Reading the pee leaves: Urine can say a lot about overall health, experts say

National Post ^ | Feb. 24, 2014 | Sheryl Ubelacker

[rickmichaels]

TORONTO — It’s something we all get rid of several times a day — and sometimes in the middle of the night — but it’s not exactly a topic of everyday or, let’s face it, polite conversation.

Still, urine, pee — call it what you will — can tell a lot about a person’s health, especially when it comes to colour.

Urine is comprised of waste products and excess fluid that are filtered from the blood by the kidneys.

When healthy, these twin fist-sized organs filter up to about 150 litres of blood each day, producing one to two litres of urine that is passed through the tube-like ureters to the bladder for elimination through the urethra.

How much urine an individual produces depends on many factors, including the amount of liquids and types of foods ingested and how much fluid is lost through perspiration and respiration.

Ever wonder why urine can look amber-coloured in the morning, but range from straw to sunshine yellow at different times throughout the day?

[Revolting cat!]

PEE-ING!

[Revolting cat!]

[stars & stripes forever]

Silver Sol eliminates infections in the bladder & kidney.

[workerbee]

I’m thankful for modern medicine. And thankful that there were folks like Hippocrates, and all the way up til the 14th or 15th century, who actually TASTED people’s urine to try and determine their illness.

I’m also thankful that I’m not one of them.

[TADSLOS]

Urine? I’m still examining my earwax.

[cripplecreek]

[jazusamo]

That’s gotta be why urinalysis tests are so expensive, they can’t find many to taste it.

[Revolting cat!]

[thecodont]

http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic/

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Mine is dark red and it burns. Should I be concerned? ROFL

[JRandomFreeper]

It's also good for the garden.

It's threads like this that make me miss my left kidney.

/johnny

[cripplecreek]

I call it bonding time with my dog.

[Moonman62]

[diverteach]

I thought pee was yellow to indicate snow that shouldn’t be eaten.

[JRandomFreeper]

My dog always respected that I could write stuff in the snow.

Yep... bonding time. Marking territory.

/johnny

[Hegemony Cricket]

On a scale of 1 to 10, you’re an 8

[Flycatcher]

That's obscene.

Urine a lot of trouble.

[patriot08]

[GizzyGirl]

PEE-ING!

Oh my gosh, that’s funny!!!! Thank you!