Eat, drink, pee: Basic life functions we screw up

Pay attention to your body's little signals to avert big health problems

“As you putter through the day tackling your to-do list, do you ever stop and wonder whether you do the little things right? You know, basic life functions like drink, pee and breathe. (Come on. No one really stops to consider if they’re peeing correctly.) Here’s the scoop on whether you’re bungling the basics:

Your first mistake: Not peeing enough

Health fallout: The bladder is an extremely adaptable organ. Cells in the bladder actually have elastic properties and are stretchable and forgiving so periodically holding urine like when you’re on a road trip waiting for the next rest stop, or in the middle of an episode of “30 Rock,” shouldn’t cause significant problems. “But repeatedly or chronically holding it might increase your risk for urinary tract infections or even incontinence,” says Dr. Doug Hansen, medical director at Altitude Family and Internal Medicine in Denver and assistant professor of family medicine at University of Colorado. The bladder is like a rubber band. If you keep stretching it out by "holding it," at some point it won’t spring back by emptying fully. The remaining urine gets trapped leading to infection and incontinence issues.”  STORY HERE

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