A military veteran and former senior director of global marketing at Abbott, Kyle MacGibbon now resides in Illinois. Kyle MacGibbon enjoys many hobbies and engages in philanthropy. He supports nonprofit organizations such as the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
The NFK is an organization dedicated to eradicating kidney disease through research and education. NFK educates the public on issues concerning the kidneys, including kidney stones. It's important to know the different types, symptoms and signs, risk factors, and treatment for kidney stones.
A kidney stone is a hard object, a formation of chemicals in urine, that can stay in the kidney or move down into the urinary tract into the ureter. Blood in the urine, nausea, vomiting, fever, severe pain in your lower back, and urine that smells bad or looks cloudy are signs of kidney stones. About 19 percent of men and nine percent of women will experience a kidney stone in their lifetime. Family history of kidney stones increases a person's likelihood of experiencing them. Dehydration, diets high in protein, salt, or sugar, being overweight, and some medical conditions, such as digestive disease, increase the likelihood of kidney stones too.
The NFK offers some lifestyle tips to prevent kidney stones. Drink eight to 12 cups of water per day. Also, watch your sweat. Over sweating leads to less urine production, which allows minerals to settle. Consider cutting back on sodium as much as possible too.
