Kidney Disease & Health
Keeping kidney stones at bay
Kidney stones strike twice as many men as women, but there are simple ways to stop their formation.
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If you've ever passed a kidney stone, you will never forget it, and you'll do anything to avoid it again. If you haven't, here is what you could expect: unbearable pain centered in your mid- to lower back that often comes in waves for 20 minutes to an hour at a time, until the tiny stones finally pass out of the body through your urine.
Unfortunately, as you age, the odds of getting kidney stones tends to rise. "Kidney stones are more common in men than in women, and in about half of people who have had one, kidney stones strike again within 10 to 15 years without preventive measures," says Dr. Brian Eisner, co-director of the Kidney Stone Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
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