What is fluid retention/bloating?

Answer 1

Fluid Retention
Fluid retention is a common problem, causing swelling of the feet and ankles particularly. Puffiness of the hands and fingers or the eyelids can also occur. In women, fluid retention premenstrually can cause breast tenderness and abdominal bloating.

What causes it?
Mild fluid retention has a number of possible causes including:

• Hormonal imbalances such as an under active thyroid gland.
• Taking the oral contraceptive pill or potent hormone replacement
therapy
• Kidney problems
• Sluggish liver function.
• Liver disease.
• Heart disease and heart failure.
• Problems with the lymphatic system.
• Varicose veins, which cause fluid retention in the legs
• Food allergies and being overweight.

However, more significant fluid retention may indicate heart, liver or kidney disease so it is important to be assessed by your doctor.

Lymphoedema is swelling caused by blockage of the lymphatic vessels such that fluid accumulates in the tissues. The commonest causes of chronic lymphoedema in the Western world are cancers or subsequent surgery or radiotherapy. An example is mastectomy with lymph node clearance for breast cancer, following which lymphoedema or swelling of the arm on the affected side may occur.

Treatment & General Recommendations
• Fluid retention is made worse by poor diet, lack of exercise and taking
artificial sweeteners.
• It is best to avoid diuretic drugs if possible as in the long term they may actually increase fluid retention, and on stopping a diuretic the fluid retention will initially get worse.
• Losing weight if you are overweight will often resolve the problem. Physiotherapy with special binding techniques can improve lymphoedema.
• Treatment of the underlying cause of fluid retention is certainly the first step.
• If you are taking oral synthetic HRT or the wrong type of contraceptive pill this can also play a part in the retention of fluid. The Lymphatic type does better on the natural hormonal creams rather than the troches.
• Massages incorporating lymphatic drainage can be helpful - see a qualified practioner

Diet
Follow The Liver Cleansing Diet Principles in chapter 5 of the book "The Liver Cleansing Diet" or follow "Can't Lose Weight? You Could Have Syndrome X" The basic plan is outlined on p 244 of this book. An alternative is to follow the eating plan for the "Lymphatic Body Type" from "The Body Shaping Diet" book.

• Include often - foods which have a diuretic effect including celery, cucumber, apples, artichokes, rock melon, watermelon, parsley, fresh dandelion greens, watercress, fennel, papaya, pineapple, garlic and dill.
• Converse to what you may think you should also drink plenty of water, say 6 to 8 glasses daily.
• Lean fresh red meats and fish can be eaten if desired as they are good sources of magnesium which reduces fluid retention.
• Consider the possibility of food allergies; an elimination diet avoiding dairy products, wheat and other grains which are the most common culprits may be worthwhile.
• If you are taking a potassium losing diuretic, consume potassium-rich foods like wholegrains, nuts, sunflower seeds, fruits and vegetables including bananas, apricots, citrus fruits, parsley, spinach, broccoli and carrots.
• Hot spicy foods are good for lymphatics - chilli, tumeric, curries, garlic and ginger etc
• Buckwheat contains valuable rutin to strengthen the veins and lymphatic vessels.

FOODS TO AVOID
• ALL DAIRY PRODUCTS - this is VITAL
• Preserved meals (eg, ham, bacon, sausage, pizza, meats, corned beef, smoked meats).
• Processed Foods
• Potato Chips
• Salted nuts
• Fizzy Drinks
• Aspartame
• Foods containing refined sugars, honey and glucose.

Dairy foods are poison for the lymphatic type and should be avoided always. These include milk, cheese, cream, butter, yogurt, ice-cream, chocolate. Also due to foreign proteins in cows milk it is also very bad for autoimmune conditions and poor immune system function. Both the Liver Cleansing Diet and Syndrome X eating plans are dairy free. Try some different brands and varieties of soy as they vary greatly. The fresh soy products in the dairy cabinet are much lighter and not as strong in taste as the long life products. There are also rice milks and oat milks to try. Drinking lots of water and fresh juices is also very important especially in preventing further cellulite.

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