Does anyone have any tips on how to prevent water retention during the summer months? I'm 55 years young. I've increased my water intake and have tried to cut back on sodium. My feet and hands are puffy and feel tight. Any home remedies that you can share would be most appreciated.
By Maggie from VA
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If I were you, I'd get myself to a doctor first and get checked out. A professional is the only person who can tell you if there is a physical problem with your body that has a symptom of swollen feet and hands. I'm totally serious about this - take care of yourself and get checked out.
ESPECIALLY since you're already drinking so much water and watching your sodium intake - and you STILL have the problem; something might be up because you still have swollen feet and hands. Does not add up at all.
If your doc says there's nothing wrong with you, then
ask him/her about:
Drinking lots of water - 8 oz/hour will help your body move the excess water out of your system. Have you tried putting some fresh lime or lemon juice in it? It makes it a little easier....not much I admit.
Sometimes I make a little lemonade and add some Splenda or Truvia to the water....maybe it will help.
Stay away from salty foods or food that will make you thirsty - pizza, Chinese, etc.
Put your feet up whenever you can, preferably with your feet above your head. Like lie on your sofa with your feet on the arms and your head on the cushions. You deserve a good rest!
You can make parsley tea. Use the regular curly green kind. Take a handful, wash it well, cut the stems off so you only use mostly the curly part, put the parsley in a coffee cup and add boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes and drink. It's not that bad! I don't know, but you could try drinking it like iced tea also.
But remember, it's summer and you do need to have some salt in your body. Remember to ask your doc about this.
A nurse told me once that if you're sweating and can taste salt on your face - as the sweat drips - you're losing potassium. BUT BEFORE YOU GO TAKING POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENTS, CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST, OK? Which hopefully you're going to do anyway right? I hope?
If you get the ok from your doc, have him/her give you the correct millligram to take.
Or here's a delicious way to replace potassium - at least I like it. Wash REALLY well ALL OF THESE: one baking potato, two stalks of celery, one onion, two stalks of carrots. Don't peel the potato. You might think I'm weird but I wash my potatoes with a sturdy scrub brush and Dawn dishwashing soap rinsing really well. You won't believe the extra dirt that comes off.
Cut them all up, put them in a pot and cover them with just enough water. Boil for around 15 minutes. Strain and drink the liquid - potassium soup! Eat the vegetables too!
Eat light, like fruits and vegetables and with all of the above this hopefully will help you.
But please, please go to the doctor first. I'm 54 too and I'm finding out fast that the stuff I think is no big deal, sometimes turns out to be a big deal. Like thyroid disease. Don't play around with these symptons, please. I hope you feel better, God bless you.
People use to take a pinch of Epsom salts every day for this problem & prop your feet up. I also suggest to see a Dr,good luck.
My feet were swelling, and my doctor immediately said blood pressure and put me on a low dose blood pressure med; which helped immeasurably. It's not expensive. High blood pressure can be very dangerous. Laine
Please see your doctor to make sure you do not have a disease before using home remedies. I had bad ankle, and sometimes foot, swelling a couple of years ago and ignored it. About a year after that I was emergency hospitalized because I couldn't breathe. It turns out the swelling was a sign I had Emphysema.
My mother has been having troubles with her feet swelling, but was taking Advil for some aches and pains. She discussed this with her druggist, who told her that Advil has a tendency to cause swelling. She has switched to Tylenol, and her ankles are not as puffy. If you are taking any kind of medication, you could have a talk with your pharmacist to see if something you are taking could be causing your swelling.
Medications can do it. I am the same age. Watch what you do for intake of food and beverage. Diet pop has a higher salt content. Bought/prepared foods all are high in salt. Remember to flush your body with at least 4 glasses of water in the day. The 8 glasses count is all the beverages and fluids in your food.
Eliminate the salt shaker completely. I keep kosher salt in the cupboard for that little fix. I take 2 crystals. So where I use them is my choice. Your daily intake of sodium is less than 1/2 tsp. Can you keep it at that? It is much better on your kidneys, body as a whole to eliminate extra salts. Natural salts are out there, celery is high in natural sodium but that is good for you. Component is made of different stuff, natural vs man made.
Your heart will love you for it!
Forgot to add: The worst medication that did this to me, made my whole body swell and be inflamed is cholesterol medication, statins. All of them. Been a year off them and my shoe size has shrunk too!
Float!
Seriously, I discovered this while pregnant, about 30 years ago, and have done it ever since. Get into a cool pool,lake,or anywhere where you can submerge your whole body and be covered in cool water, and just float!
After about 45 minutes, you will start having to urinate, and urinate, and urinate!
This is the only thing which relieves the pain in my joints from rheumatoid and psoriatric arthritis,the fibromyalgia,and just plain old wearing out. But swelling can be a sign of congestive heart failure too, so go get your heart checked out, and get a hot tub,garden tub,or large backyard pool,if possible.
You will feel like a new person within an hour and a half!
Some years ago I went to a well known weight clinic and they told me to never take a diuretic because they are so hard on your body. They told me what to do and I still do it to this day and have told all of my friends. When you get up in the morning mix two tablespoons of lemon juice (use the frozen kind because it has no preservative chemicals) in a cup of hot water; sweeten to taste and drink. It will flush any excess fluid from your body naturally without harmful side effects. Just be sure to rinse your mouth after drinking so the acid from the lemon juice won't harm your tooth enamel.
Strawberries are also a natural diuretic.
Hope this helps.
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Eat Watercress, and drink a lot of water. Watercress is a natural food and has a lot of potassium in it.
Source: Today Show 1-10-2012
By Sherry Hampton from Valdosta, GA
Can somebody out there please tell me a proven, easy and natural home remedy to reduce and/or eliminate water retention? Especially around the ankles and fingers. I barely eat foods with salt or fried foods that are known to cause this. So I'm not sure what this could be from.
By Sadie Lynn from USA
If you think this could be the case, you should try reducing the amount of salt you consume. As far as cooking goes, you can make a marginal reduction in the amount of salt you use in the food, but you should try to cut down in other areas, for example pickles. In addition, you should drink more water - this might seem like a counter productive approach, but drinking water helps your body flush the excess of salt, ultimately resulting in less fluid retention.
As far as your diet goes, you should also see that you are getting the right amount of vitamins, particularly vitamin B.
If the swelling due to water retention is primarily in your legs, you should avoid standing for long periods of time. Whenever you can, you should also elevate your legs so as to improve circulation. If these measures do not work, you should consult your doctor, as water retention can sometimes be a sign of a serious problem. Good luck. (03/15/2010)
Get herbs, or the below:
Water retention may sound like a simple enough problem to remedy - just take a diuretic to eliminate the excess water. But water retention can be a symptom of a serious heart or kidney problem. And leaky capillary walls, malnutrition, bacterial toxins and hormone changes such as PMS can also be the cause of this problem. If your body is retaining water, be sure to see a doctor and find out exactly what is causing this problem before trying to treat it.
If a simple diuretic will solve your problem, dandelion and corn silk are two of the best choices - these are some of the safest diuretics ever to grow in the wild. And they also counter some of the negative effects of commercial diuretics. Most pharmaceutical diuretics pull potassium out of the body, creating a harmful imbalance that requires you to take potassium supplements.
Diuretic Tea:
Pour boiling water over herbs, then steep in a covered container for 20 minutes. Strain herbs. Drink 1 or 2 cups as needed. (03/15/2010)
Before you try any home remedy, go to a doctor and tell him/her about this symptom. As mentioned up-thread, you could have something serious like kidney or heart trouble (the latter is the #1 killer of women).
Because it's not normal, not being able to handle even small amounts of salt. That was the first sign of my aunt's congestive heart failure, which was diagnosed too late. So please, see a doctor; early treatment is the best treatment. (03/15/2010)
You should see a doctor or nurse practitioner to make sure that high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease are not the cause of your swollen ankles and fingers. I'm not trying to scare you. The doctor can prescribe medication that isn't expensive but will get rid of the excess fluid. Natural is good, but sometimes drugs are the better solution. Good luck. (03/17/2010)
I am also not trying to scare you, but please see your doctor! Swelling in those areas are probably not normal and most likely symptoms/warnings of not only possible kidney, high blood pressure or heart problems, but also could be lung problems. Last Winter my ankles kept swelling and I ignored it. Well, in late March I caught a cold and by April 1st I couldn't breathe and was emergency hospitalized. It was Emphysema and those ankles were a warning sign. It's better safe than sorry!
Whether your doctor gives you a clean bill of health or not, drinking your eight glasses of water daily, greatly helps general bloating/swelling because it aids in removing toxins from your body. Good luck to you and don't be a silly, stubborn goose like I was because I almost lost my life being so. :-( (03/18/2010)
By Deeli
See your doctor; perhaps it is high blood pressure or a heart condition; my doctor always checks my ankles for swelling - one time I needed a change of blood pressure medicine and that did the trick. (03/18/2010)
By doris gordon
Make an appointment with your health care provider immediately. Fluid retention's cause isn't something that can be determined by taking or reading anything.
While you're at the doctor's, ask him or her about eating lots of celery which is a natural diuretic. Just don't put off seeing that doctor for anything. Keep us posted. We're wishing you the best. Julia in Boca Raton, FL (03/18/2010)
By Julia
I agree to see a doctor, preferably an MD with naturopath leanings. Juniper Berry essential oil and dandelion root are cleansing natural treatments that will remove excess fluids along with toxins. However, if you are having a kidney or liver issue to start with, cleansing said organs too harshly can cause problems, so get a diagnosis first if possible, then operate on what you find out. Good luck! (03/19/2010)
