Having Kidney Stone Troubles? These 3 Unconventional Methods Might Help
Painful, agonizing, torture — these are some words that can be used to describe trying to pass a kidney stone, a mineral deposit in the kidney formed from mineral and acid salts. According to the Mayo Clinic, kidney stones are normally either passed through the urinary tract in a painful process or removed surgically, depending on their size, but there are several unconventional ways to pass a kidney stone that you might want to keep handy for future reference.
Roller Coasters
Passing a kidney stone has never been a fun experience, until now. In a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, urological surgeon David Wartinger discovered it was possible to pass small kidney stones on a roller coaster. The researchers created a model of a kidney with a kidney stone, placed it inside a backpack and went on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida 60 times. When the model was placed in the back of the cars, the kidney stone passed 64 percent of the time while at the front of the car it passed 17 percent of the time.
Sex
Having sex three to four times a week can allow the spontaneous passage of kidney stones, according to a study published in Urology. A group of 75 participants with kidney stones were divided into three groups: one was asked to have sex three to four times a week, the next group was given tamsulosin and the final group was the control group by receiving the standard treatments. After two weeks, 26 out of 31 people from the group instructed to have sex three to four times a week passed a kidney stone, a success rate of 83.9 percent. The group given tamsulosin had a success rate of 47.6 percent, and the control group 34.8 percent.
Exercise
While exercising might sound like the last thing you would want to do while trying to pass a kidney stone, it can help you in the process. According to New Health Advisor, Mild or moderate exercise such as walking can help the kidney stone moving through your body, making it easier to pass. If it becomes painful to exercise, take a break to rest and gather yourself.
Read more: Kidney Stones, Round Two: New Tool Accurately Predicts Patient's Risk For 2nd Bout Of Kidney Stones
Doluoglu OG, Demirbas A, Kilinc MF, Karakan T, Kabar M, Bozkurt S, Resorlu B. Can Sexual Intercourse Be an Alternative Therapy for Distal Ureteral Stones? A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study. Urology. 2016
Mitchell M, Wartinger D. Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2016