EDEMA: ITS CAUSES & ITS REMEDIES

After the holidays, either due to unusually cold weather and sickness or general lack of movement to preserve energy, people may find themselves host to a few extra pounds.  It's one thing if those few extra pounds are just fat and not swelling from any underlying condition or habit.  Fat can be got rid of.  Swelling stemming from a food allergy or some overindulgence requires another, more focused remedy to alleviate.

In most cases, it is your liver that is implicated in the swelling of your lower leg, feet, and ankle.  The liver is an amazing organ that performs some very complex functions.  Take a look at what it does . . . 

1)  Filters your blood

2)  Makes proteins, including blood-clotting factors (needed to help you heal)

3)  Stores vitamins, sugars, fats, and other nutrients

4)  Helps regulate hormones

5)  Releases chemicals and nutrients into the body when needed

6)  Makes bile needed for digesting fats and much more.

So when you get swelling in your lower extremities, your liver continues to function just not at optimal levels and so one or more of the above functions is impaired and causes edema.  This description of the liver's ducts was interesting:

Tubes, called "bile ducts," connect the liver and another organ, the gallbladder, to the small intestine. The bile that is made by the liver helps to digest fats in the small intestine.

I did not know that the bile ducts had that structural function.  Good to know. 

WHAT IS EDEMA?
It's water retention.  

MedicineNet explains that 

Edema is a swelling, usually of the legs and feet due to the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues. The edema that occurs in diseases of the heart, liver, and kidneys is mainly caused by salt retention, which holds the excess fluid in the body.

This doesn't explain much.  It describes edema but doesn't explain its causes or agents and only points to certain organs that might be implicated in swelling.  And by swelling let me be clear, we're talking here about feet and leg swelling.  Both will involve ankle swelling.  Swelling of your lower extremities is serious business.  You don't want to get this. Now not all edema is created equally.  Some edema is light and goes away after a few hours or a few days.  Then there is serious edema that is persistent with red blotches like those you might find in chilblains.  

If you do, treat it seriously--and by that I mean you'll need to incorporate a liver-friendly diet immediately for the short term, say, a week or two.   More than likely swelling in the lower leg has to do with the liver, so the liver is what I will focus on in this article.  Tom Cowan explains that 

[the liver--to which he calls the "inner plant] controls how the fluids circulate in the body, preventing fluid congestions, swelling or dryness. This role is evident in cases of severe pathology of the liver, such as liver cancer or cirrhosis, in which one common sign is edema, especially in the legs, or a[s]cites which is fluid collection in the abdomen. This happens because the liver is not able to maintain a healthy fluid organism, hence stagnant fluid begins to collect, showing up as edema.

CAUSES of EDEMA
MedicineNet says that it's "the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues."  Okay, so treatment then should consist of purging or eliminating those excessive fluids, perhaps by diuretics.  Makes sense to me.  But is all swelling the result of excessive fluids?  And why do these fluids tend to collect in the lower extremities?  Cowan points to a couple of agents that cause the liver to dysfunction and produce excessive fluid in the lower extremities.

Statin drugs and Tylenol are two prominent and frequently used drugs that are directly toxic to the liver enzymes responsible for detoxification. 

Tylenol and statins are not the only causes of liver dysfunction.  These are popular demons.  More insidious and less talked-about causes are these 37 causes of ankle swelling.  Remember, I'm talking here about liver dysfunctions.  Swelling, whether in the ankle, feet, or leg, is only the symptom of liver dysfunction. 

Do you recognize any of these possible agents in your life?  Congestives heart failure [very serious], Cirrhosis [again, serious], kidney failure [scary], hypertension [yikes], hypothyroidism [ugh!], peripheral vascular disease [when does it end!], ascites [again, yikes!], lymphatic obstruction.  Whew. Hopefully, most will not contract these conditions.  But even the common ones, like viral infections, are scary.  The H1N1 virus is particularly lethal nowadays given the prevalence of vaccines.  Whether you think vaccines are helpful or not, know that at least initially they make the recipient more infectious.  For that reason alone, I'd stay away from them.  One insightful note from that list of 37 is the remarks about Cirrhosis of the liver:

Cirrhosis is the severe scarring and poor function of the liver caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections.  

When was the last time your doctor stigmatized viral infections the way that the pharmaceutical industry demonizes cirrhosis by alcohol consumption?  That's what I thought.  There are viruses that target exclusively the liver.  Hepatitis, literally, "inflammation of the liver," is of major concern.   but what about other viral infections, sexually transmitted diseases?

When people are looking for remedies, particularly remedies for chronic conditions, they can often grow desperate and try almost anything. And that's fine as long as it works without side effects that are worse than the condition you're trying to treat.  For those who prefer less invasive remedies, and I am assuming that most of you who find this site since prefer. 

So, find the best remedy for edema. And preferably we want to not only treat the symptom but if the swelling is due to some underlying cause and not so much due to salt intake or coffee consumption, then you'd want to know and then find a way to repair that as well. Things like kidney or liver dysfunction are often cited as underlying conditions. Exercise does go a long way in relieving many symptoms and conditions. You may want to make exercise your new food remedy.  That was my attempt at being clever.  Sorry.

RELIEVING FOOT EDEMA WITH FOOD REMEDIES

For me, it is not enough to relieve the symptom of a condition, like swelling.  The above video directs your attention to the affected areas. But perhaps overlooked the liver as a main source of the swelling.  My suggestion is that you treat both the affected or symptomatic area, like the feet and the liver, the cause of the swelling.  Sounds good, no?  

TOPICAL FOOD REMEDIES

Here's the word on parsley I can guarantee you that no one, or surely few folks, in the United States had ever thought of using parsley as a topical cure for edema.  This sounds more like an Ayurvedic treatment, which I like.  

Parsley is not only a tasty condiment, but has gentle diuretic properties and may help relieve periodic swelling in the legs and feet due to fluid retention. It stimulates urine production and acts as a kidney tonic, according to the "Magic and Medicine of Plants." Eat it raw in salads or as a condiment; or, you can buy parsley dried in capsules or as a dried herb and make herbal tea. It is considered safe as long as you follow label directions. Speak to your health practitioner before using parsley if you take diuretics.  

Besides parsely, that article also recommendsd celery seed.  And without telling you why or how, this video from SearchHerbalRemedy.com suggests mustard oil and flax seed.  What I want to know is how these two food remedies reduce the swelling.  What part of the swelling do they act on--excess fluids, interstitial pressure, what?  It also recommends apple cider vinegar.  Perhaps.  I have experienced benefits of this myself following a large protein infusion if you know what I mean.  And Coriander.  So this is the second recommendation I've read/heard on coriander's ability to reduce swelling.  And barley water.  Put feet and legs under running, cold water for 15 minutes.  Okay.  I myself tried this years ago following a basketball injury.  That video also says to drink warm beverages, and its picture looks a lot like hot chocolate.  Probably not what you want to consume if you want to shrink a swollen foot or ankle.  Hot ginger tea, yes.  Hot ginseng tea, perhaps.  Hot green tea, which is a diuretic, yes.  Application of tree tea oil.  Not convinced on this one.  Tea tree oil has really been oversold as a cure-all for different conditions from herniated discs to toothaches. Not convinced.  "Dietary and Lifestyle Changes"?  Well, that is pretty broad.  Although the screen indicts smoking, I am sure that other adjustments in one's daily habit would improve things, like less beer and wine.  Those two beverages have enjoyed a kind of Cadillac infallible status in terms of generating health, wine more so than beer.

FOOD REMEDIES YOU CAN EAT
1)  Cherries uncooked.  Compare the nutritional value of both the sweet and the sour (or tart) cherries here.  Tart cherries are the red cherries. Sweet cherries are the dark ones.
  

There is a pretty good frozen brand from Maine, called Wyman's, that sells a mixture of both tart and sweet cherries.

Cherries are famous amongst naturopathic practitioners for their ability to relieve the pains of arthritis and gout. Researchers from the Michigan State University found that anthocyanins, the same chemicals that give cherries their color, have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. The study showed that these anthocyanins inhibit COX-2 enzymes, which play a key role in the body's production of prostaglandins -- natural chemicals involved in inflammation. Another study affirmed that tart cherries have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that are comparable with prescription drugs.

2)  Turmeric.  This woman says that turmeric stopped her pitting edema in its tracks.  She cites curcumin as "the active ingredient in the spice turmeric that is responsible for the ease of inflammation."  She adds that 

When taking turmeric for anti-inflammation purposes you need a higher dosage than you would get when eating it in food. The extract is a stronger more suitable form for this reason. It is best to get it with Peperine/Bioperine (black pepper) for maximum absorption (also remember to add pepper when cooking with turmeric.  

And then unfortunately she backtracks and retracts her initial claims which are too bad.  

So Turmeric heals edema? I wouldn’t go as far as to say that, but I will say Turmeric is great at reducing inflammation caused by edema and perhaps other factors. There are studies attesting to its anti-inflammatory properties, so it is definitely worth trying right?   

Don't worry.  Turmeric is a kind of wonder drug even without her conditional endorsement.

This video recommends the following 16 food and topical remedies:

1)  Cucumber
2)  Ice
3)  Soak feet in boiled coriander seeds.
4)  Apple cider soaks are also good.  
5)  Warm water.  Hmm.  This would seem to only exacerbate the swelling in my opinion along with the bursting capillaries.  
6)  Mustard oil on the foot.
7)  Place gently heated cabbage leaves on the affected area--feet, ankle, knee, etc.
8)  Boiled corn cob hairs?  Really?
9)  Vitamin E rich foods.  Or Vitamin E capsules. 
10)  Sandalwood oil.
11)  Lemon juice.  I recommend the suggestion by the Corrihers of lemon juice with olive oil.  
12)  Avoid salty and spicy foods.  Can't argue with this.  Remember, only if you're suffering from a condition.  
13)  Garlic.  This would be my first treatment of choice.  Eating raw garlic, chased by a swig of olive oil.  Powerful medicine. 
14)  Drink the water from boiled fennel seeds.  Hmm.  I like fennel. Sounds like it could work.
15)  Walking and swimming.  Absolutely.
16)  Foot massage.

VITAMIN REMEDIES  
1)  Vitamin B6
2)

SUPPLEMENTAL REMEDIES
1)  Schizandra benefits the liver.  You'll need a healthy liver to get rid of edema.  Schizandra is an adaptogen, like ginseng.  That link states that Schizandra "is in the same 'superior' class as other well-known tonic herbs such as Ginseng, Reishi, and Goji berry."  That same article states that Schizandra is the safest way to cleanse the liver.  Oh, really.  Here is what it says . . . 

The unique thing about schizandra is that it not only has the ability to clean the liver of toxins, it also has the ability to cleanse the blood of the waste that has been removed, transporting it safely out of the body. Schizandra is one of the only herbs known to have this dual capability, known as Phase I and Phase II detoxification.

2)  MSM is organic sulfur found in all plants.  It is a compound found in plants.  Can't find it under vitamin, herb, supplement, or any other nutritional classification.  
3)  Horsetail.  I have read and heard about Horsetail before.  This article states that Horsetail removes excess fluids from the body through urination. Exercise helps to remove the excess fluids through perspiration. 

Horsetail is used as a diuretic to remove excess fluids from the body and increase urination. It is also used to help dissolve uric acid kidney stones by increasing the amount of urine produced, keeping uric acid from developing into crystals, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Horsetail may also be helpful in alleviating swelling in the feet and ankles for gout patients, by preventing the deposit of uric acid crystals in the joints. In addition, horsetail may assist in the treatment of urinary tract infections and improving kidney function, which in turn enables the body to better release excess fluids. Horsetail is available as a standardized extract and dried, to make herbal tea. UMMC notes that the recommended dose is 300 mg, 3 times daily. The only form of horsetail that is considered safe for humans is called Equisetum arvense. Check with the herbal expert at the store to ensure you are receiving the best product for your needs. Because horsetail may cause your body to have a decrease in vitamin B-1, you should take a vitamin B supplement along with horsetail. Consult your practitioner if you take diuretics before using horsetail.  

 Sounds like whatever you take for edema, that it must have some sort of diuretic capability, something that will make you eliminate the trapped fluids through urination.