Urinary Tract Health
The role of a healthy urinary system is to control the amount of water and salts that are absorbed back into the blood and what is taken out as waste. This system also acts as a filtering mechanism for the blood. The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, the bladder, two sphincter muscles, and the urethra. When dysfunction of the urinary system is present, symptoms can include difficulty urinating, with burning, pain, stones, infection, urgency, bleeding, and retention.*
According to practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) urinary imbalances can be associated with disharmony in key organs like the kidneys. TCM practitioners work to restore balance and harmony in the urinary system by supporting a person’s body and organs with diet modification, stress reduction, and herbal supplementation. When balance and harmony are present, TCM practitioners believe the immune and urinary system has a good chance of maintaining urinary health.*
One way to promote urinary, bladder and kidney health is to remove substances that irritate the bladder and urinary system. Some commonly known bladder irritants that people consume include coffee, tea, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, and acidic foods like oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mango, pineapple, tomatoes, spicy foods, sugar, honey, milk. Stress reduction is always an important step for anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The next step in promoting urinary health is to incorporate natural dietary supplements designed to restore balance and harmony.*
Since our bladder, kidneys and urinary tract are susceptible to a variety of ailments, ranging from infections, stones, to over-activity to cancer; experts agree that undertaking a proactive, not reactive, approach to health leads to fewer difficulties down the road.*