Edema/Water Retention

[RPDiciple]

Anyone here actually managed to "cure" or get ridd of their edema/water retention? mine has gotten a little better but i still struggle with it esp in my legs. Its so frustrating and i feel that im doing everythin in terms of nutrition and supps to make it better.
I take vit E, b1,b3,b6,A,K2,magnesium,aspirin,caffeine, baking soda,D3, bag breathing, zinc, copper. I eat no fat/low fat no starch, high carb enough protein arouind 150g a day. etc etc i just cant understand.

I have been doing this for 1-2 years now. I just cant figure the ***t out.

 

[YuraCZ]

Are you overweight? What you doing all day? Doing some exercise walking for example is much effective than all those supplements for circulation of the blood and also lymph.. I think this is a big issue on this forum. Lack of exercise because everybody is scared due to lactic acid and hyperventilation. We need to change this mentality here..

 

[jaywills]

Yura is spot on. Inactivity is widespread and is half of the reason why weight gain is a common theme (I myself was not exempt from this)

Slow paced, low stress walking is an essential part of health. Humans are not meant to sit down. You will see a drastic reduction in water retention around your mid-section by simply standing upright for longer periods of the day. Yes, the water has to go somewhere and you may experience puffy lower legs - but you would rather the water there than anywhere else. Plus, as time progresses your water retention should subside.

Secondly, i frequently complained of Edema and Water Retention when i was overweight. It wasnt water, it was fat. Be honest with yourself here. Nothing wrong with carrying a few extra pounds but in your case it may be the underlying issue.

 

[RPDiciple]

Im not overweight, im a professional athlete.

I know all about it and you are spot on loosing weight and fat is great for it but its not my problem, im a male as well.

I use standing desk, i play sports everyday and i do weight training alot.
Im around 12% bodyfat

 

[treelady]

My problem too... I am all ears for any suggestions anyone may have. RDP, I am doing what you are doing with the exception of carbs, I can't tolerate too many. And no PUFAs but I eat fat(coconut oil, butter, ice cream, milk). I can feel my legs expand sometimes when I eat or take supplements. Allergies can be involved but right now I am exploring estrogen dominance as one possible cause. I have upped my Progest-E. I come from a low carb background to control my blood sugar so have been a heavy stevia user even when I have added some sugar recently. I read that stevia can cause estrogen dominance so am cutting way back on it and it seems that may be helping. Thyroid can also be involved. I am hypothyroid which can cause edema and my Dr has given me a script for T3 to take in addition to the Westhroid I have been taking. That seems to be helping too. Seems like it's all about improving the metabolism, circulation. I'm 71, I've been health conscious all my life, I've never been overweight and when I'm feeling good I am very active. It's not an easy problem to solve - estrogen, thyroid, allergies...It's not just one thing, everything is interconnected. And yes for some weight and exercise are a factor but I think we are too focused that. I am also taking tumeric, D3, selenium which are anti-inflammatory.

 

[Peata]

I've managed to reduce mine though I still tend to gain 5 pounds at night. I lose it in the morning, so maybe it's normal?

I still have some though. It's not from fear of exercise. I walk outside once or twice per day plus use a standing desk and walk around a lot indoors. I think being up on your feet can help, as mentioned.

Over the last year I had real problems with swelling. It would bloat me up so that I could actually feel it happening and my clothes would get tighter and I'd feel awful. Like it was affecting my breathing even. Sometimes this happened after plain Greek yogurt that I added gelatin to. I no longer use gelatin powder. I think it was the gelatin more than the yogurt now, because I eat the yogurt daily without trouble. But maybe that's partly due to my metabolism improving.

Adding more salt last month seemed to help. I try to get at least 5 g. sodium. It took several days but then it seemed to reduce bloat. I still get some water retention around my tom and it causes a slight increase in blood pressure when it happens. But then it goes down in a day or two.

I've been able to improve my metabolism by eating protein and carb meals every 2 - 3 hours. I think this has helped a lot of things.

If I think of anything else, I'll add it. I like treelady's post. Estrogen dominance is a part of this too, I'm sure. It's been quite a time trying to reduce estrogen.

Adding: With the salt increase I also reduced liquids some. There was a time when I was drinking way too many liquids (probably my first year on RP stuff) and I would swell up right after.

 

[SaltGirl]

For some reason Vitamin C seemed to help me somewhat. I take about 500mg before bed every night and it has done good things for my digestion as well as any edema. My guess is that I am producing more bile than before that helps with digestion or something.

 

[Nicholas]

edema is not necessarily related to lack of physical activity. like all things, it's related to some imbalance. so instead of trying to figure out some kind of dominance factor inside the body, focus more on imbalances nutritionally and lifestyle-wise. the right types of protein, enough protein, the right types of carbs, enough carbs, the right types of fats, enough fats. then there's tonicity of foods, sodium levels, calcium to phosphorous ratios, foods that are digestible for you, getting enough nutrients, getting enough to eat (and frequently enough), getting enough sleep, getting enough sunlight, and moving enough. the list could go on, but i feel those are the biggest variables to balance outside of lifestyle choices and events. the answer to all these variables never stays the same through one's life, though there can be seasons where it's pretty much the same. and if you balance these variables, you are creating an environment which is conducive to healing much more than edema.

 

[tara]

Are you overweight? What you doing all day? Doing some exercise walking for example is much effective than all those supplements for circulation of the blood and also lymph.. I think this is a big issue on this forum. Lack of exercise because everybody is scared due to lactic acid and hyperventilation. We need to change this mentality here..

Where did you get the idea that everyone here is so scared of lactic acid that they don't even walk? I haven't noticed this.

 

[marcar72]

If I recall correctly I believe increased salt intake is the first thing most people do to alleviate edema/water retention.

If your a professional athlete that trains daily you're probably at a greater need for more salt as you probably perspire more than most people... :2cents

 

[RPDiciple]

marcar72: if i consume alot of salt i get more water retention. I use alot of sodium bicarb tho and it helps a little but still not enough

 

[Peata]

marcar72: if i consume alot of salt i get more water retention. I use alot of sodium bicarb tho and it helps a little but still not enough

I don't know how long you tried more salt, but when I first increased it, I retained more too. It took at least four days of the increased salt to see swelling go down.

 

[RPDiciple]

Peata: interesting, how much did you increase with etc etc?

 

[sunmountain]

Massage works really well for edema for me. It can get expensive depending on frequency. Community acupuncture is another good option and less expensive.
For edema, I've had best results with massage.

 

[Peata]

Peata: interesting, how much did you increase with etc etc?

It varied between 1500 - 3500 mg sodium, but after I increased it, I tried to get 5 - 7 g.

 

[charlie]

Are you overweight? What you doing all day? Doing some exercise walking for example is much effective than all those supplements for circulation of the blood and also lymph.. I think this is a big issue on this forum. Lack of exercise because everybody is scared due to lactic acid and hyperventilation. We need to change this mentality here..

Where did you get the idea that everyone here is so scared of lactic acid that they don't even walk? I haven't noticed this.

I haven't seen it either.

 

[superhuman]

@Peata what foods are you eating that makes u eat 5-7g salt? I mostly eat skimmed milk, soda, fruit, candy, so not much of those foods taste good with alot of salt on them.
Really cool to hear that it took days after you increased the salt before it worked, which makes sense in terms of the aldosterone takes some time to adapt. I think i also did it for a few days

 

[marikay]

I haven't seen it either.

Maybe there is some confusion between creating lactic acid (via exercise) and consuming lactic acid (via sour cream, yogurt, etc…)

 

[heartnhands]

Having the same water retention and getting out of breath with moderate exertion. There are some improvements in ADD through Theanine and the B's, caffeine, and probably some other bio metobolic processes. It's all very new so wait and see seems reasonable. Looking to have relief from vericosities,water retention, and weight loss.

 

[heartnhands]

edema is not necessarily related to lack of physical activity. like all things, it's related to some imbalance. so instead of trying to figure out some kind of dominance factor inside the body, focus more on imbalances nutritionally and lifestyle-wise. the right types of protein, enough protein, the right types of carbs, enough carbs, the right types of fats, enough fats. then there's tonicity of foods, sodium levels, calcium to phosphorous ratios, foods that are digestible for you, getting enough nutrients, getting enough to eat (and frequently enough), getting enough sleep, getting enough sunlight, and moving enough. the list could go on, but i feel those are the biggest variables to balance outside of lifestyle choices and events. the answer to all these variables never stays the same through one's life, though there can be seasons where it's pretty much the same. and if you balance these variables, you are creating an environment which is conducive to healing much more than edema.

Plenty of great reminders! What do you mean by "food tonicity"?