Urine: Ammonia Smell

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Babies get an ammonia smell (to their urine) regularly, and I remember my mother using foods to clear it up.

Women also tend to get ammonia (smelling) urine after they go through menopause.

But, it can be a symptom of bacterial infection or an illness (liver, kidneys, cancers).

The first remedy should be to increase one's intake of water. A lack of water makes the urine more concentrated and can increase the ammonia smell. Water cures many health problems.

Note: All urine can turn into ammonia: place into a sealed bottle and, in a few weeks, it “percolates” into ammonia.

Common Causes
Ketogenic Diet, low carb diets, high protein diets

eating foods that have high concentrations of nitrogen: proteins, meats, eggs, etc.

eating foods like asparagus, garlic, onions, fish.

eating nitrate foods like hot dogs.

The Mayo clinic lists the following as illnesses and conditions that can have ammonia urine as a simptom: Acute liver failure, Bladder infection, Certain foods (asparagus), Cystitis (bladder inflammation), Dehydration, Diabetic ketoacidosis (high levels of blood acids called ketones), Kidney infection, Maple sugar urine disease (genetic disease that causes difficulty breaking down certain amino acids), Metabolic disorder (a problem with the way your body converts the foods you eat into energy), Rectovaginal fistula (abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina), Type 2 diabetes (Uncontrolled diabetes), Urinary tract infection, Vitamin B-6 supplements

Uterine Fibroids

Bladder Cancer

Kitchen Remedies and Natural Cures for Ammonia Smell
Digestive enzymes. The webmaster likes Nature Plus: Live Plant Food Enzymes; Food-Zymes.

Minerals like magnesium and electrolytes.

Don't eat foods with nitrates like hot dogs.

Baking Soda (not with meals)

Turnip and radish juice

Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed, in water

L-arginine also helps rid the body of ammonia See: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsad/a/Arginine.htm

Check urine and saliva Ph value (get Ph strips from health food store). Follow the Alkaline Ph Diet if acid.

When the body's alkaline reserve are low (too much acid), the kidneys dump ammonia (alkaline) into the urine to prevent acid urine (which can burn/damage body tissues)...Household ammonia is poisonous and cannot be used to improve alkaline reserves.''

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is an easy way to increase one's alkaline reserves....plus as long as it is food grade, it is non-toxic.(Warning: swimming pool DE is poisonous) Farmers have feed DE to their livestock for generations. Food Grade DE is inexpensive (cheap) so it won't be sent out as the next cure-all, but it should be.