Kidney Stone: Uric Acid

When you listen to anyone who has had a kidney stone or two you’ll be told in no uncertain terms of the extreme pain experienced, particularly when the body endeavour’s to expunge them naturally. This is an experience I remember well from a few years ago and I had hoped for that occasion to be my first and last. But that was not to be.

Early last year I began having painful twinges in the area of my left kidney. An ultra-sound examination followed by an X-ray revealed a 6 mm stone on the lower left lobe of the kidney.

My urologist diagnosed a stone comprised essentially of uric acid. The fact that my previous stone had been of the calcium variety had no significance for him and he prescribed tablets accordingly…for a uric acid stone. The aim of the tablets being – as I understood it – was to discourage further growth.

Kidney Stone Reassessment: Calcium

After about eleven months on the tablets another ultrasound and X-ray examination was taken and this time the results indicated the stone measured 8 mm. 2 mm larger that the first measurement. My urologist discounted the additional growth factor saying it could easily be explained by the subjective analysis of the ultrasound operator. But he did now admit that the stone appeared to be made of calcium and not uric acid and prescribed different tablets.

My Options: Surgery or Shock Wave Treatment?

He also gave me a referral to the local hospital with view to having the stone removed by surgery or blasting; a procedure known as lithotripsy (+/- retrograde imaging) and also known as extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL). I had already decided not to take the tablets he’d given me and I certainly didn’t want the hospital treatment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine:

So instead, I set about looking for a more natural remedy. I started by spending eight weeks on assorted Chinese herbs under the guidance of a Chinese TCM Practitioner but found it to be inconvenient and cumbersome. My bi-weekly visits for a consultation and to purchase the herbs required an 80 km road trip. And making up the herbal remedy three times a day was both time consuming and painstaking.

On top of which, at AU$90 every two weeks, it was far too expensive, Whether or not it was doing me any good I can’t say but there was no indication it was dissolving the kidney stone quickly, that’s for sure. But it certainly didn’t do me any harm either.

Chanca Piedra Herb: The Stone Breaker!

And then, in late April 09, I resorted to searching the internet for another remedy. I soon found what I considered to be a very promising one: Chanca Piedra (Phyllanthus niruri), In Spanish, Chanca Piedra translates as “Stone Breaker”!!

It can be found at: http://www.rain-tree.com/chanca-piedra-extract.htm (note: I have no commercial interest in the product or the company)

From April to November I was taking four Chanca Piedra tablets each day, two morning and night. Maximum recommended dose is six per day.

Ultra-sound and CT-scan Reveals Two Stones – not One!

In late November 09, I had another ultrasound examination and CT-scan prior to seeing my urologist. The test results showed quite clearly that the single 6 – 8 mm stone now comprised of two stones, measuring 1.5 mm and 3.5 mm respectively. An encouraging result I thought.

My urologist appeared a little nonplussed with these results, as if he didn’t quite understand them. He attempted to explain the two stones away by saying that ultrasound tests are not always accurate and rely heavily upon the diligent, but nevertheless subjective analysis of the operator. And that just possibly, the original operator only saw one stone when if fact there were two.

But I knew this would have meant two operators had made the same error. He was forgetting that in late 2008 and early 2009, I’d had two separate ultra-sound tests, well spaced apart by six months or so and executed by two different operators. Each operator had identified only one stone.

Chanca Piedra Wins The Day:

I then produced my Chanca Piedra tablets and explained to him that it was my contention that the Chanca Piedra tablets had caused the breakup of the single stone into two and in the process, had reduced the overall dimension. Two stones, now with a combined measurement of just 5 mm, an overall reduction of between 1 mm and 3 mm, depending upon which of the two initial measurements one considered.

Granted he was interested enough to take the details of the Chanca Piedra tablets but he then went on the defensive again saying how unreliable ultra-sound tests can be. A surprising statement really, considering that many patients are sent for surgery based partly, if not wholly, on their ultrasound results.

Hospital Treatment my Last Option:

I’m still listed for a review at my local hospital – with a probable 2 year wait for treatment which suits me fine for the moment – but I am resolved even more than before to rid myself of these stones naturally and well before I even remotely consider hospital treatment.

So I have now increased my daily dose of Chanca Piedra tablets to three morning and night and patiently await the results. My next round of tests take place in May so hopefully that will give the tablets plenty of time to do their work.

Disease Risk for my Lone Kidney:

A salient factor in all this is, of course, is the fact that I have only the one kidney. This together with the recognized possibility of stones causing the onset of kidney disease; the matter must be dispensed with sooner rather than later.

Surgical Treatment May Cause Cancer Spread:

Yet another concern to me is medical research results indicating quite positively in my view, that any form of invasive surgery will likely cause the spread of cancer cells in the body with the inevitable release of blood internally. The microscopic cancer cells being transported by the blood to various other parts of the body.

I guess all I can do until my next battery of clinical tests is to pay special attention to my diet vis-a-vis my kidney and the kidney stones, keep taking the Chanca Piedra tablets and hope for the best result in May 2010.

More to come on this at that time – unless something untoward develops before then .

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 7:46 pm and is filed under Kidney Stone, My Gen. Health & Regimen, My update Jan 2010, Natural Health Products Purchased, Natural Supplements, Prostate Cancer Treatments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.