The problem starts when the stones formed are gargantuan in size. Imagine a stone as large as a golf ball inside your kidneys. Symptoms start to appear when it tries to pass in the urine via the ureter. People with large kidney stones often describe this experience as one of worst pains they ever experienced.

In the United States, around 10-15% adults are diagnosed with kidney stones every year. The incidence is slightly higher in the Middle East, with 20-25%, largely attributed to the risk of dehydration because of its hot climate, as well as their diet which is high in oxalate and low in calcium.

Formation of different kinds of kidney stones

Calcium oxalate stones

The most common type of kidney stones is the calcium oxalate stones. It accounts for 80% of all cases of kidney stones. Most causes of calcium oxalate stones can be attributed to urine component imbalances which can either precipitate or halt the formation of kidney stones. Genetic factors, underlying medical conditions, intake of certain drugs, and abnormalities in metabolism, digestion, and absorption also count as other causes.

The amount of calcium and urine in the body can also cause calcium oxalate stones. For example, excessive calcium in the urine or bloodstream or excessive oxalate in the urine can precipitate stone formation. A diet high in oxalate and low in calcium can also have the same effect.

Uric acid stones

Around 5-10% of all kidney stone occurrences are uric acid stones, which are made from purine. People with uric acid stones normally have high uric acid levels in the urine and the bloodstream. Moreover, both urine and uric acid are acidic in nature, thus giving way to the formation of kidney stones.

Other factors that may play a role in the formation of uric acid stones include genetic predispositions, gout, kidney abnormalities, high animal protein diet, drinking alcohol, fasting, lead toxicity, blood diseases, and chronic diarrhea.

Struvite stones

Struvite stones are made up of magnesium, phosphate, and ammonia. The leading cause of struvite stones is urinary tract infections or UTI. The bacteria that cause UTI, usually the Proteus bacteria, secrete enzymes that raise the levels of ammonia in the urine, thus forming struvite stones.

Women are more prone to develop struvite stones than men.

Other stones

Other types of kidney stones include cystine stones, xanthine stones, and calcium phosphate stones. These are usually developed in people with genetic defects and other underlying disease processes. However, they are less common than the calcium oxalate, uric acid, and struvite kidney stones.

Symptoms of kidney stones

The most common symptom of kidney stones is severe pain, described to be colicky in quality. The colicky pain is something that is unique to renal stones, since it starts in the kidney area and spreads toward the flank and the bladder region. It starts in one side and progresses in intensity for a few minutes.

While the size of the stone normally dictates the severity of the pain (i.e. the larger the stone, the more painful it is), this may not always be the case. A small stone with rough edges may be more painful than a large round one.

Aside from pain, there may also be a presence of blood and pus in the urine. The patient may feel a burning sensation during urination, and the urine output may be decreased because of the obstruction in the urine passageway caused by the stone. Moreover, the person may have frequent urges to urinate. Nausea and vomiting can also occur. If there is a concomitant infection, the person may also experience fever and chills.

Treatment of kidney stones

Kidney stones can be diagnosed through radiography, CT scan, or ultrasound. Once the existence of kidney stones has been established, the treatment follows.

Small stones measuring less than 4mm in diameter usually pass in the urine without requiring treatment. However, those that measure around 6mm or more need to be managed accordingly.

Initially, non-invasive methods are utilized. To encourage passage of stones, the physician may prescribe increased fluid intake, several antibiotics for infection, analgesics for pain, and diuretics to prevent further stone formation. Diet may also be limited, since foods high in oxalate should be avoided. If the stones are not passed out using these methods, then that is the time that doctors will consider more aggressive treatment.

Surgery or lithotripsy is indicated for more complicated cases. For stones located in the ureter that are less than a centimetre or half an inch, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) may be used. This involves breaking up the stone using an external, high acoustic pulse.

For stones that are larger than one centimetre, options include ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and open surgeries.

Mangosteen’s role in preventing kidney stone formation

What makes mangosteen great for people with kidney stones is the fact that the fruit aids in the passage of kidney stones. Mangosteen has a diuretic effect that helps kidney stones pass through the urine. It also helps in preventing the formation of further kidney stones because of its alkaline properties. As mentioned before, uric acid stones thrive in acidic urine. By neutralizing the acidity of the urine, these kidney stones are inhibited from forming.

Moreover, the xanthones found in the mangosteen fruit has an antibacterial effect, so that infection and formation of kidney stones are prevented for people who experience urinary retention because of obstruction in the urine passageway.

The mangosteen is a fruit native in Southeast Asia, so people from this region can directly reap the benefits that this fruit has to offer. However, for those people who live far from this area, there is still a way to enjoy the benefits of mangosteen, and that is through mangosteen supplements. People can opt to take the juice form or the powder form, depending on what is more accessible to them.

However, the powder form is more advisable because it does not contain preservatives like the juice form; therefore it is a more concentrated source of xanthones and other nutrients. Moreover, fruit juices are required to be pasteurized, and when they are subjected to heat, they tend to lost some of their nutritional value. The freeze-dried form does not have to endure that; hence you can be sure that what you are taking in is 100% nutritious and beneficial to your kidneys.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let us first define what UTI is, what its causes are, and how it manifests.

Urinary tract infection, generally known as UTI, is a bacterial infection that affects the body’s urinary system. This happens when bacteria get into the urinary bladder or the kidneys, thereby causing UTI. UTI affects millions of people all over the world, especially women. In fact, this disease accounts for 8.3 million visits to the doctor visits every year.

Causes

To understand what causes UTI, we first have to take a look at the human anatomy. One of the most common causes of UTI is bacteria coming from the rectum or the vagina, since these areas are proximal to the urethra. Remember that the urinary tract is sterile, meaning it does not contain normal flora. In contrast, the vagina and the rectum house normal flora, and once these bacteria enters the urethra and travels up to the bladder and the kidneys, it results to UTI.

Anatomy also explains why UTI is more common in women than in men, because a woman’s urethra is shorter than a man’s. During sexual intercourse, the normal flora found in the vagina can be transferred to the urethra through the motion of the penis. Hence, it is easier for the bacteria to travel in a woman’s urinary tract than in a man’s.

Another cause is urinary retention, or not urinating when the person feels the urge to do so. People must remember that it is important to urinate when there is an urge, because failure to do so will overstretch the muscles of the bladder, thereby weakening it and causing it not to empty completely, hence urinary stasis. The urine left in the bladder is a good medium for bacterial infection.

Signs and Symptoms

One already has the ability to know the affected part of the urinary system just by looking at the signs and symptoms of UTI. Either the bladder or the kidney is affected, and it is easier to spot which one of these two organs is affected because of the manifestations.

For bladder infections, the person may feel the urge to urinate frequently, even though there is really no urine to pass out. The frequency of urination increases, and it even bothers the person at night. During urination, there is a burning or painful sensation in the urethra, as well as pain in the lower abdomen just above the pubic region. Pus or blood may be found in the urine, and the urine sometimes smells foul. The person may also experience a mild onset of fever.

All these symptoms can also be seen in people whose UTI involves the kidneys, except that the additional symptoms are much more serious and systemic. The affected person may experience vomiting, flank pain (where the kidneys are located), abdominal pain, chills and high-grade fever, and fatigue.

A urine sample is needed to diagnose UTI. Sometimes, a pelvic exam is also required.

Treatment

Most uncomplicated UTI’s are easy to treat, since they only require the use of antibiotics. Examples of antibiotics used for UTI include cephalosporins, trimethoprim, fluroquinolone, and nitrofurantoin. However, one should remember that ne should take the full course of antibiotics even if he or she already feels better. This will prevent UTI from recurring.

If you keep on having UTI’s and you don’t want to depend on antibiotics, you can try natural health supplements that are out in the market. One of them is mangosteen health supplements, because mangosteens contain a substance that are said to have antibacterial properties, and these are xanthones. There are around 40 different xanthones found in a single mangosteen fruit.

Wondering what xanthones are? These are substances naturally found in mangosteens that have been recently found out to possess antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Xanthones help cleanse the digestive tract, neutralize free radicals, support cartilages and joints, boost the immune system, and promote respiratory health.

What is great about the variety of xanthones found in the mangosteen fruit is that they all have different healing properties. There are xanthones that serve as anti-depressants, while there are some that are antimicrobial. Some xanthones can fight a wide array of diseases like tuberculosis, ulcer, leukemia, and diabetes. The antibacterial properties of xanthones may be the reasons why they are said to treat bacterial infections such as UTI. Furthermore, the mangosteen fruit contains polysaccharides, which are also said to possess antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Mangosteen Forms

If you are planning to take mangosteen supplements, then you must know what supplement form is best to take. Of course, you can simply eat mangosteen fruits but unfortunately, they are not always available in the market. Besides, the most nutritious part of mangosteens is the pericarp or the outer rind, which is not normally consumed when eating the fruit in its raw form. The pericarp is where the xanthones are located, and it tastes bitter if you try to eat it as it is. Therefore, the best mangosteen supplements must be manufactured using the pericarp of the fruit.

Mangosteen supplements in powder form are made from the fruit’s pericarp. The rind is sliced and dried before pounding it until it becomes powder. The powder form has less sugar content, and it is also more concentrated than the juice form. Moreover, the juice form is high in sugar content, which is not that good for the body. So if you want to have the most nutritious health supplement possible, try the mangosteen supplement in powder form.