Roller Coasters Could Help People Pass Kidney Stones, Says Study (nbcnews.com)

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Roller Coasters Could Help People Pass Kidney Stones, Says Study (nbcnews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Monday September 26, 2016 @03:30PM from the modern-medicine dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: Two researchers who took science to the amusement park say they've found that a thrilling roller coaster ride just might help people shake out pesky kidney stones. Dr. David Wartinger of Michigan State University said he'd heard patient after patient tell him about how they had passed kidney stones after riding one particular ride: the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando. He and a colleague, Dr. Marc Mitchell, had also seen some media reports about people who passed kidney stones while bungee jumping and riding roller coasters. So they decided to leave East Lansing to head to Orlando in the name of medical research. To simulate the human body as best they could, they made an artificial human kidney model out of clear silicone gel and loaded it up with real human kidney stones. They rode the roller coaster holding their kidney contraption between them in a backpack positioned at kidney height. They took 20 rides and noted what happened to each kidney stone. Riding in the back of the roller coaster train seemed to really knock the kidney stones out, they reported in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. "Front seating on the roller coaster resulted in a passage rate of four of 24," they wrote. "Rear seating on the roller coaster resulted in a passage rate of 23 of 36." They mainly tested the one roller coaster ride, and it's a fairly simple one. "The Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster is not a terribly dynamic ride," Wartinger said. "It's not very fast. It is not very tall. It makes sharp left and right turns that have some vibration." Wartinger suspects many different thrill rides would have the same effect. "It's not like there anything unique about this one coaster," he said. The pair have now run their test 200 more times and say the findings are consistent. Now they want to try other amusement park rides.

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Fess up, now by Tablizer · 2016-09-26 15:32 · Score: 2

You got this from Flintstones, 3-Stooges, and/or Onion.com

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Table-ized A.I.
In other words by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 15:34 · Score: 3, Funny

Science confirms the theory of thrill rides scaring the piss out of you
1. Re:In other words by Tablizer · 2016-09-26 15:41 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I've had a kidney stone, and I'll tell you the LAST thing I wanted to do during all that pain was hop on a roller coaster. I didn't want to move, period, even after bigass pain meds.
  It was the most painful thing I ever felt. I invented several new vowels and cuss-words, some Klingon, and repented to every deity I could think of. (Its effects vary per person and per stone, though.)
  
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2. Re:In other words by sconeu · 2016-09-26 16:22 · Score: 0
  
  I'm with you.
  
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  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
3. Re:In other words by grcumb · 2016-09-26 17:04 · Score: 1
  
  I've had a kidney stone, and I'll tell you the LAST thing I wanted to do during all that pain was hop on a roller coaster.
  Amen, brother. I had heroin suppositories[*] keeping mine down to a deafening roar before my medevac, and I still couldn't even sit upright before the pain got the better of me. Talk about the cure being worse than the disease.
  [*] From the ridiculous to the sublime, as it were.
  
  --
  Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
4. Re:In other words by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:15 · Score: 1
  
  My kidney stone was fairly huge when discovered, and so did not attempt to pass itself, therefore no pain. My urologist went in with a laser and turned it into little grains of sand. OK, I bled for 2 weeks afterward, got used to seeing red pee, and still half-expect to see red pee now a year later. But it has healed. Still, it would be preferable to jump on a coaster, dislodge a sand-grain-sized kidney stone such as I passed AfTER my laser surgery, and 1) not have any pain and 2) not have any surgery and 3) not have any bleeding.
  This is a real nice excuse for a 69 year old man such as myself to go ride rollercoasters with all the kids. Maybe I should get a season ticket...
5. Re:In other words by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 20:33 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Being in the club myself, I guess the idea is to go on a roller coaster ride BEFORE it clogs something and hence starts to hurt.
  And for those that don't know the wonderful feelings of kidney stones that wedged themselves into some tender parts of yours, we're not talking about huge boulders. Something the size of a grain of salt can well become your personal nightmare.
  
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6. Re:In other words by Joce640k · 2016-09-26 20:48 · Score: 1
  
  Me too. The idea of traveling to a theme park and standing in line for an hours is just ludicrous.
  
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  No sig today...
7. Re:In other words by luckypunq · 2016-09-26 21:28 · Score: 1
  
  Every time I have had a kidney stone crisis A: I didn't want to move B: I wanted to stay very near a toilet C: I projectile vomited until my stomach was empty, then kept on vomiting (good news for the passengers behind me !!)
8. Re:In other words by denzacar · 2016-09-27 00:30 · Score: 1
  
  Still, it would be preferable to jump on a coaster, dislodge a sand-grain-sized kidney stone such as I passed AfTER my laser surgery, and 1) not have any pain and 2) not have any surgery and 3) not have any bleeding.
  I doubt that the number 3 is possible.
  In the study they used silicone models of kidneys and the ureter. Silicone tends not to bleed. Or feel pain.
  In fact, the original observation was with bungee jumpers in Taiwan having "severe pain in the back and stomach about 10 minutes after the activity".
  So, number 1 would still be painful.
  On the other hand, getting it dislodged and moved down to ureter without surgery should make it easier to break it up and pass it.
  
  --
  Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
9. Re:In other words by OS2toMAC · 2016-09-27 00:36 · Score: 1
  
  I could see this working. I've had them 3 separate times. First two passed after....riding in a car down a bumpy road on the way to the hospital. Not comfortable, but they passed. Third time it was too big. Needed surgery. The stent they shoved up there was almost as painful, particularly when they yanked it out a few days later! My dick looked like a candle with the stent's little string poking out (had to yank it out some way!)
10. Re:In other words by Evtim · 2016-09-27 01:37 · Score: 1
  
  My worst pain ever was [very badly] dislocated shoulder joint....after 3 hours when it was finally put back and I could think straight again I asked the doctor what was that magical substance they put in my blood prior to adjusting the joint which removed all the pain within seconds after the administration, he said it was morphine. Surprised I asked "Isn't morphine reserved for really terrible pain?" - I was thinking Hollywood movies where people getting shot at get a shot of morphine:) and also cancer patients.
  He said "You have just experienced for 3 hours one of the top 3 most painful conditions in "every day" medicine [thus excluding accidents/wars etc. where bits and pieces of you are being shot at/cut off/smashed/ruptured/squashed] "..."What are the other two?".. ."Pissing a kidney stone and giving birth".
  I hope I'll never have to experience the stones for the purpose of comparison! Giving birth is fortunately excluded due to gender...phew!
11. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 01:54 · Score: 0
  
  The article did say riding on the back was the most successful, so you wouldn't need to worry about vomiting on anyone behind you.
12. Re:In other words by Fieryphoenix · 2016-09-27 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  Sure, during renal colic this would be crazy. But the stones are there a long time before they cause issues. Before a painful attack, or after the cramps are under control and perhaps your ureters are dilated with tamsulosin, maybe this is just the thing to shake em out.
13. Re:In other words by aicrules · 2016-09-27 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  Except perhaps if you are above people....like a loop or one of those tracks that goes over the waiting crowd lol
14. Re:In other words by sconeu · 2016-09-27 06:51 · Score: 1
  
  I can just see the Prescription Fast Pass.... "Go to the front of the line with your doctor's prescription! Prescription Fast Pass(r)!!!!"
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
15. Re:In other words by Grishnakh · 2016-09-27 08:44 · Score: 1
  
  Giving birth is fortunately excluded due to gender...phew!
  For now. You never know what medical science will come up with next. Maybe in 25 years it'll be normal for men to be getting pregnant (probably not naturally of course) and giving birth. Their wives will probably demand it for the 2nd baby, since she had to go through all the pain and misery for the first one, so it's only fair that he do it for the second. And since natural conception will probably become obsolete by then anyway, in favor of genetically-engineered "designer" babies, this will fit nicely with male pregnancy.
  And if you're thinking "luckily I'll be too old by then to worry about this", medical science is already making big strides in figuring out the aging process, so by that time they'll probably have figured out how to make us all permanently look like we're 30 and not age any more, so unless you decide to stay single for the rest of your life (which will last until you're unlucky enough to get killed in an accident, perhaps a malfunctioning roller coaster), you too will feel pressured to get pregnant and give birth.
16. Re:In other words by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 09:52 · Score: 0
  
  This week I got one for the first time. I swear, I thought I was going to die. All I could think of was an alien chest-burster found a new and unusual path for getting out.
17. Re:In other words by ebvwfbw · 2016-09-28 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  When you're having that kind of pain, it's generally too late. You've likely got a good infection going on in there, which is what you're feeling. that jagged stone poking it.
  Preventative maintenance. Ride roller coasters.
18. Re:In other words by Tablizer · 2016-09-28 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  I thought I was going to die
  I was in so much pain that stopping the pain one way or another was more important to me than the fear of death. I thought something was really badly wrong such that death seamed a fairly likely outcome at the time, but ending the damned pain swamped any emotion about dying such that I don't even remember a fear of dying. Odd.
  Some say stone pain can grow comparable to child-birth pain, but at least while giving birth one knows what the cause is. I had no clue.
  
  All I could think of was an alien chest-burster
  
  I think I shouted something about a toothy chupacrabra trying to get out to the medics when asked to describe the pain.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
How do we get the university to pay for our trips? by ravenshrike · 2016-09-26 15:36 · Score: 5, Funny

"Well, the only thing at amusement parks that causes many rapid shifts in the human body are roller coasters. Now we need a reason to ride them."
"I know, we'll make up some bullshit about kidney stones."
- 1 day of roller coaster rides later
"Holy shit, it actually had an effect. Now we have an excuse to come back here for the next 3 weekends."
Drink more by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 15:38 · Score: 0

liquid. Clean water will do.
1. Re:Drink more by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 16:14 · Score: 0
  
  Everclear works better.
2. Re:Drink more by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 00:46 · Score: 0
  
  Alcohol is said to cause stones, so no.
I would try it. by technoid_ · 2016-09-26 15:38 · Score: 1

After 20+ kidney stones, I would give this a try.

--
Two wrongs don't make a right, but 3 lefts do - Lew of GO magazine
1. Re:I would try it. by sconeu · 2016-09-26 16:16 · Score: 1
  
  I've only had one. I was begging them to kill me for a while, until the drugs took hold.
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
2. Re:I would try it. by hey! · 2016-09-26 16:51 · Score: 1
  
  Been there, done that. Basically had to go to the max dose of oxycontin just to take the edge off the pain.
  This page you can see some pictures of the procedure and instruments people used on kidney stones in the 1600s. It seems unimaginable that anyone would subject themselves to that -- without anesthetic -- unless you've actually experienced it.
  
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3. Re:I would try it. by sconeu · 2016-09-26 16:57 · Score: 1
  
  I got Tornadol. Good shit. On top of everything else, it was Xmas eve!!!
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
4. Re:I would try it. by freeze128 · 2016-09-26 17:20 · Score: 1
  
  You have had more than 20 kidney stones? You might need to change your diet.
5. Re:I would try it. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 17:26 · Score: 0
  
  or change his kidneys. perhaps for a pair of kitchen sponges.
6. Re:I would try it. by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:19 · Score: 1
  
  20? If I were you, I'd be on a coaster every weekend!!! Buy a season ticket. NOW!
7. Re:I would try it. by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 20:37 · Score: 1
  
  Morphine. Only thing that works with my fucked up system when it comes to killing pain.
  
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8. Re:I would try it. by Mashiki · 2016-09-26 21:20 · Score: 1
  
  You mean Toradol or Tramadol? Both are pain meds the first is stronger then the second, both can be delivered by IV, oral or suppository and both have a short-term and long-term dosing version(12hr). Those are the only two I know of that come close to that spelling and I've been on my fair share of pain meds after I broke my back, from oxycontin and hydromorphone to buprenorphine.
  
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  Om, nomnomnom...
9. Re: I would try it. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 21:21 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, that would be a huge help. Sounds like you either easy too much dairy food or drink too little fluid, maybe both. There is a known genetic predisposition to kidney stones IIRC so it's worth getting that checked out too.
  Laser ureteroscopy and lithotripsy is about as pleasant as it sounds. There's an external version that uses ultrasound but it isn't suitable for all patients, unfortunately.
  Hope you find the cause and are able to stop the little buggers forming in the first place.
10. Re:I would try it. by megalomaniacs4u · 2016-09-26 23:07 · Score: 1
  
  Yep, my doc reckoned, swimming helps & playing something like basketball so I can see why a roller coaster would help.
11. Re: I would try it. by humptheElephant · 2016-09-26 23:44 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, my poor wife had several and she had lots of pain, but unfortunately she is in fear of heights or anything like a roller coaster. She would have to be sedated to get on the thing. She drank lots of club soda and took calcium tablets. Needless to say, she has removed these from her diet.
12. Re:I would try it. by technoid_ · 2016-09-27 00:48 · Score: 1
  
  Dilaudid was the only thing that made the pain go away. Vicoden ES would work to take the edge off enough to function.
  Didn't try morphine or oxycontin until I was being treated for cancer, so not sure how it does for stone.
  Found out I had a parathyroid adenoma. Had one of my parathyroids removed and the stones went away for quite some time. I still get small ones, but nothing that requires a doctor's care.
  
  --
  Two wrongs don't make a right, but 3 lefts do - Lew of GO magazine
13. Re:I would try it. by sconeu · 2016-09-27 04:32 · Score: 1
  
  Toradol. I was pretty f***ed up when they told me. It was also almost 20 years ago.
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
14. Re:I would try it. by Mashiki · 2016-09-27 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  Gotcha. Was curious, something I like to watch since I have to move to different pain meds every few years due to a resistance buildup.
  
  --
  Om, nomnomnom...
I'd rather get baked and play Theme Parkitect! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 15:39 · Score: 0

http://themeparkitect.com/
http://devlog.themeparkitect.c...
https://twitter.com/ParkitectG...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Theme...
http://www.reddit.com/r/trees
If you liked Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 but hated the 3rd release, then you'll love this game.
Available on Ubuntu Linux, OS X, and Windows.
tldr by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 15:42 · Score: 0

TLDR; Two guys ride amusement park rides under the guise of "working"
Uhh Huh.. Right... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 15:52 · Score: 0

"So they decided to leave East Lansing to head to Orlando in the name of medical research"
As an academic myself... I'm sure BOTH of them had to go... (They had funding to do research and got a free flight/hotel for a few days in FL away from MI... My guess is it was around Jan or Feb too....)
1. Re:Uhh Huh.. Right... by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:22 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Orlando? Best coasters on the planet are in Ohio: Cedar Point (Mellenium Force) and Kings Island (Beast.)
2. Re:Uhh Huh.. Right... by The-Ixian · 2016-09-27 01:20 · Score: 1
  
  As an academic myself... I'm sure BOTH of them had to go...
  Didn't you read the summary?
  
  They rode the roller coaster holding their kidney contraption between them in a backpack positioned at kidney height
  Just how would you suggest they accomplish this science without two people to hold the kidney backpack? Well?
  
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3. Re:Uhh Huh.. Right... by The-Ixian · 2016-09-27 01:21 · Score: 1
  
  I am sure that will be their next vaca...err science trip...
  FOR SCIENCE!
  
  --
  My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
4. Re:Uhh Huh.. Right... by sootman · 2016-09-27 06:15 · Score: 1
  
  Orlando wins for quantity. 4 Disney parks, 2 Universal parks, and Sea World are all there. And Busch Gardens is about an hour away.
  
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5. Re:Uhh Huh.. Right... by macs4all · 2016-09-27 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  Orlando? Best coasters on the planet are in Ohio: Cedar Point (Mellenium Force) and Kings Island (Beast.)
  The Beast would work REALLY well, since it is an intentionally-rough-ride WOODEN coaster that goes up to 70 mph on the first drop...
Roller coaster once? Sports always! by hcs_$reboot · 2016-09-26 15:54 · Score: 2

Just do sports. Exercise regularly.

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1. Re:Roller coaster once? Sports always! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 17:15 · Score: 0
  
  Do sports when you have the equivilent of a knife in your back?
2. Re:Roller coaster once? Sports always! by hcs_$reboot · 2016-09-26 18:49 · Score: 1
  
  No. Do sports *before* you have the equivalent of a knife in your back..
  
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3. Re:Roller coaster once? Sports always! by Joce640k · 2016-09-26 20:52 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. "More Sports" is the answer to everything.
  
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  No sig today...
4. Re:Roller coaster once? Sports always! by internerdj · 2016-09-27 01:12 · Score: 2
  
  I had my first kidney stone after doing a regularly biweekly several hours Judo session in college. It certainly worked to knock one of them loose, but I'm not sold on exercise as a preventative measure.
5. Re: Roller coaster once? Sports always! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 02:16 · Score: 0
  
  It is when the sport is Hockey
I'm in awe by Etcetera · 2016-09-26 16:00 · Score: 1

I really should have brainstormed more before deciding on my 8th grade science fair project.
This is actually pretty cool, and it was cool of WDW for allowing them to do the research. The fact that there was such a stark contrast between the front and rear positions and that it was so reliably reproducible definitely invites further study on precisely which movements best facilitate passage.

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Simulate? by Tablizer · 2016-09-26 16:02 · Score: 1

To simulate the human body as best they could, they made an artificial human kidney model out of clear silicone gel and loaded it up with real human kidney stones...
Don't be surprised when actual patients pass spherical cows.

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Table-ized A.I.
What about intestinal logs? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 16:10 · Score: 0

I've been quite constipated, think I'll poop myself after a roller coaster ride?
1. Re:What about intestinal logs? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 16:22 · Score: 0
  
  I've been quite constipated, think I'll poop myself after a roller coaster ride?
  get more fiber in your diet and I am not cleaning up the roller coaster afterwards. Constipation solved.
  Captcha = Squeezer
2. Re:What about intestinal logs? by Kiaser+Zohsay · 2016-09-27 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  No, the log flume is an entirely different ride.
  
  --
  I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
This made me laugh, then it made me think. by tloh · 2016-09-26 16:10 · Score: 1

Too bad this just got published. It'd be a travesty if this doesn't earn a spot in next years ig Nobel prize.

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Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
1. Re:This made me laugh, then it made me think. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 16:26 · Score: 0
  
  Too bad this just got published. It'd be a travesty if this doesn't earn a spot in next years ig Nobel prize.
  Surely this has prior art in the ignoble that was awarded a few years back demonstrating methods of dragging sheep along various surfaces. Seems like the physics would be nearly the same. I wonder if the stone would be just as pissy as the sheep on a rollercoaster. Further research is needed to determine this I suppose.
2. Re: This made me laugh, then it made me think. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 18:01 · Score: 0
  
  They put the sheep on a rollercoaster? Is there video?
And for euthanasia by Loconut1389 · 2016-09-26 16:14 · Score: 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
"The concept design of the layout begins with a steep-angled lift to the 510-metre (1,670 ft) (0.317 mile) top, which would take two minutes for the 24-passenger train to reach.[1] From there, a 500-metre (1,600 ft) drop would take the train to 360 kilometres per hour (220 mph), close to its terminal velocity, before flattening out and speeding into the first of its seven slightly clothoid inversions.[3] Each inversion would have a smaller diameter than the one before in order to maintain the lethal 10 g to passengers while the train loses speed. After a sharp right-hand turn the train would enter a straight, where unloading of corpses and loading of new passengers could take place.[3]"
1. Re:And for euthanasia by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 20:19 · Score: 0
  
  Personally, I prefer Zyklon-B applicators disguised as shower cubicles, to oxygen starvators disguised as amusement rides. Much more humane. Different strokes for different folks though...
2. Re:And for euthanasia by macs4all · 2016-09-27 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  ...Each inversion would have a smaller diameter than the one before in order to maintain the lethal 10 g to passengers while the train loses speed.
  Carousel!
Wow, simply, wow... by QuietLagoon · 2016-09-26 16:28 · Score: 0

Hey editor, did you ever think about the meaning of the word "summary" and how to apply it to a wall of text you present to your readers?
1. Re:Wow, simply, wow... by freeze128 · 2016-09-26 17:23 · Score: 1
  
  Here's the summary:
  
  Researchers determine that riding roller coasters can shake loose kidney stones.
  
  I hope that helps.
2. Re:Wow, simply, wow... by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:25 · Score: 1
  
  If the kidney stones are not loose, will it still shake them?
Summary was TL;DR by QuietLagoon · 2016-09-26 16:29 · Score: 0

Next topic.
Centrifuge therapy? by Okian+Warrior · 2016-09-26 16:35 · Score: 2

I suppose this will spur research into centrifuge therapy to help patients pass kidney stones.
In about 25 or 30 years the technology will be well-studied enough that we'll see the first installation in a major hospital, and maybe 10 years after that the insurance companies will cover the treatment costs.
Just like how MRI machines were developed.
(In the mean time, doctors will advise kidney stone patients to stay off of roller coasters, because there's no evidence that the therapy is safe or effective.)
1. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by BringsApples · 2016-09-26 17:41 · Score: 1
  
  If they did go that way, couldn't people just swing?
  
  --
  Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
2. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:18 · Score: 1
  
  No. Neither swings nor centrifuges are as much fun as rollercoasters. No button it, willya?
3. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 22:27 · Score: 0
  
  Don't think my wife would agree to that.
4. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by denzacar · 2016-09-27 00:38 · Score: 2
  
  because there's no evidence that the therapy is safe or effective
  
  It's clearly effective. They got the idea from bungee jumpers whose kidney stones "shook out" after jumping.
  Trouble is, in humans, unlike with their silicone simulator, it's the passing the stone that hurts. A lot.
  Meaning that they will have to warn both kidney patients and amusement parks about it.
  Or they can just ignore it and we can all just sit back and wait for youtube videos of Mickey and Pluto trying to give CPR to someone lying on the ground howling in pain while pissing themselves.
  You know... entertainment.
  Next up: signs saying "You can't take this ride if your kidney stone is THIS big."
  
  --
  Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
5. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by Kiaser+Zohsay · 2016-09-27 03:05 · Score: 1
  
  Never has a sig been more on topic.
  
  --
  I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
6. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 05:32 · Score: 0
  
  Why would they bother with an inefficient way to do it?
  An ultrasound machine can already break up stones and be a lot more efficient.
  If you really want to borrow Leonardo's spinning machine, you can,but why?
7. Re:Centrifuge therapy? by GTRacer · 2016-09-27 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  If thrill rides were a practical solution to kidney stones (jury is still out wrt human trials), then I can tell you why I'd consider it, pain be damned.
  
  Cost. I have a cruddy high deductible health plan. I get a stipend from work but it's not as good as the old "$100 per inpatient day, $50-250 for many OP procedures" plans of yore. I'd wager my out-of-pocket in a lithotripter is far more than a SEASON pass to Disney. And after I recovered from the ride and subsequent blackout, I'd have 364 more days to forget it all!
  
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Explained! by sg_oneill · 2016-09-26 16:40 · Score: 1

So thats why people scream on rollercoasters. The poor bastards are passing kidney stones.

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Now six flags can change $600 a day and get it by Joe_Dragon · 2016-09-26 16:46 · Score: 2

Now six flags can change $600 a day and get it from your healthcare plan. medicare rate $40.
Ultrasound? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 17:03 · Score: 1

I've never had a kidney stone but doesn't ultrasound break them up? https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones_shockwave
Guess the one good thing about a roller coaster is nobody will think screaming (in pain) to be out of place.
1. Re:Ultrasound? by Gilgaron · 2016-09-27 00:49 · Score: 2
  
  I had abdominal pain and vomiting, went in for an ultrasound which found nothing, and ended up in the ER the next day with a "massive" kidney stone found via contrast X-ray. Several mm, I forget the exact measure. So if the ultrasound broke anything up looking for them, they must've recrystallized into the big one... in any case, laser lithotripsy was used to demolish my stone. As far as the OP's stories of excruciating pain, I can say that for my type of stone I only had to drink a glass of orange juice or grapefruit juice a day to keep my citrate up. If the doctor had told me I needed to eat a battery every day I would've done it...
2. Re:Ultrasound? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 08:37 · Score: 0
  
  Yes ultrasound can break them up but I believe only works on smaller ones.
3. Re:Ultrasound? by ebvwfbw · 2016-09-28 04:39 · Score: 1
  
  They didn't offer me that option even though I asked about it. It was a laser they used. I didn't know I could feel that much pain.
Go Karts by Xenna · 2016-09-26 17:06 · Score: 1

I can say from experience that go-karts work very well too. Just bump into each other a lot.
1. Re:Go Karts by rally2xs · 2016-09-26 18:28 · Score: 1
  
  SCCA Solo 2 has a class for karts, shifter karts to be exact, and those are some of the scariest rides on the planet. And they'll give you a helluva shaking especially if the Solo 2 venue is not entirely smooth. So it'll scare the piss out of you and shake the kidney stone out of you.
  You can get full-up, "used very little" shifter kart setups pretty cheap as racing hardware goes - less than $10K in a lotta cases for absolutely everything you need - because people buy 'em, put 'em on the track, it scares hell out of them, and they immediately put it on the trailer and then onto ebay.
It works for child birth too by lecithin · 2016-09-26 17:34 · Score: 1

Physics works. Stones, children, vomit, crap.... It is all the same, enough gs, anything will work its way out.

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It could be worse, it could be Monday.
burning nothing but by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 17:42 · Score: 0

Garbage trucks full of grant money
vibrating belt weight loss machine? by arobatino · 2016-09-26 18:26 · Score: 1

Maybe those old vibrating belt weight loss machines would work for this, though not as much fun.
Screaming... by uncqual · 2016-09-26 19:06 · Score: 1

So, most of the people screaming on the coaster now will be what we are used to (mostly teenagers on a date -- been there, done that). However, there will also be one 60 year old guy at the back of each car who really has a good reason to scream. I'm betting he doesn't buy his picture from the "buy your picture here" guy at the end of the ride because who would want to be reminded of that?

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Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading /.
1. Re:Screaming... by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 22:20 · Score: 1
  
  A pic of that happy moment you go from insane pain to painlessness? You betcha that people want a pic of that!
  
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  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:Screaming... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 01:11 · Score: 0
  
  hehe fuck you, +5, fuuny!
A question re: physics by Harold+Halloway · 2016-09-26 19:07 · Score: 2

From TFA:
"Riding in the back of the roller coaster train seemed to really knock the kidney stones out..."
Why would this be? What forces apply at the back of the train that don't apply at the front or the middle?
1. Re:A question re: physics by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 22:25 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  G-forces are higher in the back of the train, at least for the downhill parts. While the front goes over apex points at a slow speed, the train is already picking up speed downhill when you arrive at this point with the back of the train. Of course the train, in total, goes at the same speed, but what matters is what point you're sitting at when it has a certain speed.
  
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  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:A question re: physics by NoSalt · 2016-09-27 06:20 · Score: 1
  
  Think of it like a bullwhip. The hand (i.e., the front) is moving relatively slow compared to the end (i.e., the back) of the whip; and, the end is where we get the little sonic boom.
3. Re:A question re: physics by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 11:33 · Score: 0
  
  The front and back would have approximately the same speed over the apex, the middle would have the lowest speed. But who cares? The apex won't have more than about 1 G on most coasters because otherwise the train would fly off the track. If you want G forces, look to the valleys, where the front half will have the highest speed. For more advanced coasters where riders aren't sitting, the highest G force towards your feet could happen on the loops, probably at the bottom of a loop depending on the design.
4. Re:A question re: physics by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 11:36 · Score: 0
  
  None. The back of the coaster is calmer than the front. Perhaps the difference is psychological.
News at 11 by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 19:46 · Score: 0

... turns that have some vibration ...

Vibrating a container of stones causes those stones to move: News at 11. The real news is the stones moved sufficiently to exit the body.

... passed kidney stones while bungee jumping and riding roller coasters ...

So they were confirming anecdotal evidence: The big question is, why wasn't this confirmed a long time ago? It's not an expensive experiment and I'm sure it is easy to find willing test subjects.
1. Re:News at 11 by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 22:26 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not so sure you'll find very willing test subjects. When you have acute kidney stones, you're in PAIN. You can't move, you can't sit, you sure as hell can't stand and you even MORE certainly do not enjoy being vibrated heavily.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:News at 11 by Kiaser+Zohsay · 2016-09-27 04:52 · Score: 1
  
  It's not an expensive experiment
  
  Clearly, you have not priced theme park tickets recently, especially not in Orlando.
  
  --
  I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
Hmmmm..... by pslytely+psycho · 2016-09-26 20:09 · Score: 1

So rollercoasters may have medical benefits...

Time to open a medical weed store and rollercoaster business.....

Get stoned, pass a stone.....

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Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
These news do not make any sense.. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 20:15 · Score: 1

Why they a reporting these "fun" and bad science results instead of real science.
It requires equal amount of time to find them from Nature or some other top level science publishers.
At least technical people in Slashdot should be interested in them.
These news try to undermine importance and role of science in society.
Tomas Ukkonen
They need one more item by Laxator2 · 2016-09-26 20:24 · Score: 1

This one:
http://www.treehugger.com/cult...
And then the idea will take off.
The IgNoble prizes ... by Laxator2 · 2016-09-26 20:26 · Score: 1

... have been already awarded for this year.
But hey, let's add one more idea:
Plutonium toothpaste, anyone ?
1. Re:The IgNoble prizes ... by Opportunist · 2016-09-26 20:34 · Score: 1
  
  Where's the fun in that?
  But we could try to find a reason to eat ice cream or play in the mud!
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:The IgNoble prizes ... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 02:06 · Score: 0
  
  Radium toothpaste makes your teeth so white that your jaw will drop, literally.
Mountain biking... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-26 20:54 · Score: 0

I knew it.
My kidneys problems were gone some years ago after I started to do some rocky trails. (tires, hard pressure)
Even today, I fell them (kidneys) after a few minutes, but the pain is long gone.
(rocky, but easy like this one: http://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/mcalister-eljose.jpg)
1. Re:Mountain biking... by PPH · 2016-09-27 03:30 · Score: 2
  
  So do you think its the G-forces or the vibration? Once the cause has been identified, it wouldn't be too much trouble to simulate it. A small centrifuge or, even easier, a chair with a vibrator.
  I wonder if my wife can get a prescription for a Sybian.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
2. Re:Mountain biking... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 06:27 · Score: 0
  
  I would speculate both. G-forces probably are doing their thing the obvious way, and the vibration might be causing an effect similar to sand liquefaction during an earthquake.
Re:How do we get the university to pay for our tri by reboot246 · 2016-09-26 21:30 · Score: 2

Another thing that causes many rapid shifts in the human body is sex, if you're doing it right. These researchers must truly be geeks not to have thought of that.

Roller coasters? Pfffft! Give me sex any day; if you fall off, you don't have as far to fall.
Soo... prescription? by wardrich86 · 2016-09-27 00:45 · Score: 1

Can I get a prescription for amusement park access and get it paid for by healthcare?
1. Re:Soo... prescription? by The-Ixian · 2016-09-27 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  Sure... you just need the same health plan that executives and senators have...
  
  --
  My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
heh by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 01:08 · Score: 0

For science! Clever!
My experience by Cro+Magnon · 2016-09-27 01:18 · Score: 1

I don't know about kidney stones, but it helped me with weight loss. I'm sure I got rid of everything I'd eaten for the past week!

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Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Come on, get to the clinical trials by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 01:25 · Score: 0

Isnt it time to just put some people with kidneystones on the ride to see if they experience the same results? Trying different rides is a waste of time if you later find out your test methodology is flawed. Could it really be hard (or harmful) to just round up some thrill loving kidney stone sufferers for this test?
Visits to the Amusement Park by mrlinux11 · 2016-09-27 02:16 · Score: 1

Will this be covered under Medical Insurance for Kidney Stone Therapy :)
1. Re:Visits to the Amusement Park by Oswald+McWeany · 2016-09-27 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, there is an amendment for the Affordable Care Act being passed through congress as we speak dubbed "Obama Scare", it guarantees all US citizens the right to free entry to theme parks if they have Kidney Stones.
  
  --
  "That's the way to do it" - Punch
stents and lithotripsy by HBI · 2016-09-27 02:38 · Score: 2

Mine was a 8x7mm stone, not huge but large enough to block the ureter. The pain was excruciating. It's like nothing else - i've had women who went through multiple labors grade the kidney stone as worse. Dilaudid touched it nicely during the 4 days in the hospital, but I required dosing every few hours and I wouldn't have been able to do anything but sleep on that. When they tried percocet, it was taking 20mg every 4 hours and that wasn't touching it. I would arch my back above a bed because resting on the surface hurt.
Since the pain is caused by the blocked ureter, the solution for me was a urinary stent shoved up my urethra and then manipulated into the ureter. It keeps the urine flowing and instantly relieves the pain. But, you have a stick inside you, and you know it every time you urinate (or move). More uncomfortable than anything else. Also, if you have never pissed blood, it's very unsettling - every time they would mess with the stent or do a lithotripsy i'd piss blood for a day or two.
I required four lithotripsies (going under each time...my memory was for shit that summer) before the stone finally broke up and passed.
Do not recommend kidney stones.

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HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
Vitamin D by HBI · 2016-09-27 02:41 · Score: 2

Over supplementation of Vitamin D (particularly D2) is known to cause oxalate stones. I have a metabolic disorder characterized by low D levels, and my endocrinologist had me supplement heavily. The end result was that I was taking powdered kidney stone pills, essentially.
Just FYI

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HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
Makes sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 03:43 · Score: 0

I always knew you needed big cojones to ride these :)
Cripes... by CortxVortx · 2016-09-27 03:48 · Score: 1

So, in addition to being puked on, we now have this to add to the mix. Great...

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"The nice thing about standards is there are so many of them to choose from." - Andrew S. Tenenbaum
They carried a fake kidney by Oswald+McWeany · 2016-09-27 04:39 · Score: 1

They held a fake kidney against their bodies whilst riding the roller coaster. I imagine that could have been quite hazardous if they accidentally dropped it during the ride and it struck a fellow passenger.
"Welcome to 'Speed Thunder Scare Mountain Ninja', please keep all hands, legs, and fake kidneys inside the car at all times"

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"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Nice work if you can get it by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 07:17 · Score: 0

Wow, grant money to ride on amusement park rides-- what a brilliant racket.
Do it the old fashion way... by __aaclcg7560 · 2016-09-27 07:20 · Score: 1

When I was in college, the doctor told me I had a bladder infection and gave me antibiotics. I then took the train to see my parents for Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving dinner, I had the urgent need to pee. Standing over the toilet, I watched something big moving slowly through my penis like a snake swallowing a chicken egg. When the stone popped out into the toilet, all this blood, pus and urine rushed out nonstop for ten minutes. After I flushed the toilet, I never felt so better. Passing a kidney stone is the closest that a man will come to delivering a baby.
1. Re:Do it the old fashion way... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-27 07:55 · Score: 0
  
  Well, this is the stuff nightmares are made of!
Gallstones? by NealBScott · 2016-09-28 04:01 · Score: 1

Any idea if rollercoasters work on gallstone removal? I suppose the only way to know would be a thorough excrement search. I certainly don't want that job!!
Citric Acid + Potassium Citrate syrup by NewYork · 2016-09-28 18:30 · Score: 1

Citric Acid + Potassium Citrate syrup will prevent stones in kidney
http://www.medplusmart.com/pro...

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Casteism
igNobel by RespekMyAthorati · 2016-09-29 10:20 · Score: 1

Getting a jump on next year's igNobel awards, eh?