Watch out FOAMY, BUBBLY urine

 

To most people pee is not something interesting to talk about. In fact, we barely give it more than a passing glance

as it swirls out of sight down the toilet bowl. Yet changes in the urine – its color, odor and consistency can provide

vital clues about the health status of your body. A close examination can reveal our diet, drinking habit and existing diseases.

 

In the ancient times, physicians were able to detect what went wrong in the body by analyzing the many substances circulating within, including bacteria, yeast, excess protein and sugar, that eventually found their way into the urine.

 

Functions of urine

Urine is an important part of the body’s disposal process. Its job is to remove excess water and water-soluble wastes and toxins the kidneys filter out of the blood.

 

The warning bell rings when your urine has changed color or there is a strange odor wafting up from the toilet that persists. It may even herald a more critical condition – such as an infection or cancer.

 

COLOR CHANGES

 

Urine gets its yellow color from a pigment called urochrome. When the urine does not have its characteristic clear appearance, it is often referred to as cloudy or foamy urine. The causes can be:

 

+ Mild dehydration - Should go away quickly in the absence of symptoms. Darker urine is usually a sign that you are not drinking enough fluid. Your body needs a certain amount of fluid to function, so the body will keep some fluids and the urine thus becomes very strong and concentrated.

 

+ Rapid Urination – Rapid urination introduces air and bubbles into the urine stream. When the bladder is full and stretched to capacity, the bladder will contract forcefully and the urine hits the toilet bowel rapidly and generates foam. This type of foam usually disappears in a few minutes.

 

+ Certain conditions can cause excess protein or crystalline substances being excreted in the urine, causing it to persistently appear cloudy or foamy. What is considered excessive?

 

Do not be alarmed when a small amount is normally present in urine due to extremely intense exercise, excessive dietary intake or protein supplementation. In fact, trace amounts of it are excreted in your urine as part of normal urine production. All kinds of meat eg. fish, chicken and pork contain muco-proteins.

 

Nearly half of the amino acids in these dietary proteins are transformed into glucose by the liver to be used as fuel for the cells. This process results in a waste product ammonia being produced. As ammonia is toxic, the liver converts it into urea and transport via the bloodstream to the kidneys for filtration and excretion. As long as protein intake is not excessive, the liver is able to neutralise ammonia almost instantly. However, in instances where the body may not be able to metabolise certain proteins properly or you have been ingesting a too much protein for your body to absorb and utilize, this high load of ammonia is transferred to the urine to be expelled. A build up of this toxin places burden on the kidneys and destroys their filtering ability.

 

The same goes for people who take a lot of protein supplements, such as whey protein powder, may see this bubbly urine as well. However, even without taking such protein, strenuous exercise promotes the accumulation of excess ammonia.

 

Proteinuria is temporary, and should diminish as you reduce the amount of protein consumed. In the event that you continually experience a foamy urine or bubbly urine, regardless of the amount of protein consumed, it can also be a symptom of a more serious issue like kidney infection problem, kidney damage (also known as renal damage) or a gallbladder problem.

 

If the condition remains, go for an immediate blood test for a creatinine count and a GFR (glumoroli filtration rate) test. An accurate GFR (which will confirm if there are any kidney ailments) will have to be conducted by a nephrologist.

 

As a guideline, your creatinine level should be between 70 to 130 umo/L, and the GFR should be 50 and above units. If the tests show any abnormalities, problems can be arrested at an early stage, before the kidney is further damaged. Early detection can prevent further damage, and the need to go for dialysis treatment.

 

Treatment is aimed at treating the underlying cause. Proper management of diabetes and blood pressure, weight loss and removal of offending medications are all effective in treating proteinuria. The addition of an ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blockers is helpful for proteinuria in diabetic patients and can help protect the kidney’s ability to filter the blood.

+ Most causes of blood in the urine can yield a cloudy or murky appearance to the urine due to the presence of blood. It takes merely a drop of blood to turn a toilet bowl red and can also indicate a serious condition like an infection or cancer.

 

+ In women with vaginitis (such as yeast vaginitis), the vaginal discharge may at times contaminate the urine sample, making the urine appear cloudy. Urinary tract infection (UTI) and bladder infection occur when bacteria enter the bladder and multiply, with symptoms such as burning with urination, frequency and urgency, giving rise to foamy and bloody looking urine. Similar to kidney stones, it gives off painful symptoms. If not accompanied by pain, it could be something more serious like bladder cancer.

 

Other colors?

 

+ If your urine is very pale, it means that you are either drinking excessive fluid, or you are taking a diuretic that forces the body to get rid of excess water.

 

+ If your urine exhibits a rainbow of colors with an unusual hue it is likely due to certain medications that turn the urine fluorescent green or blue. Natural vitamins like beta-carotene in carrots can tint the urine orange and Vitamin B pills can emit a yellow hue.


+  Dark, brownish urine could be a sign of a disorder that threatens the nervous system. Other symptoms, such as abdominal pain and sensitivity to light may occur too.


+  If your pee is orange it can be due to liver malfunctioning especially comes with yellow tint to your skin and eyes.

 

ODOR CHANGES


A healthy person’s pee should not give off much of a scent because it consists mainly of water. Odor changes do occur:

 

+ Pungent smell - you could have an infection or urinary stones, which can create an ammonia-like odor.

 

+ Sweet smell – diabetics get excess sugar drained out of the urine. This explains why in ancient times, doctors would actually taste urine for this sweetness to diagnose diabetes.

 

+ Sulfuric smell – some foods like asparagus and garlic when broken down, produce sulfur compound called methyl mercaptan.


Keep in mind that not all odors are necessarily bad news: Medication and food could cause your urine to stink temporarily.

 

Remedial actions

 

+  Frequencies - The number of visits to the toilet can be an indicator of your health condition as manifested by the color or smell of your urine. Most people take bathroom breaks about six to eight times a day, but you might go more or less depending on how much fluid you drink. If you are constantly feeling the urge to go not due to drinking extra fluid, causes can include:

 

· Overactive bladder — involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle

· Urinary tract infection

· Interstitial cystitis — a condition that causes the bladder wall to become inflamed and irritated

· Benign prostate enlargement — growth of the prostate that causes it to squeeze the urethra and block the normal flow of urine out of the body

· Neurological diseases, including stroke and Parkinson’s disease

· Diabetes

 

On the contrary, not visiting the toilet enough is a bad habit especially amongst teachers, surgeons and anyone else who does not have time for regular bathroom breaks throughout the day and tend to hold it in. Delaying urination can be problematic as the bladder stretches and then contracts repeatedly, but eventually it can stretch too much to create a chronic emptying problem.

 

+  Good toilet habits - If the urge comes to empty your bladder, do not hold. To avoid having to make too many bathroom visits, stay hydrated, but not overhydrated. Drink whenever you are thirsty, but do not feel as though you have to adhere to the eight-glasses-a-day recommendation.

 

If you are getting up during the night to use the bathroom, stop drinking three to four hours before bedtime. Limit caffeine and alcohol, which can irritate the lining of the bladder.

 

+   Foods to consider - Cranberries contain substances that acidify the urine, destroy bacteria buildup and promote healing of the bladder. Pure, unsweetened juice taken at least 8 ounces three times a day is recommended. Consume a diet composed of 75% raw foods, mainly fruits and vegetables. Avoid animal proteins and dairy products for time being.

 

+ Seek medical tests on urine for levels of albumin (protein, calcium, creatinine, hemoglobin, phosphorus, potassium and urea) to detect the cause of the problem.

 

Conclusion

 

Understanding where urine is coming from, the kidneys should be kept in healthy state at all times. Any disease or condition that affects the kidneys can result in bubbly, foamy urine termed proteinuria. Untreated high blood pressure and diabetes are the two most common medical conditions that damage the kidneys filtering ability and other culprits include kidney stones, frequent kidney infections, trauma, certain medications and illicit drug use.

 

Watch for signs and symptoms of kidney problems if you suspect so such as leg swelling, fatigue, nausea, anorexia, back pain and weakness. Foamy urine, bloody urine or a consistently abnormal color or odor to the urine all signal a problem and deserve medical evaluation.

Source: Prescription to Natural Healing

 

VIVA corner

 

Taking VIVA Omega 3 helps to reduce any inflammation and inhibit abnormal growth.

 

VIVAGuard contains a lots of antioxidants, SOD and catalase that can neutralise and scavenge harmful substances like free radicals and prevents excessive uric acid build-up.

 

VIVA Green Barley is alkaline in nature and appropriately helps to balance the blood pH with the presence of too much acidity in the urine.

 

VIVA Floraguard produces or preserves beneficial substances and essential nutrients, including lactic acid, digestives enzymes, essential fatty acids and vitamin B to stabilise the pH.