willgetyoufit

by: Will Power

Recently, the daughter of one of my clients posed an interesting question to me, “When I pee…what color should it be?” Part of me laughed at first solely based on how she phrased it (any question that rhymes in my eyes is comedic gold for some reason) but, nevertheless, I can’t pretend like it wasn’t a good question. I mean we all do it. Some of us do it once a day. Some of us do it twice a day. Some of us do it more times a day then they can count on one hand. But how many of us actually stop and think about what we…excrete. Even if we did, how many of us actually know what our urine is supposed to look like besides the proverbial “lemonade color as opposed to an apple cider color”? As true as that is, what about all you jocks who suck down all those multivitamins and are peeing out neon green hulk juice (yea…yea I went there). Or, how about those whose pee produces more foam than actual urine. I apologize for the graphic imagery but the fact of the matter is we all produce different urine based on how we live, but which urine is healthy and which urine is telling you that you’re in trouble?

For those of you who don’t know, urine is a water waste product that passes through your urinary tract and is expelled from your body through your urethra. This is how your body removes noxious chemicals, dead blood cells, excess water, ammonia, proteins, salts, hormones and other excrements the body deems unnecessary. 95% of it is water, but the rest of the contents vary depending on what you have eaten, drank, inhaled or been exposed to. Urine is created and regulated by the kidneys. The kidneys filter the blood and pushes it back into the blood vessels; whatever’s left → urine.

Now as mentioned earlier, urine can come in different colors and consistencies. The most common among these colors is a light yellow urine which typically signifies a healthy urine. It will usually have low odor and little foam. Following that, other colors signify:

• Clear urine – higher concentration of water than waste; could mean you are well hydrated or overhydrated.

• Dark goldish urine – dehydrated; higher concentration of waste than water which also means stronger odor as well.

• Blue urine – usually a side effect of some medications since some oratory meds contain dyes (those little blue pills don’t always start off blue).

• Green urine – usually a by product of foods you have eaten in excess or an excess influx of vitamins and minerals through supplementation.

• Red urine – typically signifies “Hematuria” or blood in the urine. This may be a serious condition related to your kidney, prostate or bladder (might want to seek medical attention immediately).

• Orange urine – could be a sign of Jaundice (which can mix bile into urine); if urine is orange for more than a few days seek med. help).

• Cloudy urine – can be caused by urinary tract infection, bladder infection, kidney stones, gonorrhea or specifically for men a mixing of premature ejaculate in the urine. Seek med help if cloudy urine persists over several bathroom visits.

Honestly, most changes in urine color are harmless and temporary; they are usually the result of certain foods, dyes, supplements or prescription drugs recently ingested. Occasionally though, unusual urine color can indicate an infection or serious illness. You should consult a physician if changes in urine color persist or don’t seem linked to medications or food.