advised to use a strainer to catch and save the kidney stone, which can then be sent for analysis. Particular foods might then be prescribed to diminish the likelihood that more kidney stones are produced.

From many patients I have heard what works greatest for kidney stones. Their advice is first, and above all, to drink lots of drinking water. Should you don't drink lots of drinking water your urine becomes more concentrated, producing you more prone to develop new kidney stones. Here are some other tried-and-true tips:

o Prevent stress (as if that's easy!) Kidney stone sufferers are very frequently under unusual stress. o Avoid alcohol and sodas. They dehydrate you. o Drink corn silk tea to flush the kidneys. o Another helpful beverage is catnip tea with apple cider vinegar. o Drink aloe vera (It's sold in health food stores) o If your kidney stones are calcium-related, lemonade assists to absorb the calcium. o Stroll, stroll, stroll. Prolonged body movement assists to move the stones out. We call this "the tough way". o Be certain to have your thyroid and parathyroid checked. In some cases there is a connection.

How to prevent kidney stones in general:

1. Again - lots of water. This means eight 8-ounce glasses, and twelve glasses should you work outside. If your urine is smelly, you are most likely not drinking enough drinking water, and are at risk for a urinary tract infection (UTI).

2. Take vitamin C - 2,000 mg. a day.

3. No sodas or alcohol. If you do partake, for every glass of beverage drink an extra glass of water.

4. Work to strengthen your immune system.

5. Check your family history. Did any of your parents or grandparents have kidney stones? Get the story and learn from it, which frequently means to improve your lifestyle.

6. In Chinese medicine, the kidneys represent fear. To counteract any fear, try this positive affirmation: "Water flows freely via me, making me safer." As you repeat this affirmation regularly, attempt to sincerely feel its significance. Visualize it as a reality, not just words.

For real inspiration, try this wonderful quote from Aldous Huxley:

The kidneys are so beautifully organized; they do their work of regulation with such a miraculous--it's hard to find another word--such a positively divine precision, such knowledge and wisdom, that there's no reason why our archetypal man, whoever he is, or anyone else, for that matter, should be ashamed to own a pair."