Does anyone still believe these “kidney overdraft” rumors?
When it comes to kidneys, what people easily think of is the Internet buzzword “The kidneys are overdrawn and the body feels hollowed out.” Do our kidneys really become “overdrawn”? What are the real “kidney overdraft” situations? Did you know that the so-called typical symptoms in life have nothing to do with “kidney overdraft”? Today we will work together to crush the rumors and restore the truth!
Rumor 1:
Going to the toilet as soon as you drink water is bad for your kidneys
The truth is that it is normal to urinate after drinking water. Urinating varies from person to person. Different people have different reaction times. It may be completely normal to go to the toilet soon after drinking water. Generally, you don’t need to worry too much. .
Rumor 2: Excessive urine indicates kidney deficiency
The truth: Generally, healthy adults will urinate 3 to 6 times during the day and 0 to 1 time at night. The daily urine output is about 1000 to 2000ml, which is equivalent to the amount of 2 to 4 bottles of mineral water. Some people worry that they constantly want to go to the toilet and have a habit of getting up at night. Will peeing so much be a sign of kidney failure?
First of all, you can rest assured that excessive urination does not necessarily mean there is a kidney problem. The most common cause is that you drink too much water. Human urine output is “fickle”. For example, when the weather is hot and you sweat a lot, your urine will naturally decrease; if you drink too much water, your urine will increase. Of course, there are indeed some diseases that can cause excessive urine, but they are not necessarily kidney diseases, such as diabetes, diabetes insipidus, etc.
Myth 3: Occasionally smelly urine is a disease
The truth is that urine itself has no smell. Most of the odor in healthy people’s urine is due to the ammonia smell produced by the urine being stored for a long time. In other words, if you hold your urine for too long, it does not necessarily mean you are sick. As long as you drink enough water and urinate on time, you should be fine!
Myth 4: Red urine is blood in urine
True hematuria is divided into true hematuria and pseudo hematuria. Excluding certain urinary system diseases, trauma and other factors, pseudohematuria is common in our lives.
Such as menstrual cramps, hemorrhoids and other blood-contaminated urine, or the color of urine caused by eating certain foods containing red pigments (such as beets, red pitaya, red berries, etc.) and certain drugs (such as phenol red, rifampin) turn red. Of course, urine color is also affected by the amount of water you drink, past diseases, etc. You cannot judge whether you have kidney problems by urine color alone.
Rumor 5:
Being able to hold urine indicates good kidney function
The truth is that holding in your urine can really kill you! During the process of holding in urine, the bladder gradually becomes full. At a certain point, urine can no longer be squeezed into the bladder. At this time, urine will be clogged in the upstream ureter and even flow back into the kidneys, which may cause water accumulation in the kidneys and damage kidney function. Moreover, even if it doesn’t damage the kidneys, the bladder can’t bear it.
Holding in urine will cause the bladder to become inflated, which will make it less elastic over time. This will cause the bladder to contract weakly during urination, causing the urine to be unable to be discharged, causing urinary retention. Although, you don’t have to worry too much about holding in your urine once in a while, after all, the bladder is not that fragile. But I am afraid that if I hold my urine for a long time, I will develop a habit without realizing it. Frequent holding in urine will affect bladder function. In more severe cases, it may damage the kidneys and induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases! So in order to “save your life”, don’t hold back your urine if you can!
Rumor 6:
Urination performance related to male performance
The truth is that every healthy person has two kidneys. The kidney is an important organ that excretes end products of metabolism and excess water in the body, regulates the concentration levels of various components in body fluids, and maintains the body’s electrolyte and acid-base balance. Urination is a process in which urine is produced in the kidneys and temporarily stored in the bladder through the ureters. After a certain amount is stored, it is excreted out of the body through the urethra.
Therefore, the performance of urination depends on the function of the urinary system and has nothing to do with male sexual function! It does not reflect the health of other organs.
Rumor 7:
“Scared to pee” is abnormal urination function
The truth: Urination is a complex reflex activity controlled by nerves, muscles, and psychology. When a person is frightened by an accident, he loses consciousness, loses control of his sphincter, and may indeed be frightened to urinate. This is a completely normal “accident”. Except for a “social death” that may be a bit embarrassing, there is nothing else!
Rumor 8:
White hair in your early forties is due to kidney deficiency
The truth is that sooner or later, how much and how quickly gray hair appears varies from person to person. It is mostly related to malnutrition, staying up late for a long time, high mental stress, etc. It is also affected by the environment, nutrition and the control of genetic metabolism. It can be seen that a pile of gray hair in your early forties has nothing to do with your kidneys.
Rumor 9:
If you have low back pain every now and then, it must be kidney disease
The truth is that back pain ≠ kidney pain! Low back pain is a pain felt by the body and is located relatively lower. It is usually accompanied by radiating pain in the lower limbs, sciatica, etc. It is mostly related to improper posture and lumbar spine movement. It can be relieved by physical therapy, acupuncture and other methods.
Kidney pain is pain felt in the internal organs. The pain location is relatively upper, at the lower edge of the ribs. It is often accompanied by other symptoms such as hematuria. It is mainly caused by visceral spasm and often requires medical treatment.
However, if the patient has low back pain accompanied by symptoms of kidney disease such as hematuria, proteinuria, oliguria, edema, and hypertension, or if he or she experiences general discomfort such as fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness, he or she should consider whether he or she is suffering from nephrotic syndrome. , at this time, we should pay great attention to it and go to the hospital for examination in time.
Text/Ji Tong (Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University)
Focus on
Will the kidney really be “overdrawn”?
What exactly does the “kidney overdraft” we usually refer to? This requires viewing it dialectically from two different perspectives: traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.
The concept of “kidney overdraft” in traditional Chinese medicine mostly refers to “kidney deficiency” caused by excessive sexual intercourse, overwork, or other reasons. Kidney deficiency is divided into two types: kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency. People with kidney yin deficiency often have symptoms such as soreness and weakness in the waist and knees, hot palms and soles, hot flashes and night sweats. People with kidney yang deficiency generally experience symptoms such as cold pain in the waist and knees, difficulty in urinating, frequent urination, impotence and premature ejaculation. Therefore, targeted treatment should be carried out according to different symptoms.
In Western medicine, what we usually call “renal overdraft” is closer to the concept of “renal insufficiency”. Renal insufficiency refers to a clinical syndrome characterized by a decrease in glomerular filtration rate caused by various reasons, resulting in the retention of metabolites, and manifested by disorders of water, electrolyte and acid-base balance and symptoms of various systemic systems throughout the body. Patients may present with symptoms such as fatigue, decreased urine output, edema, nausea, decreased appetite, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and skin itching. Treatment of the cause and active prevention and treatment of complications can effectively prevent or delay the progression of renal insufficiency.
Tips
Give you a “kidney” protection charm
Drink enough water and urinate frequently
Low sodium diet, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption
Pay attention to chronic diseases and have regular physical examinations
Take medication as directed and take supplements scientifically
Pay attention to hygiene and clean properly
Wear less tight clothes and seek medical advice if you feel unwell.
Live a regular life and avoid fatigue
Keep exercising and improve your physical fitness
