There is an increasing trend in kidney stone treatment to employ medications, rather than use open kidney surgery, which can permanently degrade the performance of the delicate kidney. In addition alternative medical procedures, where the stone is shattered by shock waves (extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy -- ESWL) or laser do have a painful recovery period of varying length. However, medication is not a perfect solution, as it is not without mild side effects and does not produce particularly fast results, so it's good to know there are some effective home remedies for dissolving kidney stones.

Kidney stones effect about 1.3 million Americans a year and are caused by the build up of salts within the kidneys and . The most common treatment for kidney stones is to drink lots of water and wait for the kidney stone to pass out of the body. Typically, 2-3 quarts of water a day are advised, along with painkillers to ease discomfort, until the stone has passed. About 85% of kidney stones can be eliminated this way, eventually.

Alongside conventional painkillers, success has also been found from prescribing either alpha-blockers or calcium channel blockers. Originally developed for cases of high blood pressure (hypertension), these two groups of medications have proved effective in relaxing the urinary tract, thus allowing the kidney stone to pass more easily.

The alpha-blockers have proved preferable to the calcium channel blockers because the latter does have more side effects, such as giddiness when standing up suddenly (postural or orthostatic hypotension). The alpha blockers do exhibit side effects, but they are less frightening, being just light-headedness, which stops when the medication is discontinued.

Fortunately, the home remedies for dissolving kidney stones, are without any side effects, as they use entirely safe regular grocery items available in any convenience store.

Although the alpha-blockers only have very mild side effects, they can take quite a while to act. Also they are only really effective when the stone has already passed down the urinary tract and is ready to drop into the bladder. The problem is that, by that time, the stone may have caused a great deal of pain, and even damage, on its slow journey down the ureter -- the delicate, narrow tube connecting the kidney with the bladder.

Fortunately, the home remedies for dissolving kidney stones work fast in about 85% of all cases and start dissolving the kidney stone right away, even if it is hardly out of the kidney. This means pain quickly diminishes as the stone gets smaller and the whole process can be over within 12 hours.