1 in every 10 individuals is estimated to have kidney stones once in their life. In the United States alone, the frequency of kidney stones rose from 3.8% in the 1970s to 8.8% in the 2000s. And in 2014, the frequency further increased to 10%. But kidney stone problems are not entirely a new problem.

Kidney stone removal is one of the earliest medical procedures recorded in history. In ancient India, around 600 BC, a physician named Sushruta described the process of bladder stone extraction through the perineum. It was around the 3rd century that the process of breaking down the stones into smaller pieces was first introduced. History proves that the battle against kidney stones is as old as history itself.

Most medical practitioners agree that kidney problems are a silent pandemic. As many as 37 million adults in America suffer from kidney problems. What's worse is that they don't even know it until their kidneys started to fail. And when the kidneys fail, the body's normal function is also affected. One of the main culprits behind kidney problems is the formation of kidney stones. Chronic kidney stone formation may end as a bigger kidney problem if left untreated. And if you already had one, you'll have more chances of developing another.