Water retention, or fluid retention, affects men and women all over the world. It can happen at various stages of life. The areas most affected are the feet, ankles, hands, and abdomen.
The human body is made up of some 70% liquid. However, if it doesn’t circulate and get distributed in a balanced way around the body, then we start to suffer some consequences.
The main actor in the regulation of fluids is the kidney, and any problem with the kidneys can cause water retention.
What Causes Water Retention?
It can happen as a result of many diverse factors. It’s often possible to see many people who are suffering from this problem. However, they may not know the reasons why, or have taken proper measures to prevent it.
It’s important to be able to identify the reasons so that you can seek the correct treatment. Or simply so you can prevent it in the future.
Environment factors
- Excess heat can cause fluid to come from the blood vessels without the tissues being able to absorb it all.
- Jobs in which you might spend a long time in the same position, and also long journeys, where you’re sat down for a long time, can cause a buildup of fluid.
It’s clear that we can’t change the temperature outside. What we can recommend is help the body with a better daily intake of water.
Related to habits
- Diets which contain excess salt and little protein are the perfect combination for developing symptoms. An excess of sodium changes the process which regulates water in the body.
- A lifestyle with little physical activity also affects the way that liquids are deposited around the body. People are very sedentary are the most likely to suffer from this problem.
Take short walks, stretch your limbs, or do aerobic exercise. All of these will help the movement of liquid around the body.
Hormonal causes
- Periods are generally accompanied by the retention of liquid. Because of this, women can spend many days with abdominal inflammation. Generally, there is nothing you can do, it’s a temporary situation.
- During pregnancy, women tend to suffer from fluid retention as a result of hormonal changes. As a consequence, many have to remove rings from their fingers. It’s also very common to get inflammation in the feet, hands, and the face. The best option is to keep active.
It’s important to drink more water than normal and reduce your salt intake.
Other illnesses
- Cirrhosis makes it difficult for water to circulate through the liver. Thereby causing retention in the abdomen and lower extremities.
- Renal problems as well as heart problems cause edemas in certain places, since the fluids can’t freely move.
As we explain above, the kidneys are what controls the elimination of water through urine. If this process is changed, the fluids will stay stuck in some other area.
It’s vital to have the help of a specialist in order to be able to use any complementary treatment. The sufferer doesn’t have to accept fluid retention.
With medication you can also add a diuretic or a diet based on special foods.
Side-effects
Taking corticoid-based medication, some anti-inflammatories, or medications for treating illness such as diabetes can cause water retention as a side-effect.
To improve fluid retention, it’s important to keep to a balanced diet with enough protein, as well as starting to use less salt in your cooking.
Also, you should try to take a daily walk to improve circulation. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to get up from your chair every hour and stretch your legs.
In many companies they have incorporated a few minutes exercise for their employees every day. At a certain time, each day, they leave the office and dedicate 15 minutes to their bodies.
When it comes to resting, it’s important to make available all the time you need to recuperate fully. Put a cushion under your feet so that the blood can flow more easily.
Even more important than changing your habits is to consult with a doctor. The sooner you know the causes for your fluid retention the sooner they will be able to prescribe an appropriate treatment.
Via: NativeRemedies | WebMD
