“I feel a burning sensation while urinating.”
Do you feel the same while urinating and don’t know about what to do about it? Well, this can be a sign of urinary disorders. The human urinary system consists of organs that are responsible for filtration and excreting the liquidated forms of wastes.
The urinary system consists of the following organs:
- A pair of kidneys
- A pair of ureters
- Urinary bladder
- Urethra
Any disease, virus or bacteria crossing the walls of the urinary system can affect the entire urinary system. In this blog, we will be telling you about the epidemiology of the urinary system and its diseases.
What is Urinary System?
The urinary system works along with the lungs, intestine, and skin to filter the waste and excess of fluids out from the body. It excretes 800 milliliters to 2000 milliliters. The primary organs of this system are kidneys. That filters waste and toxins and converts them into liquidated form urine. Then, the formed urine travel downs through ureters to the bladder and then excretes through urethra. In other words, we can say that the urinary or renal system plays the following roles:
- The removal of waste and toxins (say urea and uric acid).
- To regulate the levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and other electrolytes.
- Maintain fluid balance in blood and body.
- Maintain a healthy pH balance.
- Controlling the blood pressure.
- Excretion of wastes
If we look out on the specific functions of the organs in a urinary system then following are the allotted roles by nature:
Role of Kidneys: The kidneys are responsible for filtering the wastes and toxins. The tiny filters of the kidneys named Glomeruli play a key role here. They filter the toxins and acids from the body and blood. The filtered blood then is transferred to the heart and the waste and toxins extracted from blood are transferred to the bladder by the thin tubes called the ureter.
Role of Ureter: The ureter is the thin tube that helps in transporting the waste produced or filtered by the kidneys to the urinary bladder. There are two ureters, connected each with either kidney. These thin tubes are responsible for transferring the wastes and toxins in liquid form called urine.
Role of Urinary bladder: The urine formed by the kidneys is transferred to the urinary bladder by ureter. The urine gets collected in the urinary bladder and when it gets full, it gets released from the urethra.
Role of Urethra: When the urinary bladder is filled with urine collected in; the urine then released by urinary bladder to make space for the urine produced by kidneys to be transferred in the urinary bladder.
The urinary system is responsible for the process of filtration and excretion. Each organ has a vital role but out of all the organs, kidneys are the most important organs of the renal system.
Kidneys carry the burden of the body’s maintenance. If the kidneys stop performing the assigned functions, none of the body organs or renal system can perform their tasks properly.
What diseases can affect the urinary system?
The urinary system gets infected easily, as it is the most sensitive system comparatively. Any bacteria and virus attacking any organ of the urinary system can disrupt the functioning of the entire system solely. Following are the possible diseases that can affect the functioning:
- Urinary tract infection
- Interstitial cystitis
- Kidney Infection
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney stone
Urinary tract infection: Urinary Tract Infection or UTI occurs when the bacteria enter the urinary tract. This can put an adverse impact on the functioning of urethra, bladder, and kidneys. This infection is common in women than in men.
Interstitial Cystitis: Interstitial Cystitis is a painful bladder syndrome. It is a chronic bladder condition, primarily in women, that causes bladder pressure and pain and, sometimes, pelvic pain to varying degrees.
Kidney Infection: It is a type of infection that enters the urinary system through the urethra. These bacteria then cause inflammation in the kidney that leaves the kidneys infected.
Kidney stones: The urine build-up or the excess of calcium and oxalate from tiny crystals that grow in size by gradual time.
Why kidneys are considered as the primary organs?
Following are the functions because of which kidneys have been given the position of primary organs:
- Removes waste products from the body.
- Remove chemicals generated by the consumption of drugs from the body.
- Balances the fluids in the body and blood.
- Releases hormones that regulate blood pressure.
- Produces an active form of vitamin D that promotes strong and healthy bones.
- Control the formation of red blood cells.
What are the symptoms when the urinary system is infected and affected?
Following are the symptoms that become evident when the urinary system is infected:
- Decreased output of urine.
- Swelling in the abdominal area, feet, and hands because of fluid retention.
- Feebly beating of the heart.
- Difficulty in taking a breath.
- Drowsiness and Fatigue. A feeling of tiredness all the time.
- Nausea
- Absent-minded or confused behavior.
- Strong pain in the chest as if someone has stabbed.
- Loss of appetite.
- Trauma.
- Unstable heartbeat.
What are the possible treatments available for the diseases and infections attacking the functioning?
Commonly, people select the allopathic treatment as it is the easiest and quickest way of getting relief. But what everyone forgets to consider about its side effects and if this is going to last or not.
In allopathic treatment, the medications and surgeries done are just temporary solutions but not permanent.
On the other hand, Ayurvedic treatment works on the root causes of diseases and disorders. Following are the guidelines provided for Ayurvedic urinary disease treatment in Dubai:
- Cut down excess protein from your meals.
- Drink lots and lots of water.
- Stay away from creatinine-based supplements.
- Increased dietary intake as this will help reduce chemical waste called creatinine in the blood.
- Be strict on your ayurvedic medicine for creatinine.
- Drink a limited amount of water (approx: 1 liter – 1.5 liters).
- Make a fixed time for lunch & dinner.
- Don’t consume any raw vegetables.
- Don’t consume any vegetables with seeds.
- Don’t consume milk directly in raw form, boiled form (if, given).
- Remove the peel and seeds of the fruit.
- Boil vegetables properly before cooking.
- Use Rock salt (3-4 gm per day).
- Use olive/mustard/ rice bran oil (1-3 teaspoon per day).
- Use more of steel utensils for cooking.
Disclaimer: The aforesaid is just for your reference only. Consult your nephrologist or urologist for better treatment.