Did you know that the color of your urine can tell a lot about what is going on with your body… What you eat and drink has a direct impact on your overall health, and the color of your urine is a good warning sign if something is amiss.

Well, my friends at TheAlternativeDaily wrote a good article about this topic and I wanted to share it today…

Everyone has heard the saying “You are what you eat.” With sodas, alcohol and excessive coffee drinking, we often forget that we are what we drink too. Urine is the liquid waste from what we drink throughout the day.

Everything else is stored in our bodies. Our urine can tell us a lot about how our bodies are reacting to the things we consume each day and acts like a sort of warning system to alert us when there are any problems.

The color of both our urine and our feces can tell us how healthy or unhealthy we really are. For instance, when our pee is dark yellow, orange or honey-colored, we should be consuming more water. Although foam or fizz is normal, if your pee is frequently foamy it can be a sign of excess protein consumption or kidney disease.

Gut bacteria, food dyes, medications and rare genetic disorders can cause your pee to turn green or blue. If this continues, see a doctor as a precaution. If your pee is occasionally red or pink in hue, it could be because you ate blueberries, rhubarb or beets. If you haven’t eaten any of these, and you have red or pink pee, then see a doctor to check for kidney disease, a urinary tract infection or a tumor.

The scent of your pee is also indicative of good health. We all know how pee can smell. Although the scent isn’t always pleasant, if you have either a sweet, musty or strong odor, this can be a sign of major problems. A strong odor can indicate a urinary tract infection.

A sweet smell can mean that you have diabetes. Some metabolic disorders can cause a musty urine scent. Also, the frequency with which you urinate can indicate a problem. If you have spotting or a frequent need to urinate, you might have incontinence or an overactive bladder. Increased frequency and urgency to pee can also be signs of diabetes, an infection, or kidney stones in women. See a doctor if you notice any of those scents.

Common problems for females and how to fix them

According to Dr. Yim Lik, a urogynecologist at Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, Australia, women’s bladders shrink over time from about 500 or 600 milliliters at the age of 30 to about 300 milliliters at age 80. Height also plays a role in bladder size. For instance, a five-foot-tall woman will have a smaller bladder than a six-foot-tall woman.

A common problem that occurs as we age is the inability to control when we have to go. As our bladders shrink, so does the length of time between visits to the bathroom. We can also experience urinary incontinence, which means it might be more difficult to control when and how you pee.

This can manifest in a few forms. Stress incontinence can increase the likelihood of peeing when you cough or sneeze, while an overactive bladder can cause you to go more often. Although this is more likely in older women, 20 to 30 percent of women in their twenties experience this. Men may also experience urinary incontinence, but it is more common in women.

Medications, pads and surgery are available for people suffering with incontinence. Behavioral therapy is also available for those dealing with incontinence as a result of stress. Thankfully, public awareness of this problem, in younger and older women alike, has grown due to advertisements for feminine products of this nature. There are now many products for a variety of urinary needs to help reduce the embarrassment of pee problems.

Two products that are common treatments for urinary problems are over-the-counter urinary tract infection (UTI) tests and UTI treatments in cream, pill and suppository forms. Urinary tract infections are also more common in women because the urethra is shorter in women, allowing it to come into contact with bacteria more frequently.

Symptoms are similar to kidney infections, bladder infections and dehydration, but if you have multiple symptoms, you should either buy a test or see your doctor. Symptoms include burning urination, increased frequency in bathroom breaks, pain just below the rib cage, feeling like you can’t empty your bladder, fever and leaking urine, or incontinence.

Kidney infections are also particularly common in women and symptoms mirror those of a UTI. If your UTI test comes back negative, see a doctor to make sure you don’t have a kidney infection. Although recurring kidney infections should be treated by a doctor, you can alleviate symptoms by avoiding coffee and alcohol, drinking more water, drinking cranberry juice, applying a heating pad when pain is felt, wearing soft cotton, and not holding your pee.

Can girls really pee standing up?

I know, it sounds bizarre, right? Guys can pee sitting down, but few people realize that girls can actually stand up while doing their business. If you’re interested, there are many devices on the market to help you, including Go-Girl, Sani-Fem Freshette, pStyle, Whiz Freedom, Shewee and the Sheenis — and yes, the last one is a real product. All of these devices are the shape of a funnel to help girls have a stream that points away from them. More surprisingly, you can actually recreate that stream without any device.

It’s easier to do with a skirt, but you will have to remove your panties before attempting this. First, bend your knees slightly, arch your back and thrust forward. Use your fingers to part your inner labia to create a controllable stream. Try not to minimize pauses.

Push out the last bit instead of letting it drip. Unlike the devices, this technique helps you pee standing up in a way that minimizes germs, is effective, and reduces the risk of coming into contact with your own urine. If you are new to this, then practice when hovering over a toilet so you don’t get messy. Once you have the hang of it, you will be able to use this trick on camping trips without the need for a gross porta potty.

Pee better for better health

Healthy pee is indicative of good health. To reduce your risk of diseases, infections and complications, check your pee regularly. Ensure that you have an unscented, colorless pee stream for good health. Drink plenty of water and reduce your consumption of alcohol, coffee and soda. Holding your bladder is not good for your health either and can cause many problems, so don’t be ashamed to make a run to the bathroom. Go when you need to go and see your doctor if you notice any changes in frequency, urgency, color or scent.

If you pee standing up, holding your inner labia is less messy and reduces the risk of spreading germs compared to using a device. When peeing sitting down, be gentle and make sure you thoroughly clean your vaginal area so you don’t have embarrassing spots on your panties or bacterial buildup on your vagina.

Despite us learning how to wipe when potty-training, many of us forget to wipe front-to-back. According to Alyssa Dweck, M.D. and ob-gyn and author of V is for Vagina, wiping back-to-front can cause rectal bacteria to come into contact with our sensitive lady parts, which can cause infections.

Also, over-wiping can cause irritation, inflammation and itching. If you feel the need to over-wipe, it can be a sign that you still have more pee in your bladder or that you need to increase your water and fiber intake. According to Anish Sheth, M.D., a gastroenterologist and author of What’s Your Poo Telling You?, you should only need to wipe roughly two times. So be sensitive to your lady bits and keep them clean, but not overly clean. In fact, using wipes, sprays and lotions can irritate the skin as well and throw off your pH balance, leading to irritation and infections.

Your pee can tell you a lot about your health, so pay attention, pee regularly, don’t over-wipe, wipe correctly, or pee standing up, and drink plenty of water.

Have you ever tried peeing standing up? Did you use a device or do it organically, and which do you prefer? Have you ever had urinary problems? What did you do to solve it? Leave us a comment below. We’d love to read about your story.

—Nicole Manuel
(The original article source is here)

Before you go, I have another important message for both men and women…

Attention Women: Stop ‘pee leaks’ with this upper body stretch

If you want to stop bladder leakage and tighten your pelvic floor, you’re supposed to do kegels, right? Well…

That’s wrong, but there is an UPPER body stretch that strengthens your pelvic floor and stops ‘pee leaks’…

>> This strange upper body stretch STOPS bladder leakage

Sources:
http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/health-beauty/health-advice/1253-peeing-patterns-what-s-normal
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/is-it-bad-to-hold-your-pee
http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/health-answers/what-your-pee-is-telling-you
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/features/the-truth-about-urine
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/tc/urinary-problems-and-injuries-age-12-and-older-topic-overview
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/features/incontinence-womans-little-secret
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/health-tools/search-by-symptom/urination-problems.html
http://travellingtwo.com/resources/peeing
http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/5-bathroom-mistakes-you-dont-know-youre-making
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/09/02/devices-that-will-help-women-pee-standing-up
http://www.wikihow.com/Pee-Standing-up-Without-a-Device

The post Gals: How to Pee for Better Health (Yep, You Can Stand Up Too) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Today’s blog is republished from my friends at TheAlternativeDaily, a leading publisher of daily alternative health tips that I personally read every day…

If you suffer from frequent urination at night — also called nocturia — chances are you’re probably not getting enough restful sleep, leaving you cranky and frustrated with your body. Here’s how to get your overactive bladder under control, naturally.

What is nocturia?

If you find yourself getting up more than once during the six to eight hour period when you should be sleeping, you’re not alone. Approximately one in three adults over the age of 30 have nocturia (an excessive need to urinate at night), says the Urology Care Foundation. It could be the case that your body is making too much urine, your bladder can’t hold it for long periods of time or it’s a bit of both.

According to researchers, nocturia has a significant impact on people’s overall health and wellbeing. It contributes to fatigue, memory issues, depression and anxiety, higher risk of heart disease, gastrointestinal distress and increased risk of falls. Sleep is tied to everything — and without it, our bodies suffer.

What causes nocturia?

There are several lifestyle choices, health conditions and medications that affect the presence of nocturia. One of the most common is aging. That’s because the older we get, the less our bodies produce the hormone that tells our kidneys to take it easy while we’re resting. In addition, with age, the bladder becomes less elastic, so it can’t hold onto as much urine as it used to be able to. The result? Frequent trips to the restroom in the middle of the night.

In older men, an enlarged prostate could be the culprit behind nocturia. This occurs because the bladder is unable to empty out completely, leading to more trips to the toilet round-the-clock. In women, those who have had children may have weaker muscles if they haven’t worked on their pelvic floor muscles. Additionally, women who have gone through menopause experience reduced estrogen production, which can impact the urinary tract.

More causes for nocturia

If you think you might have a serious medical condition, make an appointment with your doctor today. Here are some other common reasons for frequent urination at night:

• Heart issues
• Diabetes
• Liver failure
• Alzheimer’s
• Parkinson’s
• Overactive bladder
• Prostate tumor
• Interstitial cystitis
• Pregnancy
• Obesity

Keep a diary by your bed and record how often you’re going to the restroom, so you can report back to your doctor. You can also use the BladderTrakHer web app and log every trip to the toilet. In the meantime, here are some ways to handle nocturia:

Drink less before bed

Are you having several cups of tea before bed? Drinking a few too many glasses of wine in your PJs? Before anything else, try modifying the amount of liquid you drink before bedtime to see if this can effectively reduce nighttime urination. You may find immediate relief! Also make sure to avoid caffeine in the afternoon or alcohol in the late evening, since both interfere with your natural urination cycle.

With all of that said, it’s important not to reduce your overall fluid intake too much. It may seem like this is an easy way to stop peeing at night, but it could have adverse health effects, like a urinary tract infection. Speaking of which…

Check in with your urinary tract

When you have the early symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI), you may feel the urge to “go” more often than normal, especially at night. Before a full-blown infection strikes, stay hydrated every day, adjust your diet to include probiotics and always pee after sex. You might have an infection if your nighttime urination is paired with pain in your stomach, a fever and blood in your urine. If this is the case, see a doctor right away to confirm your diagnosis.

Talk to your doctor about your meds

Many medications have nocturia as a side effect. For example, if you suffer from heart failure, your doctor may have prescribed you a diuretic to get rid of the edema (fluid buildup) in your lower extremities. Unfortunately, you may feel the need to pee more often at night. Talk to your doctor about changing the medication or see if you can take it earlier in the day.

Soothe your sleep disorder

It may not actually be the urge to pee that’s waking you up, but a different problem altogether. Do you have chronic pain? Sleep apnea? Are you feeling anxious or depressed lately? All of these things can interrupt your normal sleep pattern, leaving you awake at strange hours of the night. Talk to a physician you trust about to fix your sleep disorder, naturally. You may find that your peeing problem goes away too.

Eat a handful of raisins

The evidence on this is purely anecdotal, but many nocturia sufferers have reported positive effects from eating a handful of raisins just before bed. To see if this works for you, eat 1/4 cup of raisins (about 30) before you head off to sleep. Try this for several nights in a row to see if it makes a difference. Even if it’s only the placebo effect, at least it works for some people!

Avoid ‘irritating’ foods and drinks

There are several foods and beverages that are known to make bladder irritation even worse. If you’re eating or drinking any of these, stop and see if your nocturia gets better:

• Alcohol
• Chocolate
• Coffee and tea
• Processed foods
• Tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa
• Hot sauce, chili peppers, wasabi or anything else that’s spicy
• Acidic fruit juices, like orange and grapefruit

Make sure to scan the complete list of foods to avoid from the Cleveland Clinic.

Strengthen your pelvic floor

It’s always a good idea to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which support a woman’s uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. For a man, strong pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and urethra, helping to combat incontinence and other problems down the line.

So what’s the solution for both men and women? Kegel exercises! Studies have shown that performing kegel exercises on a daily basis can significantly strengthen pelvic floor muscles, which helps to address many of the biggest problems associated with urinary issues.

First, identify the muscle group by interrupting the flow of urine. Hold for five seconds, then resume peeing. Once you’re familiar with the right muscles, lie down on your back in a comfortable spot. Tighten the pelvic floor muscles, holding the contraction for five seconds, then relax for five seconds. Do the exercise four to five times in a row, a few times a week. Be careful not to overextend your bladder and cause further irritation. Within a few weeks, you should have a stronger pelvic floor, especially if you try out this next tip…

Roll out your yoga mat

Among yoga’s numerous benefits are exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor. Get on down to your nearest yoga studio or search for “yoga and pelvic floor” exercises on YouTube. Some of the best asanas for your pelvis are:

• Squat
• Locust pose
• Warrior II pose
• Bridge pose
• Chair pose
• Child’s pose

(The original article source is here)
Hilary Lebow

Before you go, I have another important message for both men and women…

Attention Women: Stop ‘pee leaks’ with this upper body stretch

If you want to stop bladder leakage and tighten your pelvic floor, you’re supposed to do kegels, right? Well…

That’s wrong, but there is an UPPER body stretch that strengthens your pelvic floor and stops ‘pee leaks’…

>> This strange upper body stretch STOPS bladder leakage

Attention Men: try THIS if you have an enlarged SWOLLEN prostate:

Just a handful of doctors knew this until recently:

Every man over 40 suffering from prostate problems has this hidden toxin “leaking” inside their bodies…

And not only does it swell the prostate, giving you the nagging sensation that you have to pee immediately…

But could also lead to other incurable complications!

How to avoid the dangerous “prostate toxin”.

The post Peeing Too Much At Night? Here’s How To Stop appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.