Changes in the colour of your urine can reveal important information about your health. If your urine takes on a hue beyond what's normal, it can be indicative of something wrong with your health. In general, the normal urine colour varies from pale yellow to deep yellowish-brown, which is a result of a chemical pigment in the urine called urochrome.

1. Red or Pink

- When your kidneys, urethra, bladder or any other urinary tract organ gets infected or inflamed, blood cells get leaked into the urine, giving it a red hue. The causes behind the presence of blood can be urinary tract infections, kidney cysts, kidney stones, enlarged prostate and even cancer. Taking blood thinners can also cause you to have blood in your urine.
- Certain foods like blackberries, rhubarb and beets can cause your urine to turn pink.
- The use of certain medications like a particular class of antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis can turn your urine red. Likewise, a drug used to numb discomfort in the urinary tract can cause a red/pink discoloration of your urine.

2. Blue or Green

- The consumption of coloured food dyes containing green or blue pigments can cause you to pass urine of such hues.
- Certain anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory medications can turn your urine green/blue.
- A very rare medical condition called familial benign hypercalcemia (fbh), characterised by high levels of calcium in thE blood and low levels of the mineral in the urine can cause your urine to turn blue.
- Green urine can also occur if your urinary tract gets infected by the pseudomonas bacteria.

3. Dark Brown

- Having large amounts of these foods - aloe, rhubarb (a type of leafy green) and broad beans can cause you to pass dark brown urine.
- Certain anti-malarial drugs, laxatives and muscle relaxants can darken the colour of your urine as well.
- Dark brown urine can also be caused by disorders of the kidney or liver as well as infections of the urinary tract.
Injury of the muscle as a result of excessive training can result in dark brown urine.

4. Orange

- Problems with the bile duct (the duct through which bile from the gall bladder and liver passes before entering the duodenum) or liver along with the passing of light coloured stools can result in orange urine.
- A cause of orange urine may also be dehydration as fluids bring about a decrease in the concentration of compounds present in the urine.

5. White

- The presence of calcium or phosphate sediments in the urine can give it a white hue.
- White urine can also be a result of funguria infection (a form of fungal urinary infection wherein the fungus produces white sediments) or a bacterial infection.



What the Colour of Your Urine Says About Your Health?

According to the preconceived notion, drinking alcohol is harmful to the body. It is partly true. Drinking alcohol is harmful to the body, but only in huge proportions. In fact, despite popular belief, drinking alcohol is also good for health.

Here are 8 alcohols that are secretly keeping you healthy:

    Beer: The most common alcoholic drink, beer is loaded with antioxidants called phenols. This protects you against suffering from heart diseases. Beer also lowers the risk of acquiring high blood pressure and helps maintaining it.
    Red Wine: Apart from being a classy drink and having the same benefits of beer, the additional brownie points of red wine is that it helps in increasing life span by generating longevity genes. It also increases good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol in the body.
    Ethanol: Ethanol reduces the risk of wear and tear in the brain neurons. Any damage to the neurons may lead to Alzheimer's or dementia. Hence ethanol helps to prevent any harm to the brain cells.
    Vodka: Vodka helps in clearing bad breath as the high alcohol content kills all bad odour bacteria present. It also helps to reduce stress and disinfect wound. It improves the health of the skin and stimulates hair growth. Toothache is also another issue which Vodka can work wonders on.
    Whisky: Whisky helps to numb throat pain when it is gargled in a mixture with warm water. It stimulates weight loss. Whisky also helps in preventing dementia. Other benefits of this drink that it prevents diabetes and cancer. It also helps to keep the heart healthy, increases the level of good cholesterol and terminates blood clots. Whiskey is believed to be one of the healthiest drinks among the alcoholic beverages.
    Tonic: The combination of gin and tonic is very useful while treating malarial infection as it contains quinine; which is used for the treatment of malaria.
    Brandy: Brandy is one alcoholic drink which is full of healthy antioxidants. It has anti ageing properties; hence is very good for the skin. Brandy also reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the body. It also helps in the treatment of bladder and ovarian cancer as well as sore throats and cough.
    Rum: Rum increases life longevity. It is very beneficial for the heart. It also functions as a blood thinner and helps in increasing the level of good cholesterol. Having this wonderful drink occasionally also guards you against osteoporosis and common cold.

8 Alcoholic Drinks That Might Secretly Keep You Healthy

Vitamin D is a crucial vitamin that is soluble in fat. Vitamin D is essential for the growth of your bone and it ensures increased flow of calcium into your bloodstream by promoting the process of its absorption from the consumed food. Poor concentration of vitamin D may result in the development of rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. Vitamin D is important in maintaining the immunity of your system; deficiency of vitamin D gives rise to a number of health problems including cardiac disorders, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes and even cancer.

Daily exposure to mild sunlight helps to synthesize Vitamin D in body. Dietary sources include milk, cod liver oils, fish, meat, fortified dairy and food products.

The most reliable way to diagnose the deficiency of vitamin D is through blood test; it is the most effective method of measuring the level of vitamin D in your blood. The following are some dominant symptoms of vitamin D deficiency:

Influenza: According to studies, vitamin D acts a guard against the attack of a number of respiratory infections which are widespread in children. Hence, lack of vitamin D in children is responsible for the development of various respiratory tract infections and diseases.
Depression and Schizophrenia: The root cause of depression and various other psychiatric disorders have been linked to deficiency in vitamin D. It is extremely important for expecting mothers to maintain a sufficient level of vitamin D in their body, during the gestation period to reduce the risk of delayed brain development and other mental ailments in the new born babies.
Cardiovascular disease: Cardiovascular ailments are more prevalent among people, who tend to suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Patients who suffer from cardiac discomfort have responded well to vitamin D treatment.
Asthma: Intake of vitamin D supplements reduces the severity and discomforts that are associated with asthma and have also shown considerable reduction in the occurrence of asthma attacks.
Periodontal disorders: Lack of vitamin D may result in the formation of numerous harmful bacteria in your mouth and may give rise to several oral discomforts in form of painful gum inflammation, bleeding and loss of tooth. Vitamin D aids in the formation of cathelicidins and defensins, which are effective in maintaining the overall oral health.
Cancer: Types of cancer including prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer are linked with Vitamin D deficiency. Supplements of vitamin D are helpful in controlling the growth and development of breast cancer, especially the estrogen sensitive breast cancer.

Vitamin D Deficiency - 6 Signs That You are Suffering from it 

Our digestive system is made up of a complex set up of organs, enzymes, secretions and much more. In order to ensure that they all function in tandem with each other so that our digestion works properly, we need to take many measures. Solid food and liquids both go hand in hand when it comes to digesting your food properly. Water is one of the main elements that one must ingest regularly during the day so that the body remains hydrated and the stool also softens. It is also a digestive aid. Yet, there are two varied schools of thought when it comes to drinking water during one s meals. While some people say that it is good, there are others who say that it should not be practiced. So let us find out whether having water during your meals is a good thing or not.

Stomach Acids: If we are to look at water during a meal from the perspective of our stomach acids, then most doctors will tell you that there is no problem in having water with your food. The main doubt here is whether or not the acidic fluid flowing through our stomach may become too diluted with the consumption of water. However, this does not happen. Various medical studies conducted by reliable hospitals and sources under a controlled environment have shown that the stomach s oH balance is not affected by the consumption of water during a meal.
Digestive Process: While the stomach acids may not suffer due to consumption of water during a meal, there are other schools of thought where people refrain from drinking water with food so that better digestion may be achieved. But this is also not entirely true. Digestion is well-known for being a complicated process where many elements need to work together for its proper functioning. This function includes a comfortable and healthy body and state of mind after one has a meal. Therefore, it is more important to have the right kind of food at the right time in a proper environment instead of rushing through one s meals and eating junk all the time.
Constipation and Overeating: Drinking water during the meal can help in curbing constipation as it helps in softening the stool. It also helps in clearing the food from the digestive track in a better and timely manner so that the toxins and stool do not remain there. This is due to the fact that drinking water during meals keeps the digestive track well-lubricated. Also, when you drink water with your meals, you tend to avoid overeating as water fills up substantial portion your stomach. Further, water has important nutrients that can suffice for your nutritional requirements along with food.

Drinking Water During Meals: Good or Bad?

We know this very well how beneficial drinking water just after getting up is and so many of us practice is too. But when we add honey and lemon in warm water and drink it daily, the benefits gets multiplied. Let's see how it is achieved.

1. Helps in losing weight - Drinking warm water mixed in honey and lemon is very good for health. It helps in losing weight and for this simple reason, people who want to lose weight should take it for sure.

2. No Constipation - This combination of warm water, lemon and honey is so good for health that if taken on an empty stomach it is helpful in keeping constipation at bay. It stimulates the digestive system, infuses water in dried stool which removes constipation completely.

3. Cleanse lymphatic system - Lack of water in the already dehydrated lymphatic system leads to problems like fatigue, disturbed sleep and blood pressure level and hinders mental development. But when you take water in lemon and honey, the lymphatic system gets hydrated and your body functions properly.

4. Keep bad breath at bay and improves oral health - Taste of honey and lemon removes any kind of bad breath in your mouth. Also, these keep your mouth bacteria-free and that's how without direct care, mouth gets benefited indirectly.

5. Boost immune system - Vitamin C helps in fighting cold. As it is high in potassium, it controls blood pressure as well as stimulates brain function.

6. Clears skin - Presence of Vitamin C removes blemishes and wrinkles from skin. Also, it gives a brighter and glowing look. As a result of drinking lemon and honey in water, your skin gets cleared giving your face a cleaner and fairer look.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

The Good That LEMON+HONEY Early in Morning Does to Your Body

Health benefits: Red Chilli vs Green Chilli

Chilies have always been known as ingredients that add spice to indian food. Without chilies, any indian food cuisine is incomplete. Both have distinct tastes and also have different health benefits. Here's a comparison between the two:

Red Chilli: Red chilies are dried and then used in food a preparation. It is spicier or hotter than green chilies.

1. Source of iron absorption - Red chilies contain a good proportion of iron which is very good for blood health. They also have a lot of vitamin c that helps the body in absorbing iron
2. Burns calories - They produce heat in the body that directly burns down calories, just like heat generated due to exercise
3. Relieves from congestion - In india red chilies are provided to a person for consumption when he is suffering from cold. It relieves congestion and helps is better respiration
4. Reduces blockage in arteries - They are very powerful antioxidants that clear any blockages in the arteries or blood vessels.

Green Chilli: Green chilies are more subtle in taste and are used as fresh spices in various food preparations.

1. Manages blood sugar levels - Green chilies tackle high blood sugar levels and control it if consumed regularly
2. Promotes digestion - Owing to the various fibers found in them, they help in better digestion
3. Good for skin - Green chilies being rich in vitamin e is a very good spice for a clean and healthy skin
4. Very good for heart - Due to a considerable proportion of beta-carotene in green chilies the cardiovascular systems stays strong and the heart too stays healthy
Both chilies have great benefits and consuming both in permitted quantities is only good for health.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on Consult.

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Red Chili Vs Green Chili : What's Hot?

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