How to Use Urine Color to Determine Your Health
The condition and color of urine is often an index (or window) to your health. It's easy to do a quick self-check (Now I'm not saying to dunk your head in the toilet; just a couple of times a week or so, take a quick glance). And perhaps some early prevention can ward off any escalating problems.
Here's what to look for:
Clear or Light Amber-This indicates a normal healthy body. Clear urine is even better, for it shows you've been drinking water (which regulates all body organs and temperatures, and helps carry nutrients throughout your body). If you skimp on water, you could suffer from headaches, dizziness, sleepiness and irritability.
White or Cloudy-This color change means that there's a high concentration of white blood cells trying to fight off an infection (You might have a urinary tract infection-UTI).
If you're experiencing the following symptoms-a frequent urge to pee", a painful, burning feeling during urination or uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone-notify your doctor ASAP.
Dark Yellow-Now if you only see this color on your first morning bathroom visit, don't worry; It's often just overnight buildup. If you're seeing this regularly, you need to start drinking more water ASAP.
Highly concentrated urine is a sure sign of dehydration.
Orange-This could be just the result of taking a laxative. But if you haven't been taking one, check with your doctor to rule out the presence of blood (not a good thing) which can indicate urinary stones, bladder cancer, kidney disease or kidney cancer.
Red-If you are any blackberries, beets, rhubarb or certain other fruits and veggies, the natural coloring can dye urine. But if you haven't been munching on any of these and your urine's consistently red, that's BLOOD (Never a good thing).
Go see a doctor ASAP!
Here's some additional information:
Did you know that just taking a quick sniff of your urine also gives clues to what's going on in your body?
Normal urine has a faint but distinctive odor (and is slightly acid).
A particularly foul odor is usually a sign of urinary tract infection (UTI).
A stronger than normal (But not totally offensive) smell may mean your pee's highly concentrated; drink more water!
A sweet smell can be a symptom of diabetes; go see your doctor.
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Published by Pat Jacobs
I have always been writing in one form or another. From poetry and short stories in grade school, to feature articles for the high school paper, to numerous freelance submissions, and now, online feature wri... View profile
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