Tag: #urine

Sodium Bicarbonate & Kidney Disease

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In our previous article, we explained why the popular health trend of consuming baking soda drinks to “detoxify” kidneys is unnecessary & potentially dangerous. Baking Soda is the store-bought, non-pharmaceutical grade version of the chemical compound called Sodium Bicarbonate which, interestingly serves an important role in treating kidney disease.

Now it is natural for all members with kidney disease and their caregivers to wonder why kidney patients are put on tablets of Sodium Bicarbonate despite the purported risks highlighted before.

 

Wouldn’t it burden already unwell kidneys this time?

That’s a valid question and this is where the classic case of “poison turning into medicine” comes into play. In a complete 180-degree twist, Sodium Bicarbonate assumes the role of a therapeutic messiah in CKD patients.

Sodium Bicarbonate Kidney

 

So How does that work? Read on to understand. Continue reading “Sodium Bicarbonate & Kidney Disease” →

Baking Soda & Kidney “Detox”. Myth Busted!

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Baking soda and kidney 

Who isn’t acquainted with “Baking Soda” – those tiny, white crystals used to make cakes fluffy? It has now also made its way as an effective dead-skin exfoliator (when used sparingly), a teeth whitening agent as well as a DIY solution for “unclogging” toilet pipes. For some years now, many articles have surfaced in the open-access media about how drinking Baking Soda (NOT Baking Powder) can help “flush your healthy kidneys of toxins” and promote kidney health.

Baking Soda and Kidney

Anything Kidney naturally catches the attention of Team ATK and sets our neurons in action. So, we decided to investigate if these claims hold any water from the clinical standpoint. Continue reading “Baking Soda & Kidney “Detox”. Myth Busted!” →

Healthy Kidneys prevent Blood & Protein in Urine. But how?!

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Protein blood barrier

Normally, Urine produced by healthy kidneys is a cocktail of toxic waste products of cellular metabolism, a host of minerals, salts, smelly organic compounds & excess water. (Find the complete normal urine composition here). These components begin to get together to form Urine once healthy kidney micro-filters “strain” our blood through themselves. These micro-filters are uber-selective with what they “let-out” into the urine. This is such that, all blood cells & “plasma” proteins remain in the bloodstream while the wastes & excesses purge themselves out.

But what makes these Kidney Micro-filters that selective against leakage of blood cells & protein in urine?

LET’S DISSECT!

Continue reading “Healthy Kidneys prevent Blood & Protein in Urine. But how?!” →

Urine Colour: Variations in Kidney & Urinary Tract Disease

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Urine Colour

“Urine Colour. Just how significant is it?!”

Human Urine – the biochemical masterpiece “manufactured” by our Kidneys as a by-product of all the work that they do  –  is normally a clear, pale / straw yellow to dark (but transparent) yellow in colour. This is attributed to the pigment Urochrome normally found in urine.

In good health, how yellow your urine appears directly relates to your water/liquid intake. The more dehydrated you are, the denser & more concentrated your urine is, and the darker is the yellow colour as depicted in the image below.

Normal Urine Colour
Normal variation in Urine Colour in good health. Healthy urine samples are transparent and vary from a pale or straw yellow to a dark yellow shade.

 

Samples in the image above aptly show the normal variation in Urine Colour in good health. For all practical diagnostic purposes, this urine colour range qualifies as normal. Now, Urine is not a topic that would usually make the cut in any polite conversation in non-specialist social gatherings.

But did you know?

Something as humble and underappreciated as your Urine Colour is a reliable clinical criterion used by physicians to substantiate their clinical opinion on your health status. Continue reading “Urine Colour: Variations in Kidney & Urinary Tract Disease” →

Urinalysis Report: Physico-Chemical Examination

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In a routine Urinalysis, the Physico-chemical examination comprises analysis of properties that help to define how a Urine Sample appears to the naked eye.

These include the following:

1. COLOUR

Normal Urine is typically Pale/Straw yellow to Dark yellow in Colour due to the presence of pigment Urochrome.

Urine Color Normal
Normal Colour Range for Human Urine (Image Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2981209/What-PEE-says-health-clear-stream-means-drinking-coffee-red-urine-signal-cancer.html )

Continue reading “Urinalysis Report: Physico-Chemical Examination” →

Urinalysis Report: Microscopic Examination

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Under the Microscopic Examination of Urinalysis, laboratories focus on looking for the presence of tiny particles such as cells or infection-causing germs in Urine that are NOT VISIBLE to the naked eye but may change the Physico-chemical and Chemical properties stated above.

For this purpose, laboratories need to investigate several drops of your Urine Sample under a Microscope.

Medical Lab technician

Continue reading “Urinalysis Report: Microscopic Examination” →