Introduction:

Edema (also known as dropsy or fluid retention) is swelling caused by the accumulation of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the spaces between the body's cells or in the circulatory system. It is most common in feet, ankles, and legs. Edema is a symptom, not a disease or disorder. Widespread, long-term edema can indicate a serious underlying health problem.

Signs and Symptoms:

These will vary and may include the following.

• Swollen limbs (possibly accompanied by pain, redness, heat)
• Facial puffiness
• Abdominal bloating
• Shortness of breath, extreme difficulty breathing, coughing up blood
• Sudden change in mental state or coma
• Muscle aches and pains

What Causes It?:

Some of the many factors that cause edema are as follows:

• Sitting or standing for long periods
• Certain medications
• Hormonal changes during menstruation and pregnancy
• Infection or injury to a blood vessel, blood clots, or varicose veins
• Blocked lymph channels (lymphedema)
• Allergies to food or insect bites
• Kidney, heart, liver, or thyroid disease
• High or low blood pressure
• Eating salty foods
• Brain tumor or head injury
• Exposure to high altitudes or heat, especially when combined with heavy physical exertion

What to Expect at Your Provider's Office:

Your health care provider will look for varicose veins, blood clots, wounds, or infections. An x-ray, CT scan, MRI, urine test, or blood test may be necessary. Pulmonary edema, which occurs when fluid builds up in the lungs, can be caused by other diseases such cardiovascular disease or by climbing at high altitudes. It can be life-threatening and may require hospitalization.

Treatment Options:

Treatment may involve using compression bandages and pressure sleeves tightened over swollen limbs to help force the body to re-absorb the fluid. Other options include a salt-reduction diet, daily exercise, resting with legs elevated above the heart level, wearing support hose, taking a diuretic, and massage.

Drug Therapies

• Medication for your underlying disorder -- talk to your health care provider.
• Diuretics -- for example, loop diuretics or potassium-sparing diuretics. These medicines reduce body fluid levels, but they also deplete important vitamins and minerals, which can result in loss of bone mass. Diuretics may have several other possibly serious side effects.

Surgical Procedures

Surgery may be needed to remove fat and fluid deposits associated with a type of edema called lipedema, or to repair damaged veins or lymphatic glands to reestablish lymph and blood flow.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies

The following nutritional and herbal support guidelines may help relieve edema, but the underlying cause must be addressed.

Nutrition and Supplements

Following these nutritional tips may help reduce symptoms:

• Eliminate suspected food allergens, such as dairy (milk, cheese, and ice cream), wheat (gluten), soy, corn, preservatives and chemical food additives. Your health care provider may want to test you for food allergies.
• Reduce salt intake.
• Eat foods high in B-vitamins and iron, such as whole grains (if no allergy), dark leafy greens (such as spinach and kale), and sea vegetables.
• Natural diuretic vegetables include asparagus, parsley, beets, grapes, green beans, leafy greens, pineapple, pumpkin, onion, leeks, and garlic.
• Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes), and vegetables (such as squash and bell pepper).
• Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.
• Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, cold-water fish, tofu (soy, if no allergy), or beans for protein.
• Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
• Avoid alcohol, and tobacco.
• Exercise lightly, if possible, 5 days a week.

You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:

• A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-complex vitamins, and trace minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium.
• Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, 1 - 2 capsules or 1 - 2 tbs. of oil daily, to help decrease inflammation and help with immunity.
• Vitamin C, 500 - 1,000 mg daily, as an antioxidant.
• Alpha-lipoic acid, 25 - 50 mg twice daily, for antioxidant support.
• If you use diuretics, your doctor may have you supplement with potassium aspartate (20 mg per day), since diuretics flush out potassium from the body and cause a deficiency. Do not take extra potassium without informing your doctor.
• Magnesium, 400 - 600 mg daily, for nutrient support.

Herbs

Herbs are generally a safe way to strengthen and tone the body's systems. As with any therapy, you should work with your provider to get your problem diagnosed before starting any treatment. You may use herbs as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, you should make teas with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 - 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 - 20 minutes for roots. Drink 2 - 4 cups per day. You may use tinctures alone or in combination as noted.

• Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) standardized extract, 80 - 100 mg three times per day for antioxidant support.
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ), 4 - 10 g of dried leaf steeped in one cup hot water. Strain and cool. Dandelion also is a good source of potassium, which is often reduced by diuretics.
• Grape seed extract (Vitis vinifera), standardized extract, 360 mg two times daily, for antioxidant support. Evidence suggests that using grape seed extract may improve chronic venous insufficiency, which causes swelling when blood pools in the legs.

Physical Medicine

• Dry skin brushing. Before bathing, briskly brush the entire skin surface with a rough washcloth, loofa, or soft brush. Begin at your feet and work up. Always stroke in the direction of your heart.
• Cold compresses made with yarrow tea.
• Contrast hydrotherapy involves alternating hot and cold applications. Alternate 3 minutes hot with 1 minute cold. Repeat three times to complete one set. Do two to three sets per day.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may improve fluid balance.

Massage

Therapeutic massage can help lymph nodes drain.

Special Considerations:

Excessive fluid retention during pregnancy (toxemia) is potentially dangerous to both you and your baby.

Alternative Names:

Water retention