A remedy in the fight against edema. How to deal with edema: causes and mechanisms of occurrence, treatment and prevention. Possible causes of edema

Swelling, as a consequence of fluid retention in the body, it can occur for various reasons. Intensive work day excess weight, pregnancy, salt abuse - these and many other factors can cause swelling of the hands and feet.

If you often worry about this problem, do not despair. There is a solution!

Causes of fluid retention

There are many different factors that provoke the appearance of edema, for example:

Hypertension
Cardiovascular diseases
Poor nutrition
Excess weight
Excessive salt intake
Hormonal changes
Stress
Circulatory disorders
Improper drinking regime

Due to a lack of water in the human body, a process is launched, the purpose of which is preserve the fluid already present in the body. Imagine a dam that blocks a river to prevent flooding of nearby land.

Do not forget that our body constantly needs a certain amount of fluid. Water is an essential element needed by our organs to perform their basic functions. This is why it is so important to stay hydrated.

Surely you have heard more than once that a person should drink two liters daily. Perhaps this figure seems too high to you. But believe me, this is not so.

A person who suffers from a problem such as puffiness is advised to take it very carefully. After all much more serious diseases may be hidden behind edema. If you notice these unpleasant symptoms, be sure to consult a doctor. It is also recommended to get rid of bad habits and start living more healthy image life.

Swelling: best recommendations for preventing fluid retention in the body

If you are concerned about swelling, you need to establish the cause of its appearance and pay attention to which parts of the body fluid most often accumulates. In most cases, edema affects:

Ankles
Feet

If you want to avoid this problem, you need to lead a healthier lifestyle. After all, swelling is not only aesthetic defect, but also a real threat to our health.

Include more foods high in water content in your diet

Try to eat more vegetables and fruits, which contain a lot of water, vitamins and antioxidants. Include oranges, apples, pears, peaches and cranberries in your diet.

A physically active lifestyle will help normalize blood circulation

Some types of physical activity, such as cycling, dancing, or a simple brisk walk, lower limbs, which prevents the appearance of edema.

Drink 8 glasses of water a day

It’s rare that any of us have not heard that a person needs to drink 8 glasses of water daily (the famous “two liters a day”).

Reduce your salt intake

If you can't imagine life without salt, replace regular table salt with sea salt or pink salt, also known as Himalayan salt. To prevent dishes from being bland, use various seasonings, aromatic herbs, lemon juice and vinegar instead of salt.

Reduce your salt intake gradually, not sharply. For example, they recommend don't putsalt shakeron the table or near where you prepare food.

Avoid processed foods

Try to exclude processed foods and fast food from your diet. Such foods are high in salt, although this is not always noticeable at first glance. Try not to eat pies, sausages and forget about “fast” food.

Eat more protein-rich foods

When our body is deficient in protein, albumin production decreases, causing fluid to accumulate between tissues.

Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night

Rest more and pause while working so as not to stay in the same position for a long time. It doesn't matter whether you have to work standing or sitting. Try to change your body position as often as possible.

Rest is a good way to prevent fluid retention and swelling of the ankles and feet. And of course it is important proper sleep, at least 7 hours a day.

Drink herbal teas that have diuretic properties

Perhaps you don't like drinking regular clean water or there is some taste missing in it. In this case, they will come to your aid herbal infusions and decoctions who have . Thanks to the wide variety of such drinks, you will never get bored with them and will protect your body from dehydration.

Don't wear clothes that are too tight

Try to avoid clothes that are too tight or tight, especially if you have to spend a lot of time on your feet or sitting. For example, if you have a long plane trip ahead.

In such cases, compression stockings will come to your aid, as they will not interfere with the normal blood supply to your legs and will allow them to rest. Wearing special underwear is recommended for people who often experience swelling due to problems with blood circulation.

Avoid refined flour and white sugar

The same goes for drinks such as coffee and Coca-Cola. They prevent the removal of excess fluid.

Try to eat a varied diet

Include more fresh, seasonal produce, vegetables and fruits in your diet. Aim to consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Pay attention to foods rich in carbohydrates and low in salt, such as boiled potatoes, oatmeal, soy, etc. Animal and plant proteins will also benefit your health.

Thanks to these products, the liver secretes substances that prevent the accumulation of fluid in cell membranes.

Natural remedies to help relieve swelling

Plants and herbs with diuretic properties are excellent allies in the fight against edema. Which ones are the most effective? Write it down!

Dandelion

Perhaps a dandelion can be considered the best natural remedy that effectively helps cope with swelling. It is recommended to drink dandelion decoction before lunch and dinner. This plant helps eliminate toxins and waste, normalizes digestion and frees our body from excess fluid.

Echinacea

It is recommended to always have this healing plant on hand. Echinacea is an excellent diuretic, stimulating the excretion of fluid along with urine, relieving us of swelling, toxins and fats. It also has laxative properties and helps in the fight against cellulite. It is recommended to drink up to two cups of infusion per day.

Green tea

Surely you already know what the benefits of this drink are for our health. This is an excellent diuretic that helps get rid of extra pounds, speeds up metabolism and cleanses our body of toxins.

Therefore, it is a necessary element of weight loss diets.

So, if you know first-hand what swelling is, then our advice will be very useful to you. But if swelling does not go away, despite following all the recommendations, be sure to make an appointment with a doctor.

How to deal with swelling? This question occupies the minds of many people, especially women, because swollen eyes do not make the face look good. The causes of edema can be problems with internal organs, and nutritional habits. There are many ways to quickly get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon. However, if the problem is regular, you should consult a doctor.

Ways to get rid of edema

Methods for solving the problem of swollen eyelids:

One popular method is to use potatoes. It is necessary to grate the peeled vegetable, put the resulting pulp in gauze and apply it to the eyes.
Tea bags or a napkin soaked in chilled tea are applied to the eyelid area for 10 minutes.
Wrap parsley root pulp in gauze and apply to swollen eyelids.
There are special gel patches on sale for lower eyelids, which cool the skin.
Ointments for hemorrhoids also help due to the content of heparin, phenylephrine, and chestnut extract.
Gels in bottles with a roller applicator for swelling, as a rule, contain caffeine, arnica and chestnut extract.

The skin of the eyelids is thin, so the products applied to it work relatively quickly. There are no quick methods for other parts of the body, as they are covered with thicker skin.

Foot baths with table salt and magnesium help with swelling of the legs. For varicose veins, you can use ointments with heparin.

To combat generalized edema, diuretics are used, for example, a decoction of corn silk, green tea, infusion of orthosiphon. A decoction of parsley root also removes excess water.

For edema during pregnancy, use the plant-based drug Hofitol.

Nutrition for edema, especially caused by cardiac dysfunction, should supply the body with potassium. Potassium is a macroelement that removes excess fluid from the body and is an antagonist of sodium, which retains water. Contained in bananas, potatoes, legumes, root vegetables - almost all products of plant origin. After consultation with a doctor, you can take tablets containing potassium aspartate: Ritmokor, Asparkam, Panangin.

Fresh vegetables are useful for removing excess fluid and improving kidney function.

Sodium is an enemy in the fight against edema. The main part of it enters the body with table salt, the intake of which must be limited to 3 grams per day if there is a tendency to fluid retention. A lot of salt is contained in meat products - dumplings, sausage, ham, frankfurters, sausages. There is also a lot of sodium chloride in cheeses, chips, and canned food. These products should not be overused when the goal is to fight edema.

It is also necessary to remember about the existence of such a phenomenon as carbohydrate edema. Abuse of carbohydrates, especially fast ones, causes fluid retention.

Water retention in the body is also observed when there is insufficient intake of proteins in the body. The protein albumin ensures the retention of water in blood vessels. During starvation and protein deficiency in the diet, there are no raw materials for the production of plasma albumin in the liver. There are cases when people swell from hunger - fluid accumulates mainly in the abdominal area. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of complete protein in the diet if the swelling is protein-free.

Kidney disease is the leading cause of excess water retention. Moreover, with nephrotic syndrome there is a loss of the above-mentioned protein albumin. Inflammatory kidney diseases involve damage to capillaries by the inflammatory enzyme hyaluronidase. To get rid of edema, it is necessary to treat these diseases with a nephrologist or urologist.

An underactive thyroid gland, called mucoid edema, also causes large amounts of fluid to accumulate in the body. How to deal with swelling in this case? You can get rid of fluid retention caused by hypothyroidism with the help of hormone replacement therapy prescribed by an endocrinologist.

Another possible cause of edema is liver problems. In cirrhosis and other liver diseases leading to impaired protein synthesis, hypoproteinemia is observed, that is, a lack of blood plasma proteins. Fluid is retained for the same reason as during starvation, nephrotic syndrome.

Protein holds the liquid part of the blood in the vessel, maintaining oncotic pressure. Its deficiency in plasma leads to the accumulation of excess fluid. In cirrhosis, this fluid accumulates mainly in abdominal cavity, the stomach increases. This condition requires urgent consultation with doctors for treatment of ascites. Laparocentesis (puncture of the anterior abdominal wall) and pumping of effusion are performed. Further therapy is aimed at restoring liver function.

conclusions

If you are prone to edema, you need to limit your intake of salt and fast carbohydrates, and eat foods rich in potassium. Late meals containing salt are also undesirable. If changes in diet do not lead to relief from swelling, then the best solution would be to visit a doctor.

If in the evenings deep marks began to remain on your feet from seemingly not at all tight elastic bands of socks and socks, and also, for no apparent reason, your weight increased sharply, your favorite shoes became too small, swelling, cellulite and bags under the eyes appeared - all this can be symptoms of excess fluid accumulation in the body.

Attention!

Fluid retention- although unpleasant, it is most often a completely safe syndrome. However, it is necessary to consult a doctor to rule out diseases that may also be accompanied by edema, such as kidney disease, circulatory disease and metabolic disorders.

1 g glycogen clings to itself 4 g water.

You can determine whether you have swelling or not in this way: Press your fingers into the shin bone. If fingerprints remain, this is a sign that your feet are swollen. But swelling can also be hidden. Doctors can diagnose them through regular weighing, measuring blood pressure and monitoring urine tests.

Causes of edema and fluid retention in the body

Improper nutrition, which leads to an imbalance of electrolytes: sodium, potassium and chlorine ions.
. Excessive drinking, when fluid intake exceeds its elimination.
. Sedentary image life.
. Taking certain medications and contraceptives.
. The habit of crossing your legs, predominantly standing or sedentary work, heat and tired legs, uncomfortable, tight shoes - everything that leads to impaired blood circulation in the legs.
. Pregnancy and the changes in the body that accompany it.
. Premenstrual syndrome.
. Diseases of the kidneys, circulatory and digestive organs, metabolic disorders and a number of other diseases.

How to reduce the amount of fluid in your body and cope with swelling yourself

There are completely harmless measures that will help relieve swelling and reduce the amount of fluid in your body.

Linda Lazarides' Water Diet

Diuretic diets There are many. But by far the most famous and popular of them is the Drainage Diet, written by Linda Lazarides.

The essence of this diet: swelling and excess weight occur not because we drink a lot of water, but because certain substances retain it in the body. This means that the problem of edema can be solved by giving up these substances - first of all, salt and carbohydrates.

Products not allowed:
Sugar, honey, syrup and all products containing them, dairy products, eggs, yeast, any red meat, salt and all salty foods including ham, bacon, smoked fish, cheeses, cakes, pastries, chocolate, potato chips, butter, margarine , fried foods, cream, mayonnaise, baked goods, sauces, gravies, fatty desserts, wheat flour, alcohol and products containing artificial additives.

Can be used:
Soy milk and yoghurts (natural, without additives), fruits (except grapes and bananas), vegetables (except potatoes), seeds, nuts, cereals, brown rice, legumes, lean poultry and fish. You can drink freshly squeezed juices, herbal teas and other low-caffeine drinks.

The number of permitted foods is not limited - you can eat as much as you want.

Efficiency: for the first week weight loss can reach 6 kg(this occurs due to fluid loss). After that, the pace will not be so noticeable, but 1-2 kg per week is a very realistic result.

Regularly following this diet a week before your period can significantly alleviate PMS, or even get rid of it altogether.

Herbal infusions and teas that reduce swelling

Green tea
. Black or green tea with milk
. Melissa
. Lingonberry tea
. Rose hip decoction
. Cumin decoction
. Hawthorn decoction
. Mate
. Water with lemon juice
. Complex pharmaceutical preparations, which usually include: bearberry, knotweed (knotweed), nettle, horsetail and other herbs.

Foods that reduce swelling

Watermelon, cucumbers, melon
. Celery
. Beans
. baked potato
. Green varieties of apples
. Oats
. Low-fat milk and kefir
. Honey
. Juice of viburnum, rowan
. Sorrel
. Nettle
. Beet

What else helps reduce swelling

Sauna, bath, bath

Bath recipe to relieve swelling and excess fluid

Pour water at a temperature of 37-38 C° into the bath, dilute 300 g of sea salt and a pack of soda in it. The time for taking such a bath is approximately half an hour. You should not drink 2 hours before the bath and 2 hours after.
You can repeat this procedure 3 times a week. This bath helps you lose 500-700 g of weight per procedure.

Massage and warm-up

If you sit a lot, then touch your toes as often as possible, make circular movements with your feet, stand on your toes for a few seconds (15-20 times). In the evenings, lie down for 10 minutes and throw your legs up on a wall or some hill, and then vigorously rub them from your feet to your knees.

Contrast shower for feet

A contrast shower helps strengthen the blood vessels in the legs. It is not necessary to specifically set aside time for this; after a normal shower, change the water several times from hot to cool and vice versa. No need to turn it on ice water, leave it at a temperature that does not irritate you. To more cold water you need to come gradually. Contrast baths can only be done for the feet. The basic rule of such procedures is that you need to finish in cool water.

Physical activity: running, swimming, walking.
. Medicinal diuretics

There are many different medicinal diuretics. But it is not recommended to use them on your own, due to the high likelihood of various complications. Consult your doctor.

Attention!
Any diuretic should be used with caution! Uncontrolled and prolonged use of diuretics can lead to dehydration of the body, as well as disruption of the water-salt balance.

The causes of edema can be different - unsuitable shoes and clothing, kidney disease, metabolic disorders, physiological changes in the body during pregnancy or menopause, varicose veins. Heaviness and pain in the legs are sometimes a symptom of serious ill-being, but more often they signal to us the development of an unpleasant disease - “heavy leg syndrome”.

Typically, the cause of heavy leg syndrome is varicose veins. It can proceed unnoticed, the characteristic “stars” do not form on the legs and large blood vessels under the skin do not appear. In addition to swelling, other signs of the disease may be observed - cramps in the calf muscles, pain in the afternoon or evening, a feeling of heaviness in the legs, causeless fatigue, a tingling or crawling sensation in the lower third of the lower leg and feet.

The causes of this unpleasant syndrome have not been precisely established. Most likely, it develops against the background of a genetic predisposition with significant stress on the legs. At risk are, for example, sellers, hairdressers and representatives of other professions that require prolonged standing in an upright position. Provoking factors are also important - for example, shoes with an uncomfortable last or the wrong size, too high heels, flat feet, overweight body, excessive passion for artificial tanning, baths or saunas, etc. Stretched veins gradually become overfilled with blood, the normal outflow of fluid is disrupted, and it accumulates in the tissues.

If swelling occurs, it is advisable to consult a specialist as soon as possible. It is recommended to perform ultrasound and Dopplerography of the leg veins in order to promptly diagnose varicose veins and carry out adequate therapy. Often after this, the swelling disappears without taking additional measures. At the same time, measures should be taken to prevent the recurrence of unpleasant symptoms. Properly formulated diet, implementation therapeutic exercises, normalization of body weight, significant reduction in orthostatic load will help you cope with edema.

In some cases, the doctor may prescribe physiotherapeutic procedures, special massage, or wearing compression socks or tights. Sometimes to eliminate varicose veins veins require surgical intervention.

Never buy compression products yourself! They differ in many ways, and only a phlebologist can choose them correctly. Your task is not to make your legs visually slimmer, but to get rid of swelling and discomfort.

If your legs get tired during the workday, do some light exercises after returning home. They will help you improve blood circulation and remove excess fluid from tissues.

Exercise 1. Starting position - standing on a step or a low threshold, body weight transferred to the front of the foot. Straighten your back, relax your leg muscles. If you can't keep your balance, lean your hand on a wall or railing. Lean back, holding on to the step using your leg muscles. Then very slowly return to the original position. Make sure your breathing is rhythmic and deep. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times at a slow pace.

Exercise 2. Starting position: sitting on a stable, comfortable chair, legs spread wide apart. Tighten the toes of both feet, pressing them towards your feet and making wave-like movements with your feet. Your feet should not move on the floor. Press your fingers together and alternately. Do the exercise until you feel slightly tired.

Exercise 3. Starting position: sitting on a chair or sofa. Place several small buttons or other appropriately sized items on the floor. Lift each object one by one with your left and right toes. Breathe deeply and measuredly. Be careful not to overexert your muscles.

To increase the effectiveness of gymnastics, try doing baths for tired feet. It’s very good if you have a special foot massage device that resembles a mini-jacuzzi. You can also immerse your feet in a basin with a solution of sea salt, decoctions medicinal herbs, aromatic additives. If swelling is severe, try the following method: pour cool water into the bath (the liquid level should reach the middle of your shins), add 1 cup of natural sea salt, stir until the crystals dissolve. Walk around the bath, raising your feet slightly, for 7 - 10 minutes. After this, rinse your feet with warm water and do a kneading massage.

A fragrant bath with a decoction of medicinal plants will help you relax after a tiring day at work and get rid of from edema. Mix 1 tablespoon of crushed juniper berries, 2 tablespoons of peppermint, 2 tablespoons of oregano, 2 tablespoons of lavender leaves. Brew the resulting mixture with three glasses of boiling water, leave covered for 1 hour, then strain. Pour the infusion into a bath of warm water, immerse yourself in it for 10 - 15 minutes. Instead of herbal decoction you can use essential oils that you like.

If there are no contraindications, take a contrast shower, massaging the swollen areas of your legs with streams of water. The recommended procedure time is about 10 minutes.

Be sure to choose shoes exactly in size or with a small margin - by the evening the volume of your feet increases, even if you do not have pronounced swelling. If you have to be on your feet most of the day, avoid high, thin heels, tapered toes and hard heels. Sustainable and practical shoes can also be beautiful and fashionable; don’t be lazy to spend some time looking for them. Give preference to shoes made from natural materials, in which the foot “breathes” and excess moisture is easily removed outside.

During the day, try to raise your legs up several times (for example, placing them on the edge of a table) to ensure a good drainage of accumulated fluid. In some countries, by the way, this pose will not surprise anyone - office employees try to monitor their health.

Try to eat less salt. When preparing first and second courses, replace sodium chloride with tasty and aromatic seasonings. Excess salt can cause swelling.

(Photo: Mikhail Zahranichny, Donald Joski, matka_Wariatka, ncn18, shutterstock.com)

How to remove swelling from your leg

There is also a recipe for removing swelling from the legs. It will need raw potatoes. Peel the potatoes, grate them, and apply the resulting mass to your leg. Wrap the top with a plastic bag and warm cloth. You need to keep this compress for two hours, then you need to change the potatoes.
You can do a massage using ice. First you need to prepare ice. For this, a decoction of any medicinal herb. It needs to be frozen. After this, the resulting ice must be crushed, wrapped in a cloth and massaged on the feet.
Once upon a time, swelling was removed using medicinal leeches. The procedure, frankly speaking, is not pleasant. Nowadays, it is permissible to replace it with ointments and creams that contain leech extract.
A very old traditional medicine recipe recommends drinking 80 ml of a decoction of the collection every day, which is now sold in pharmacies. There today it is called “Corn Silks and Columns.” This decoction is a diuretic. It also helps in cleansing the kidneys and liver. In addition, this decoction is necessary for people with diabetes.
In addition to the above, people prone to swelling of the legs are recommended to use special bolsters that are placed under their feet while sleeping.

In general, you should remember that in order to get rid of swelling of the legs, it is necessary to remove excess fluid from the body. Let us also remind you that if swelling occurs regularly, then you need to consult a doctor and find its cause. ist

Folk remedies for swelling of the legs

The most common remedy that will help relieve swelling is flax seeds.

A few seeds (1 tsp) are poured with boiling water (1 liter) and boiled for 15 minutes. Cover the pan and let the seeds steep for an hour. Drink the infusion hot every 1.5-2 hours, half a glass.

Another proven remedy for swelling of the hands and feet, which recommends ethnoscience- birch leaves.

A cup of finely chopped birch leaves is poured with boiling water (1 liter) and table salt (1 tablespoon) is added. Infuse the leaves for 30-40 minutes. Compresses are made from the infusion 5-6 times a day.

For renal and cardiac edema, you can use an infusion of birch leaves internally.

As soon as the young foliage blooms, you need to pick off the tender young birch leaves (100 grams) and pour warm water (0.5 liters). The leaves should sit for 6-7 hours, then strain them and squeeze them out. Let the infusion stand for another half hour until a sediment appears. Then carefully pour clean, sediment-free liquid and take three times a day.

Very often, swelling of the legs after surgery or a long course of antibiotic treatment annoys a weakened person. A proven remedy for such complications and swelling is rose hips.

This berry is a storehouse of health, a symbol of longevity and an excellent means of cleansing the body, and in addition, an indispensable diuretic. Place 2-3 teaspoons of rosehip in a glass of boiling water and let it brew. A serving is drunk per day. You can carry out a 10-day course, take a break (7-10 days) and repeat the cleansing.

With age, when you need to think about relieving the kidneys, heart and fighting swelling, you need to include fresh cucumbers in the menu. Many healers and healers recommend cucumber juice and cucumbers as an excellent diuretic for swelling of the legs. If swelling occurs, instead of just drinking, squeeze juice from cucumbers. Remember that in addition to water, which occupies almost 97% of it, the remaining 3 percent contains a wide range of useful nutrients and vitamins. The diuretic properties of cucumber are facilitated by a large amount of potassium.

The bright yellow-orange season has given us another vegetable that emphasizes its affiliation and kinship with autumn and will tell us what to do with swelling of the legs. This is a pumpkin. The most distinctive property of pumpkin is its diuretic effect. Modern nutritionists often prescribe pumpkin for kidney diseases, accompanied by swelling of the arms and legs. Just 0.5-1 glass of pumpkin per day will help relieve heaviness in your legs and get rid of swelling.

A collection of 8 herbs helps against swelling.

Hawthorn, calendula, dried blueberries, rosehip leaves or fruits, birch leaves, linden flowers, dried viburnum berries and plantain are taken in equal parts. Place a small handful of the mixture in a half-liter thermos and pour boiling water over it. The infusion is left overnight. Take the infusion several times a day (course 3 months). This medicinal collection is rich in vitamins and nutrients, a good diuretic that will help remove fluid from the body and eliminate swelling.

Swelling of the legs in pregnant women is quite common. Before using infusions for edema during pregnancy, it is better to consult a doctor. Conventional diuretics are not always safe to use in such cases, but swelling should not be left unattended either. Unfortunately, this is not only difficult for the expectant mother, the placenta suffers from edema, and therefore the baby. Due to deteriorating blood supply, the child does not receive enough nutrients and receives less oxygen. Therefore, a caring mother, first of all, needs to reduce fluid intake. Drink cranberry juice; it is rich in vitamins and quenches thirst well.

Lingonberry tea is a good remedy for swelling. Very often, swelling of the legs is especially noticeable in the evening. For evening swelling, it is good to combine drinking tea with foot baths of grape leaves, pine needles or sea salt. ist

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Every time you come home in the evening, you simply collapse from fatigue, your legs become like the legs of an “elephant”, and in the morning you are bothered by bags under your eyes, swelling of your face and in general - you feel like balloon and every day you become more and more bloated. The presence of edema is indicated by such signs as traces of clothing elastic bands on the skin. In addition, if you press your finger on the front surface of the leg for 30 seconds in the place where the bone is as close as possible to the surface of the skin, then even with slight swelling there will be a dimple that does not go away for quite a long time. How to help you and what to do is the topic of our conversation today.

In fact, swelling does not occur out of nowhere, but is a signal that something is wrong with your body. The causes of impaired outflow and fluid retention in tissues are different, and therefore hydrostatic edema is distinguished, in which main role plays an increase in pressure in the capillary; hypoproteinemic, the main reason for the formation of which is a decrease in the content of proteins in the blood plasma, especially albumin, and a decrease in the colloid-osmotic (oncotic) pressure of the blood plasma with the release of fluid from the bloodstream into the tissues; membrane-genic, the formation of which is caused by an increase in capillary permeability due to their toxic damage, inflammation, and disturbances in nervous regulation. It is also customary to distinguish between general and local edema. General edema develops in diseases of the heart, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract; local swelling - for diseases of the veins, lymphatic vessels, and allergic inflammation. Local edema is associated with a specific organ or area of the vascular bed and is easily distinguishable from general (generalized) edema.

So, in order to begin treating edema, you need to identify its cause.

If your legs swell

The most common swelling is swelling of the legs. Typically, mild swelling at the end of the day is not a cause for concern. If you spend the whole day on your feet, standing for a long time increases the pressure in the capillaries of your legs - this leads to swelling. Relaxing with your legs elevated will help you get rid of the problem.

If you have swelling due to consuming a large amount of liquid the day before, from heat or fatigue, then special foot baths will help relieve swelling in your legs. The most effective bath: add to cool water sea salt, based on 2 tbsp. spoons per 1 liter of water, or several tablespoons of pine extract. Soak your feet for 5-10 minutes, then pat dry with a towel.

Swelling in the legs may indicate the presence of other diseases. For example, severe swelling of the soft tissues of one or both extremities, which does not stop for a short period of time (from several hours to several days), is not typical for varicose veins of the saphenous veins. The cause of damage to one limb is often acute deep vein thrombosis, and two - thrombosis or acute heart failure. (Deep vein thrombosis can be a complication of varicose veins. The mechanism of formation of edema in the legs in chronic heart failure is the same as in varicose veins. But they are characterized by some features. One of the main ones is a pronounced dependence on body position: if a person maintains constant motor activity, then the swelling has a symmetrical location on both legs, mainly on the legs, and in bedridden patients - in the lumbar region.

General swelling before PMS

Most women, a few days before their period, begin to swell in their eyes: the ankles increase in volume, the eyelids swell, the face becomes puffy, the gums and joints swell. Add here drowsiness, bad mood, headache and so on.
For many, after their period ends, all symptoms go away. If this does not happen to you, you should consult a doctor to prescribe treatment. Among general recommendations- adjusting the diet in the days preceding the onset of menstruation. First of all, try to eliminate salty foods. Salt retains water in the body, and this causes swelling. Sadly, your favorite candies, melt-in-your-mouth ice cream and other desserts can also cause fluid retention. Although it seems strange, you need to drink more these days. By filling your body with a large amount of fluid, you give additional stress to the kidneys, which begin to intensively flush out excess salt and sugar from the body. Drink as many herbal teas as possible from chamomile and peppermint. These herbs have an anti-edematous effect. For edema, you can also take diuretics, but you should not abuse them. It is better to make it a rule to eat a bunch of parsley: it has an excellent diuretic effect, but does not put too much strain on the kidneys. But if swelling accompanies you not only on certain days, but has become your constant companions, do not delay your visit to the doctor. Edema can be a symptom of cardiovascular disease and venous or renal failure.

Puffiness under the eyes

Eye swelling is a fairly common problem. If eye swelling bothers you quite often, then you should consult a therapist. After all, the causes of eye swelling can be allergies, kidney disease or hormonal disorders. Puffiness under the eyes can also occur due to excessive fluid intake before bed, lack of sleep, abuse of alcohol, spicy or salty foods. It is better to keep all these bad habits to a minimum.

However, if you do find swelling under your eyes in the morning, there are several simple ways to quickly deal with the problem. You can make compresses from herbal infusions. To combat eye swelling, brew chamomile, dill, sage or parsley, cool the decoction, then soak cotton swabs in the infusion and apply to the eyes. To prepare a chamomile decoction, you need to pour some dry chamomile inflorescences into a cloth (any scarf), roll them into a bag and place them in a bowl with boiling water and leave for 5-10 minutes. Then, while the “bags” are still warm, place them on both eyes. This compress is used for severely inflamed eyes and swollen eyelids. In addition, with regular use (2-3 times a week), it protects against the early appearance of wrinkles around the eyes. You can also use chamomile tea bags. If you don't have time, you can get by with a couple of tea bags chilled in the refrigerator or pieces of ice made from water or milk.

If the cause of morning swelling is kidney stones, you should consult a urologist. Renal edema is soft, watery, mobile. Most often appear in the morning. The process begins with the face and eyelids, then the whole body swells.

Edema in pregnant women

Most often, edema in healthy pregnant women who do not have cardiovascular or renal pathology appears in the second half of pregnancy. Usually the legs swell first, then swelling of the arms, abdomen, and face may occur. The latter is especially upsetting for expectant mothers. After all, the eyelids swell the most on the face. This is due to the anatomical features of this area. There is loose fiber located there, which, like a sponge, is ready to retain liquid.
In the morning, swelling in the legs is less noticeable, because at night the fluid spreads evenly throughout the body. But during the day, when you spend more time on your feet, the fluid goes down, accumulating mainly in the ankles, on the back of the feet, on the shins, where the pressure of a finger can cause a slowly leveling hole. Skin with edema is pale, tense and smooth.
To know exactly how much fluid accumulates in the body and is removed from it, you can compare the daily amount of fluid drunk, urine excreted and the body weight of the pregnant woman. All these restrictions are justified: the kidneys will not experience increased stress, which means that swelling will not occur and blood pressure will not increase. If future mom wants to make any changes to her diet (limit herself in certain foods or, conversely, add something), first of all, she needs to consult a doctor.
Swelling, which is almost always associated with pregnancy, disappears soon after birth. After childbirth, a lot of fluid that accumulated during pregnancy is lost. Women are usually pleasantly surprised to find that the swelling in their arms, ankles, legs, neck and face (which is common in almost every pregnancy) has gone away within a few days.

Quincke's edema

As a result of an insect bite, unusual food, etc., local swelling may develop, which is called Quincke's edema. Quincke's edema is a reaction to various biological and chemical factors, often of an allergic nature. Called by name German doctor Heinrich Quincke, who first described it in 1882. Manifestations of Quincke's edema are enlargement of the face or part or limb. The color of the skin does not change.
Treatment of angioedema includes, in addition to medications, mandatory identification of the allergen or other provoking factors and their elimination.
Angioedema differs from ordinary urticaria only in the depth of skin damage. Edema of significant size most often appears in places with loose tissue - on the lips, eyelids, cheeks, oral mucosa, and genitals. IN typical cases it disappears without a trace after a few hours (up to 2-3 days). Patients with moderate and severe reactions must be hospitalized.
Usually the itching and fever go away over time. Swelling of the face, mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, causing an attack of suffocation, is dangerous. In this case, you must immediately call an ambulance!

How to deal with swelling?

If swelling is not associated with any diseases, then the following tips will help:

reduce fluid intake, especially in the evening before bed
Avoid fried foods; it’s best to steam foods
drink a decoction of flaxseed: 4 tsp. seeds, pour 1 liter of water and boil for 15 minutes. Strain the broth and take 1/2 cup warm 3 times a day for 2-3 weeks.
do physical exercise, swimming in particular
spend more time outdoors
give up high-heeled shoes
for facial swelling, lubricate problem areas with potato juice

Yoga will help you cope with swelling (not associated with serious diseases!). Here are some exercises that will help disperse accumulated fluid.

Viparita Karani Mudra

Execution technique

Lie on your back on the floor, do not put anything under your head. Legs extended, arms at sides, palms pressed to the floor. Slowly raise your legs to about a 30-degree angle and hold in this position. Pushing your hands off the floor, raise your legs to a vertical position. Stay there for a few seconds. Continue lifting, tilting your legs toward you, lifting your pelvis off the floor. Grab your lower back with your hands, place your elbows on the floor. Holding your body in your arms, straighten your torso. The head lies on the floor, the back is straight, the legs are extended vertically upward. Breathe freely and naturally, preferably deeply enough, but without straining. If it is difficult to keep your legs vertical, you can tilt them slightly toward you, but so that the plane of your gaze does not intersect your feet. Tilt your legs towards your head, remove your hands, place your palms on the floor and, leaning your hands on the floor, very slowly and carefully - vertebra by vertebra - lower your torso to the floor. Lower your legs and lie on your back for a while, relaxing. At the mastering stage, it is necessary to perform Viparita Karani Mudra twice a day - morning and evening, not forgetting to stretch the spine in each movement: the pelvis “moves” upward from the shoulders, the head in a horizontal direction. "Stretching" of the spine is thus carried out from the base cervical region, tightly, but without force, pressed to the floor. The vertical axis of the pelvis in the holding phase continues the axis of the spine. The legs are vertical due to the bending of the body in hip joints, and not in the lumbar spine. It is important! You should master the climb to Viparita Karani carefully and very gradually. A weak Mula Bandha is maintained throughout the entire exercise. When the exercise has been mastered so much that staying in the fixation phase for five minutes does not cause any difficulties, you can move on to the one-time practice of Viparita Karani Mudra and perform it only in the morning. After completing the Viparita Karani Mudra, it is necessary to relax in a supine position, taking at least the same amount of time as the fixation phase lasted. Don't look at the clock - focus on the subjective sense of time. Breathing during relaxation is natural.

Salamba Sarvangasana

Execution technique

Place a blanket folded in four on the floor. Lie flat on your back with your legs and feet touching each other. Tighten your knees and extend your arms close to your body. Keep your shoulders pointed down and away from your head. Palms point down. The head and neck should be in line with the spine. Stay in this position for a while, breathing normally. Exhale and bend your knees so that they are above your chest. Stay in this position for 5 seconds. Place your palms on the floor and lift your waist and hips, keeping your knees bent and allowing them to go behind your head. Support the upper back of your thighs with your palms and lift your torso. Inhale and exhale. Raise your hips further and support your back with your hands.
The body from shoulders to knees is now perpendicular to the floor. The top of the sternum touches the chin. Keep your palms on your back, where your kidneys are, with your thumbs toward the front of your body and your fingers toward your spine.
Contract your butt muscles so that your lower back and tailbone remain pulled in, and straighten your legs toward the ceiling.
Stay in this final position for 5 minutes, breathing normally. Gradually increase the duration. At the initial stages of training, 2-3 minutes are enough. At the same time: press your palms and fingers into your back to straighten your entire body from armpits to toes; do not let your elbows diverge to the sides, keep them as close to each other as possible, pointing inward; point your shoulders back and away from the direction of your head; move the tops of your arms towards each other.
Exhale, bend your knees and gradually lower your buttocks and back down in a sliding motion without jerking your spine. Remove your palms from your back, lower your buttocks down to the floor and straighten your legs.

Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (pose Legs outstretched up)

Execution technique

Bend your legs and press your entire back toward the floor. Extend your arms behind your head. Bring your shoulders toward the floor. As you exhale, extend your legs vertically upward. Actively lengthen them by pressing your pelvis to the floor. Point the inner edges of your feet upward. Lengthen the inner sides of your ankles while drawing in the outer ones. Guide the front of your thighs toward your pelvis, drawing your kneecaps in evenly. Don't hold your breath, keep your head straight. Perform the pose for 1 minute.