I know someone who recently had a baby, and is now having problems with her feet swelling. I know this usually happens during pregnancy. But was wondering if there is anything she can do for this. Thank you :-)
anbsmommy from WA State,
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Please tell your friend to see her doctor and have the MD check her for post partum cardiomyopathy. Although pretty rare it does happen to young women during and after childbirth. Swollen ankles and shortness of breath are indicators of this potential problem.
I know this is a long shot, but thought I'd post it anyway: At one time had a problem with my legs swelling & found out it was because I was drinking Licorice Tea (I just loved the taste). Well, come to find out, the herb "Licorice" makes you retain water!... In fact, it works so well at making you retain water that some historians think that the Huns (or the Mongols, I forgot which?) used to drink a lot of licorice tea before battles & this is the reason why they could go for days without drinking or eating anything while in battle... The theory is that their bodies would gradually release the water into their system gradually.... Well, What can I say... I saw it on the Discovery Channel!...(true!) This story was enough for me to realize that it was most likely the Licorice I was drinking that caused my legs & ankles to swell, so I stopped drinking licorice tea... & my swelling went away several days after I discontinued my favorite daily beverage..
*** Of course, When anyone has swollen ankles or legs, the first think that should be checked out is their kidneys! Have her call a doctor.
---> Use care when taking ANY herb (even the ones that taste good like licorice!)... Why do you think they WORK?... because they have powerful substances in them! ... Just because it's "natural", doesn't mean it's "harmless"! * And this goes triple with children.. Yes, You can give them peppermint (or spearmint) tea to help with nausea, & fennel for gas, but beyond that... I'd definitely think TWICE when it comes to giving kids (and adults) any herbal supplements! Read up about any adverse reactions & remember you can have an allergic reaction to herbs as well as Rx drugs.
*** For swelling, you can eat cucumbers, watermelon, pineapple & ginger... These foods are natural diuretics!
Foods & herbs for Swelling: www.mothernature.com/
She should drink LOTS of water, elevate her feet & watch her salt intake too...
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BATH TO REMOVE TOXINS:
To remove toxins from your body take 1 pound of salt (i box) & 1 pound of baking soda (1 box) & put these in a hot bath... Soak in the bath for AT LEAST 20 minutes while you drink 3 glasses of Raspberry leaf tea... (Raspberry Leaf Tea makes you perspire)... Then rinse off well! Do this once a week for 4 weeks & drink lots of water... This will help you flush out nasty chemicals & impurities from you skin & system... Do this especially when loosing weigh because when you loose weight your body naturally "dumps" toxins from your fat cells out into your liver & into the rest of your body. This "Detox" bath helps remove toxins... This is especially good when loosing weight, kicking cigarettes, alcohol & other drugs, both legal & illegal... & especially great to do after chemotherapy & radiation. I once had a Naturopath tell me about this bath treatment. She said it works by their being more salt on the outside of your body than on the inside, so the salt naturally "draws out" toxins. She said she once saw a colored transparent film floating on top of the bath water after a patient had undergone chemotherapy & done this "detox bath" This nasty chemical film had come out of the patients skin because she was so toxic!
With her recent birth, I had the same worry as Lorie, Peri-partum cardiomyopathy. Is she experiencing any shortness of breath? Difficulty breathing when lying flat? If so, she may be in heart failure and needs to get to an ER as quickly as possible. I'm a survivor of sudden cardiac death which resulted from a cardiomyopathy (possibly PPCM). This could be very serious.
I had that problem with my first three kids. With my 4th, I exercised on the treadmill every day and had no swelling!
You don't say how recently she had the baby, but when I had my son in October, my feet were terribly swelled for about a week and they said this is normal especially if you had been given IV fluids. If it has been more than a month however, I would certainly mention it at her six week check up or just call her doctor. Try to keep feet up.
When I had my first child, it was a long, traumatic labor, followed by a C-section. My legs were so big they looked like they belonged on a pachyderm, and after they didn't go down the first couple of days, I thought they never would! Someone told me to drink mint tea to flush out the water and toxins---and it worked. I started peeing like I was pregnant again, and the legs went down!
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What can I do to prevent my feet from swelling?
Donna from Houston, TX
Try elevating them whenever possible. Do not sit in one position for more than 1/2 hour. Get up and walk around.
By jean
Donna, do you have high blood pressure? If I don't take my meds for high blood pressure, my ankles swell. Also, perhaps cutting back on salt will help, too. I also agree with Jean's advice. (09/20/2006)
By SL Edens
All of the mentioned advice and be sure to drink PLENTY of water all throughout the day. I know, I know... yuck on the water. But your body NEEDS it. Not to mention flushing out all the bad gunk from your body. And your skin will look great, too! (09/20/2006)
By Wendy from Huntsville, Texas
Have you considered Compression hose? I had my legs wrapped to get excess water out several years ago. I've worn compression hose since then. Anyone working on their feet would benefit from the extra support. Also, keeping the feet up when sitting helps, along with cutting back on salt. (09/20/2006)
By hwalz
If you haven't seen a doctor, please do. I have to elevate my feet above my heart at least 1 hour each day. It helps to not sit for more than 30 minutes at a time. Ellen, Maricopa,CA (09/20/2006)
By ellen
All of the above.. do you have heart problems? High blood pressure? Urinary problems? First thing is a medical check for the underlying problem.
If clear medically, elevate your feet whenever you can, ie, propping them up on a footstool when watching tv. For long distance travel, car, train, plane, wear support hose they really do help.
A few years back a friend and I flew from Australia to Canada.. long flight. I wore support hose on the plane, my friend just wore open sandals, no hose at all.On arrival my ankles/feet were perfectly normal, hers were very swollen and stayed that way for a week!
By ellie
Hidden salt(s) is sometimes hard to recognize, so I'd recommend that you truly and conscientously read labels to learn how many mg. of all sorts of salt you might be getting. Mine was always soups, Ketchup, Italian/Mexican foods, pretzels, chips, crackers, popcorn, tuna,peanut butter, nuts...until I declared WAR because I was swelling and felt like dying ! Once I really began watching ingredients I also began to drink "lime water" and Sweet N Low:
1 16 oz. ice water
1/2 CAPFUL of lime concentrate
1 packet Sweet N Low
The risk was worth it to me.
There's something in this that HELPS. Also I watch
eating CANNED foods too much, because they are notoriously high in Potassium(a salt) and Sodium
(another salt). I suggest that for several weeks, try HARD to find "salt free" items, even if you crave salt for a time. Drink LOTS of liquids, and eliminate fast foods as well. This will get you on the right track immediately while you check with your doctor for something even more serious causing it? God bless you, dear heart. (09/21/2006)
By Lynda
My stepdad has this extremely bad, in his legs also. His stopped swelling so bad when he cut caffeine out of his diet. It was amazing how fast it went down. (09/21/2006)
By christi
I find that if I'm behind on drinking my 8 glasses of water a day, my feet & ankles will swell. But on days that I've been drinking my water, my feet and ankles aren't swollen. (04/25/2007)
By badwater
