[TCM Health and Wellness] Is foamy urine a sign of kidney disease? Listen to what Chinese medicine practitioners say

Some people find a lot of foam in their urine after urinating and start to wonder if they have kidney disease. Is this really the case? What exactly is the reason for the increase of foam in urine?

Don’t be nervous when you have “foamy urine”, about one third of healthy people have foamy urine occasionally in their daily life. If you have foamy urine, how can you tell if it is normal or abnormal and how can you catch the “distress” signal from your kidneys in time?

Normal people also have foamy urine

Under normal circumstances, foamy urine is produced by the strong impact of the urine stream, and this kind of foam is different from the foam caused by protein urine.

In addition, when the amount of water is not enough, holding urine for too long, the urine will be physically concentrated, and the impurities in the urine will relatively increase, which will also form foamy urine, which is often very dark in color. As long as you drink more water to promote urine dilution, you will return to normal.

When people are in special conditions such as dehydration, fever, intense exercise, pregnancy, high blood pressure, etc., they may occasionally observe foam in their urine and go to the hospital for a routine urine test indicating urine protein “+”. This is usually an occasional transient proteinuria that lasts only a few hours, mostly less than a day. When the primary trigger is removed, the protein in the urine will turn negative and there is no need for special concern.

A simple routine urine test is needed to determine whether there is proteinuria or not.

It is best to take the morning urine (i.e. the first urine after waking up in the early morning), and keep the middle urine (i.e. do not take the first 1-2 seconds), and to ensure that the urine is fresh, it should not take more than 2 hours to send the test.

Foamy urine has many black hands behind it

If bubbles often appear in the urine, and the number of bubbles, small size, long does not dissipate, we should be alert, this is often the kidney disease behind the scenes.

The most early stage of chronic nephritis often has no other “clues” except proteinuria and urinary occult blood. Only by carefully capturing abnormalities in the urine and improving urine related tests can we prevent them, detect them early and treat them early.

Why does nephritis cause proteinuria? Urine is produced through the filtration of the glomerulus and the reabsorption and secretion of the renal tubules. There are millions of glomeruli in each kidney, and the glomeruli like a “sieve” can filter the urine. In patients with glomerulonephritis, the mesh of the “screen” becomes larger or breaks, allowing proteins from the body to leak into the urine. As the composition of the urine changes, the surface tension also changes, and the foam in the urine begins to increase, and the kidney problems “surface”.

Although there is no term for protein in ancient Chinese medical texts, there are records of “jing” and “jin”. The “Su Wen” says, “The essence is the essence of the body, it should be hidden and not leaked”, and “The kidney is the main dormant, the essence of the essence. If the kidneys are deficient in the function of sealing and storage, the essence will be leaked, resulting in proteinuria and other symptoms.

Not only can kidney disease cause foamy urine, but many other diseases can also induce similar phenomena, such as cystitis, bladder cancer or urinary tract infections, which can increase red blood cells and white blood cells in the urine, resulting in foamy urine. Secondly, in diabetic patients with poorly controlled blood sugar, the urinary sugar or ketone body content in the urine increases, the pH of the urine is imbalanced, and the surface tension of the urine increases, which can also lead to foamy urine. In addition, liver and gallbladder diseases such as gallstones and pancreatic head cancer can also cause patients to have foamy urine. Therefore, even if foamy urine occurs, it should not be easily labeled as “kidney disease”.

If foamy urine is accompanied by hematuria, frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, swelling, high blood pressure, excessive drinking, excessive urination, excessive eating, dry mouth and other symptoms, it is necessary to go to the hospital as soon as possible to identify the cause of the disease and take appropriate intervention measures in a timely manner.

Kidney disease problems cannot be ignored

An epidemiological statistic shows that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in our adult population is 10.8%, and the related awareness rate is low. This means that many patients may delay treatment because they are not aware of their condition.

Although many kidney diseases do not have obvious symptoms at the beginning, they are still traceable if you pay careful attention. Some patients may have swollen eyelids and lower limbs, lumbago, back pain, or cloudy urine, redness, increased nocturia, and in some cases, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, and other manifestations.

The name “chronic nephritis” does not exist in ancient Chinese medical texts, but modern doctors mostly classify it as “kidney wind”, “edema” and “lumbago”. “The root cause of these diseases lies in the correctness of the nerve. The root cause of these diseases lies in the deficiency of positive energy, and as the disease progresses, pathological products such as “stasis”, “dampness” and “toxicity” will be formed.

Prevention and health care methods

The best way to deal with kidney disease is to prevent the disease before it happens and to prevent the disease from changing. A good habit of observing urine after urination has a positive effect on early detection and early treatment.

Although there is no clear cause of primary kidney disease, some studies have shown that acute glomerulonephritis is closely related to upper respiratory tract and skin streptococcal infections. Therefore, attention should be paid to prevent recurrent attacks of tonsillitis, the occurrence of acute infections should be reasonable use of antibiotics, not to “rush to the medicine”.

The Su Wen says: “The spirit is guarded within, the true qi is followed, and the disease is safe.” In daily life, how to achieve “the righteousness of the internal, evil can not dry”? It is recommended that life should be lived in a regular manner, with a disciplined diet and appropriate work and rest. Life should be adapted to the four seasons, to ensure sufficient sleep, do not stay up late, according to the temperature changes in time to increase and reduce clothing; diet should be balanced, do not eat in excess, it is desirable to quit smoking and alcohol; adhere to the appropriate aerobic exercise.

The Classics of the Bible says: “The endowment is the essence of the fetus, the essence of the parent is also received.” Many scholars believe that genetic factors have an important influence in the susceptibility, severity and response to treatment of glomerular diseases, and people with a family history of kidney disease need to pay extra attention to screening and medical examination.

Secondary nephropathy refers to kidney damage caused by other diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy, which has now become the most important cause of end-stage renal disease in China. Therefore, active control of blood sugar and reasonable application of insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs are of great significance to protect the kidneys. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia and other diseases can also cause damage to the kidneys. These patients should control their blood pressure, lipids and blood uric acid, and visit the hospital regularly for review and monitoring, as well as pay attention to diet regulation. For example, if the spleen and stomach are weak, eating a large amount of indigestible meat and fishy and high purine food will make the spleen and stomach even weaker, and the grain will flow down, and the essence will be discharged with the urine, aggravating the condition.

“The kidney is the main dormant, the essence of the seal, where the essence is also”. The kidney essence is hidden in the kidney, is the root of the body’s life activities, not only is the whole body organs functional activities of the prime mover, but also the material basis of life activities. Among the five organs, the kidneys store the essence, the main water, the main gas, the main bone marrow, the main closed, the main life fire, in all stages of life play an important role, so in daily life to protect the kidneys is very critical.