Can stones heal themselves without treatment?

Excerpted from: Inside and Outside the Classroom Junior High School Edition·Science Youth August 2023 Weekly No. 3 (Total No. 1153) Text/Hong Jiajun Editor/Mao Ying

Do you believe there are dog doctors? Recently, a media reported that a man was kicked by his pet dog while playing with it. He went to the hospital in pain and found that the kidney stones he had diagnosed two years ago were gone. It turned out that the dog's unintentional kick had a miraculous healing effect.

Can stones really be kicked out?

In daily life, the word "stone" is not surprising. The most common ones are kidney stones and gallstones, which are actually urinary stones and gallstones. The common characteristics of these stones are: first, the stones are solid and will not dissolve; second, they will stay in a specific human cavity; the most important and easily overlooked is the third one, the stones will be affected by gravity. Under the action of gravity, they will roll "downward", and if they happen to fall into the thinner cavity below, it will cause blockage, further pull the nerves, and cause pain. Moreover, the various stones are unlikely to be smooth and symmetrical pebbles, which means that they may block the cavity if placed horizontally, but they may be unobstructed if placed vertically. So, everyone can understand why the dog hit the jackpot by accident-under the combined action of the external kicking force and gravity, the stones turned around and just passed through the cavity.

Can kidney stones be cured without medical treatment?

It's not just the dog's "magic kick" in this case. In fact, there are many cases where running and jumping can "cure" stones. For stones that are about the same size as the diameter of the cavity, if you are lucky, there is a chance that they will be discharged on their own, but who can guarantee that they will not block the cavity more tightly? Therefore, if you have stones, it is not something that can be cured by just jumping around. Going to a regular hospital to consult a doctor is the right way.

The key to treating stones is knowing yourself and your enemy. Depending on where the stone occurs, different technical means (CT or B-ultrasound) are used to determine the size and location of the stone to confirm whether it still has a chance to be discharged through the natural cavity. For example, for kidney stones, if the largest stone is less than 5 mm in diameter, then there is indeed a chance to expel the stone by drinking more water and exercising moderately; and for slightly larger stones, especially those that are about the same size as the cavity, medication can be used to achieve the purpose of treatment. On the one hand, medication helps to expand the natural cavity or dissolve stones, making it easier for the stones to pass and be discharged smoothly; on the other hand, as the natural cavity expands, the pain will also be relieved.

However, if the stone is larger or causes obvious symptoms, it must be removed by physical means. For kidney stones, once the diameter exceeds 10 mm, it has almost no chance of being discharged naturally and will definitely cause worsening symptoms. At this time, surgical treatment is required, mainly minimally invasive surgery or ultrasonic lithotripsy.

Drink more water if you have stones

In any case, stones are not friendly to the human body. Once stones are detected, it is like installing a time bomb. Soon, there will be severe pain and the risk of surgery. For this kind of chronic disease with acute onset, prevention is more important than treatment.

For healthy people, doing several things can help us prevent stones. The first is to drink enough water (1.5~2L per day). Insufficient water intake will cause the bile to be "thick", at which time the bile will accumulate and precipitate, and will "solidify" to form stones over time; similarly, insufficient water will cause urine to be repeatedly concentrated. The higher the concentration of the solution, the easier it is to crystallize, and the accumulation of sand will lead to the formation of stones. The second is to pay attention to the dietary structure, reducing fat in the diet while increasing fruits and vegetables. This is because fat can accelerate the growth of gallstones, while fruits and vegetables can help alkalize urine and help the smooth excretion of oxalate, phosphate and uric acid in the urine, and these ingredients are important components of various urinary stones including kidney stones.