Kidneys, Urine, Blood Pressure, and the Department of Transportation Drivers
As a federally licensed facility to give DOT medical exams, we are required to check your blood pressure and urine. And guess what? Your kidneys play a major role in both.
Urine sample? What do you check for?
The urine dip stick test is just for a medical screening. What we check for at Cedar City Chiropractic are protein, glucose, and blood. (We DO NOT test for any drugs or illegal substances). Lets talk about about each:
1) protein: consider your kidneys like a colander, but instead of straining vegetables, it strains your urine in a much, much more microscopic way. With a vegetable colander, you can strain carrots all day long and you will never lose one through the holes. Protein is a big molecule and your kidneys should strain protein all day long as well. However, what if the colander’s holes became too big and let carrots through? What if your kidneys started letting protein through? If protein shows up, then your urine colander (kidneys) wouldn’t be working as it should and there may be an underlying condition that needs to be addressed. Active Health Chiropractic will then make you aware and help in further discussion.
2) glucose: consider it sugar. Lets use a huge chocolate bar for this example. You eat a huge chocolate bar. Under normal circumstances, your blood sugar level will rise and then your pancreas will secrete some insulin and turn this into some energy. However, lets say your insulin output isn’t great. Now your blood sugar level continues to be high. In comes the cavalry, your kidneys. The kidneys, in an effort to lower your blood sugar level, will let the sugar or glucose through and thus it shows up in your urine. Now we have a pre-diabetic or even an all out diabetic condition. Glucose in urine can be a sign of both. If glucose shows up in the screening, Active Health Chiropractic will make you aware and help in further discussion.
3) blood: blood in your urine could be a sign of a few underlying conditions. First, if you’re female, it may be contamination from your menstrual cycle and thus no big deal. Also if you’re female, you may have a urinary tract infection. I say female, because males have a much longer urinary tract and rarely can bacteria make a home there because of the length. Don’t worry women, men have prostate glands and blood could also be due to an issue with the prostate. Blood could also show up if one (male or female) has a kidney stone. Blood could be something serious, but also be no big deal. If it shows up in the screening, Cedar City Chiropractic will make you aware and help in further discussion.
Please understand and don’t be nervous of being disqualified for your DOT license and medical exam card. Even if protein, glucose, and blood show up in your urine, you won’t be disqualified from receiving your DOT license and medical exam card. Cedar City Chiropractic will work with you to get the treatment you need to better your life.
Please also know, that at the end of the day and with the DOT license and medical exam aside, it is your health and longevity that we want you to have for your family and loved ones.
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