Aśmarī or Kidney Stones
just what the heck are kidney stones anyhow?
nephrolithiasis or kidney stones are crystallized material comprised of either calcium (most common with 65-85% incidence), uric acid, cystine, magnesium, aluminum, phosphate, etc. however, in warm, dry climates, uric acid stones do account for up to 40% of stones.
from a western medicine perspective, kidney stones can be formed due to several different etiologies:
1) supersaturation of urine with stone-forming salts
2) presence of chemical or physical stimuli in the urine that promotes stone formation
3) inadequate number of urine compounds that inhibit stone formation
4) calcium, vitamin C, magnesium, and animal protein intake can increase the incidence as well
what we generally see on assessment findings are sudden onset of back & flank pain (usually colicky & severe), costovertebral angle tenderness, radiating pain to suprapubic region and groin, blood in urine, difficulty urinating and the list goes on. these are the more common signs & symptoms.
the gold standard for diagnosing renal calculi is a spiral CT scan as it is the most sensitive test and also is helpful in evaluating pain if NOT due to a stone.
how would we approach this from an āyurvedic perspective?
one thing to always keep in mind is that āyurveda tailors its treatment plan per the individual. so, please know that what i discuss here is the sāmānya (generalized) cikitsā, not the viśeṣa (specified or individualized).
primarily, a vaidya would approach "kidney stones" using two methods: (1) introducing the snigdha (oily) guṇa to the mūtravaha srota & (2) using dravya (medicinal herbs & formulations) that do "bhedana", which is the karma of breaking, destroying, bursting, and/or parting asunder. the "bhedana" action is needed to pulverize the stone where it is located & the snigdha guṇa is directed towards the ureters to facilitate easier passage of the kidney stone ̍ remnants.
do know this is a simplified explanation of potential āyurvedic protocol.
how about jyotiṣh (vedic astrology)? what would we expect to see in this scenario?
in general, there may be an affliction to libra in the person' birth chart. the 'environments' in the body that libra rules are the urinary & reproductive system. first, we would look here at this raśi. this is not the only way in which kidney stones could present in the chart though.
renal stones could also manifest as an issue with the planet mercury as mercury is connected to the rasa dhātu.
or it could be entirely due to the influence of the bādhaka planet. or it could be due to activation of certain trines in the śūla daśā? or due to harsh transits during a troubling viṁśottarī antaradaśā. essentially, all these things have to be taken into consideration. a skilled jyotiṣhi will unravel the individual's karmas to make sense of the medical astrology.