Looking bloated lately? The excess weigh and belly bump might just be water retention.
Idiopathic oedema is a medical condition otherwise known as water retention. It mainly affects women in their middle years. Even though it might feel and seem as nothing more than slight discomfort, it can become worse as women grow older. Symptoms usually appear, or get worse during that certain time of the month.
Water retention is usually caused by what seems to be fluids leaking out of capillaries, very thin blood vessels, and collecting in tissues throughout your body. The reason(s) behind water retention remain unclear, but have shown to get worse after long hours of standing up or sitting down.
Water makes up 55 to 65 percent of the human body, and is found both inside and outside the body’s cells. The larger part of your blood is composed of water, as it helps carrying blood cells around your body to transport oxygen and nutrients.
When water leaks into your tissues, idiopathic oedema can be noticeable by mild swelling of your feet, hands, tummy, breasts and face. And it usually gets worse towards the evening, as women have reported weighing up to 1 kilogram heavier, indicating the excess storage of water.
What you can do at home to prevent, cure or ease the symptoms of water retention is the following:
Eat more bananas. Bananas are very rich in potassium which is very effective in reducing salt levels in the body. However, you should not take potassium supplement tablets.
Include parsley and dandelion into your diet. Both parsley and dandelion have excellent diuretic properties, meaning they increase the passing of urine, draining excess water from your body.
Taking a warm Epsom salt bath. The Epsom salt will work reverse osmosis on your body, ridding it from water retention and toxins.
But keep in mind that if the problem is recurrent, or gives you great discomfort, always consult your physician.
