Testing urine is an ancient, time-honored practice. Records from ancient China and India mention observations of urine from 1000-2000 BC. In 500 BC, Hippocrates recorded his observations of the changes in urine in health and sickness.
Urinalysis is no less important now than it was back then. Up until the 1970's, the use of chemical tests for examining urine was a standard part of medical testing. Unfortunately, modern technology has now taken precedence over these well-established tests. Today, only procedures that can be done quickly with a dipstick are routinely performed to screen for serious diseases like diabetes, liver and kidney disease, and urinary infection.
The chemical tests have not been discarded because they are invalid, but because science is interested in measuring disease processes and many of these older chemical tests take longer to perform and merely measure the maintenance of normal body processes. This makes them perfect for monitoring health.
Since these tests are not routinely requested in hospitals to diagnose disease anymore, many health care practitioners are no longer familiar with them and may not immediately recognize their value. However all health care practitioners recognize that the urine reflects the food and drink intake of the patient.
How it all works
Health is the result of being able to maintain certain constant conditions within the body. Your body must do whatever it can to maintain these conditions. In other words, it will hoard things it is deficient in, and it will discard things it has too much of. Since the chemical tests for calcium, salt and many others have been well researched for over 150 years, it is easy to recognize some dietary excesses and deficiencies before disease processes get started.
The body filters the blood through the kidneys and uses the formation of urine to cleanse the blood. It discards excess acid and alkali to maintain a normal pH balance within the blood. This filtration also maintains a proper balance between water and salt in the blood, discarding the excesses in the urine. Waste products and toxic substances, such as drugs and alcohol, are removed. Before disease processes develop, annoying symptoms such as allergies, headaches, and fatigue can result when any of these functions are not adequate to the task.
The 24-Hour Urinalysis will begin to answer these important questions:
- Are you digesting the food that you eat?
- Are you absorbing and using the nutrients you've digested?
- Are you getting rid of the body's waste?
The 24-Hour Urinalysis is done at certified laboratories around the country and provides valuable information for your practitioner, including the following:
Screening procedures: Our testing procedure begins with the same standard screening tests performed in hospitals to recognize disease. Diabetes, liver and kidney disease, as well as urinary infection or inflammation, are first ruled out before proceeding.
Physical tests: Physical tests for color, cloudiness, volume, and specific gravity are recorded. They are used to recognize abnormalities, including the kidney's ability to clean the blood.
Chemical tests: Complicated chemistry tests are performed, including an indican evaluation to measure the presence of food in the colon that is putrefying; this creates irritants and toxins which cause pain and inflammation.
Digestive tests: The urinary sediment is evaluated for excessive crystal formations which can indicate problems with digestion or excessive consumption of protein, sugar or fat.
Other tests that give your practitioner helpful information include measurements for pH, calcium, and vitamin C.
There is an unmistakable connection between the importance of proper digestion and the occurrence of many recurring and nagging health complaints such as allergies, migraine headaches and digestive disorders.
This screening procedure is the best early warning system availabe today. Identify the reason behind the symptoms - don't just cover them up.
- It gives your health care practitioner biochemical evidence of what food(s) your body is having a difficult time digesting and assimilating. Your diet plays an enormous role in how you feel and how you maintain health.
- You will be able to readily modify your diet according to your body's needs. Individuality is the cornerstone of this program.
- You will find out the reasons why you feel the way you do.
Your practitioner will give you specific instructions and a collection kit. Remember you must eat and drink the way you usually do while you are collecting to provide the most accurate information to your practitioner.
The Loomis System
The 24-Hour Urinalysis Interpretation was developed by Dr. Howard F. Loomis, Jr. to further aid the health care practitioner in obtaining objective results to correlate to a patient's symptoms. A random sampling of urine will only give a practitioner a limited view of a day in your life. A 24-hour sample is a more accurate picture of what you ate and drank and how it affected your body.
The test is an excellent complement to the Loomis System as it biochemically confirms what may be found with the Palpatory Diagnostic Response and Homeostatic Digestive Challenge Test.