Dr. Michael Garko is a medical researcher and credentialed nutritionist with a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport.
He joins us this morning to talk about the importance of checking your urine, and what exactly it’s trying to tell us.
Your pee is like a health status update, alerting you to potential issues like kidney disease, bladder cancer, or diabetes. If your pee isn’t its normal pale to clear yellow or starts smelling funky, that could be your body’s way of saying, “Hey, check this out” From the ‘drank-too-much-water’ clear pee to the ‘need-more-H2O’ dark pee, or even weird colors and smells, paying attention can help you catch health problems before they get real.
Ever stopped to ponder what your pee could be spilling about your health? Here’s the lowdown on this daily routine that could be your body’s unsung hero, cluing you in on potential health hazards.
Your body has its own quirky ways of hinting at things going south, and keeping tabs on your pee is definitely on that list. It’s not just for those awkward health classes anymore, it’s real life – checking out your urine color, smell, and even consistency can be like sneak peeks into your overall health status. It’s kind of like your body’s SOS signal for kidney disease, bladder cancer, diabetes, and more, so don’t ignore it.
Understanding the P Signals
Here’s the 411 on what different pee scenarios could mean:
Pee of Champions: Healthy pee usually shows up as pale to clear yellow, thanks to a pigment called urochrome. It’s typically clear and won’t make you scrunch your nose up. Diet, hydration, and meds can play around with these norms though.
The Waterfall: If your pee is clear or colorless, you might be hitting the water bottle a little too hard. Water is life, but too much can mess up your electrolyte balance.
The Dehydrated Desert: Dark amber or brown pee can mean you’re not hydrating enough. When your body’s running low on fluids, your pee gets darker and stinkier. If chugging more H2O doesn’t lighten things up, it’s doc o’clock. Also, liver disorders could darken your pee color.
Red Alert: Red or pink pee isn’t always a post-beet salad situation. If you haven’t eaten any red-hued food, it could signal kidney disease, a kidney stone, a urinary tract infection, prostate problems, or, on rare occasions, cancer.
The Orange Warning: Orange pee could mean you need more water or you have liver issues.
Radioactive Pee: If your pee is bright or neon-yellow, you’re probably overdosing on vitamin B.
The Bubbly Stream: Frothy pee can be a sign of high protein levels, a possible heads-up for kidney disease.
The Muddy Waters: Cloudy or murky pee can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, uncontrolled diabetes, bacterial infection, or kidney stones.
The Stink Bomb: Certain foods and meds can make your pee smell weird. However, if it smells awful and you’ve been experiencing other symptoms like pain during peeing or frequent bathroom visits, it might be a urinary tract infection. These are usually easy to fix with antibiotics or herbal treatments.
In short, your pee is one of your body’s many ways of communicating with you. It’s not just about keeping tabs on how you feel, but also looking out for the subtle signals your body throws at you. So next time you’re in the loo, take a second to check in with your body’s unique way of keeping you in the know.
Connect with Dr. Garko
For more information on Dr. Garko, go to straussnaturals.com/ask-dr-garko
