Cranberry Sauce

How to Cure Water Retention

Cranberry Sauce If Your Body Is Swelling Up, Try These Steps To Get the Water Out

If your clothes suddenly don't fit you anymore, you can't get your rings off of your fingers and your face looks puffier than usual, chances are that your body is retaining water. It is a common condition called edema. A few simple lifestyle changes can cure most mild cases of edema.Written by Kent Ninomiya

Causes of Water Retention

Most of the cells in your body have a lot of water both inside and outside of them. This balance of water is can fluctuate with changes in salt content, hormones and kidney activity. Eating a big salty meal, drinking too much alcohol, a woman's menstruation cycle or pregnancy can trigger the kidneys to retain more water than usual. Certain medications can also upset the balance of water in cells. Menopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy commonly experience water retention. Everyone retains water in different ways. some people get puffy digits and limbs. Others develop larger stomachs and breasts. Still others evenly distribute the water retention throughout their bodies and just feel bloated despite showing few noticeable effects.

Water

Cures for Water Retention

There are several ways you can control water retention on your own. They are all straight forward but require some discipline and determination. If you are willing to put in the effort, these steps should reduce most cases of mild water retention within a few days.

Cut Out the Salt

For most Americans, edema is the result of their diet. Americans consume a huge amount of salt without realizing it. Just about everything that tastes good has an unnecessarily high salt content. This is especially true of processed foods, rich tasting foods and fast food. Adding table salt to any meal just compounds the problem. Salt also hides in condiments like soy sauce, barbecue sauce, butter and seasonings. The only way to reduce water retention is to also reduce the amount of salt in your diet. Read labels carefully for the sodium content. This is the primary ingredient in salt. A single can of soup can have half your recommended daily allowance of sodium. Make low sodium food choices and do not add salt to your food.

The Culprit

Hydrate Your Body

The body attempts to remove the salt through the kidneys. It is washed away in the urine. To do this, the body needs water. The more water you drink, the faster salt is removed from your body. Be sure to drink water and not soft drinks. Soft drinks contain salt.

Avoid Things That Dehydrate

Certain chemicals dehydrate the body and interfere with the kidneys ability to rid the body of salt. The two most commonly ingested dehydrating substances are alcohol and caffeine. When they are consumed in significant amounts, they slow down the kidneys and contribute to water retention. When you are trying to reduce swelling due to water retention avoid beer, wine, mixed drinks and coffee.

Avoid Coffee

Consume Things That Naturally Reduce Water Retention

Some liquids have been shown to reduce mild water retention symptoms. These include green tea, cranberry juice and lemon juice. They can help control some swelling but probably wont eliminate water retention on their own. Consuming large quantities of green tea, cranberry juice and lemon juice wont help. In fact, it could make you sick. Drink reasonable quantities of these liquids in conjunction with other steps on this list.

Increase Fiber In Your Diet

Fiber helps flush out toxins in your body. This includes salt. Eat more high fiber cereal, oatmeal and muti grain bread. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber. Remember not to salt these high fiber foods when you eat them.

Take Your Vitamins

Low levels of calcium have been associated with water retention. The lack of several other vitamins and minerals can also contribute to edema. Eat a well rounded diet and take a muti vitamin if you are not getting enough nutrients from your food.

Exercise More

Exercise gets all the water in the body moving around so the kidneys can process it faster. The sooner your kidneys eliminate salt from your system, the sooner the water retention will subside. Exercise also secretes salt from the body in the form of perspiration and encourages you to drink more water. Remember to drink water and not a liquid that will encourage edema.

Get In the Water to Get the Water Out

Swim More

Studies have shown that swimming helps regulate the salt content of your cells. Taking a bath is not enough. You must get in some reasonably deep water and perform some sort of physical activity. If reducing water retention is your goal and you need to exercise anyway, you might as well take care of both with some vigorous swimming.

Get More Sleep

The hormone melatonin has been associated with the body's ability to regulate fluids. Melatonin is secreted by the body when it is dark. It is therefore closely connected to sleep patterns. In general, the more you sleep the more melatonin your body produces. The more melatonin you have in your body, the better it deals with water retention.

Sleep Away the Water

The Diuretics Controversy

Diuretics are drugs designed purge the body of unwanted water. They can be effective for providing relief from mild and occasional water retention. However, if diuretic drugs are taken on a regular basis there is the risk of rebound edema. This occurs when the body builds a tolerance to diuretic drugs and compensates when they are taken. Water retention can return worse than before and an increase in the dosage diuretic drugs might not do anything to stop it. It can also be dangerous. Always consult a doctor before taking any diuretic drugs.

When You Should Not Try To Cure Water Retention Yourself

Water retention can be a symptom of a very serious medical condition. If these home cures for water retention do not reduce the swelling within one week, see a doctor. You should consult a medical professional immediately if the swelling is so bad that your skin dents when you jab it with your finger or if you are pregnant. The symptoms could be an indication of a problem with the heart, liver, kidneys or thyroid gland.

By Kent Ninomiya

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