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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II: Water Retention

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Water Retention

When you feel as though you're too big for your skin, not to mention your britches, check for some other signs. Perhaps your face is puffy, especially when you first wake up. Your ring may feel tight, and your belly seems bloated. Do your shoes feel like they belong to Minnie Mouse? Does this awful, bloated, uncomfortable feeling seem to come out of the blue? What is going on?

It could be water retention, or edema (to use the medical name). It happens to all of us to some extent during a normal 24-hour period, says Norman C. Staub, M.D., a professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. "Our bodies are constantly adjusting fluid levels based on what we drink and eat."

Usually our bodies do an admirable job of quickly correcting fluid balance. But sometimes the balance gets temporarily thrown off. Too much salt or alcohol, long periods of inactivity and, for women, monthly hormone fluctuations or pregnancy can all tip the scale toward fluid retention. A sudden weight gain of several pounds may be your first and only sign that you're retaining fluid. Swollen ankles are a common tip-off, too.

For mild fluid retention, here's what experts suggest.

Get into deep water. As any skin diver knows, water pressure forces fluid out of tissues and, ultimately, into the bladder. You can get similar results by exercising in a swimming pool, according to Vern L. Katz, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina Medical School at Chapel Hill. Try a half-hour, three times a week, of gentle water exercise in a pool that's 80° to 90°F, or about skin temperature. "Avoid water above 100° if you're pregnant," Dr. Katz warns.

Avoid using diuretics. While they're very effective at removing excess body fluid for patients who have heart, kidney or liver disease, diuretics set up the potential for something called rebound edema, says Robert Schrier, M.D., a professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. If you're taking them steadily for minor fluid retention, the diuretics turn on a lot of salt- and water-retaining hormones, says Dr. Schrier. "When you stop taking them, the high levels of hormones cause a lot more sodium and water retention, and you get into a vicious cycle."

Shake the salt habit. Too much salt--from hot dogs, popcorn, olives, salted nuts, pickles or pepperoni pizza--makes your body retain fluid. That fluid stays with you until your kidneys have a chance to excrete the excess salt, which can take about 24 hours. So if you avoid salty foods, you are less likely to have noticeable fluid retention, Dr. Staub says.

When to See the Doctor

Occasionally fluid balance gets seriously thrown off. Heart and kidney problems, along with other serious diseases, can cause life-threatening fluid retention. Don't delay seeing your doctor if you have a sudden weight gain, swollen ankles or difficulty breathing.

If you find that an indentation remains when you press your skin, that's a sign of "pitting edema"--a type of fluid buildup that needs a doctor's attention.

While you're at it, shake a leg. Exercise can relieve the body of excess fluid and salt through sweating, increased respiration and, ultimately, increased urine flow, Dr. Staub says. Walking up and down the hallway, or climbing a flight of stairs every hour or so, will reduce the fluid retention you develop from sitting for long periods of time. If you must sit still, try this: Point your toes downward, then raise them up as high as you can. That pumps your calf and your foot muscles. Moving your arms around up over your head will help, too.

Drink plenty of water. Water moves through your kidneys and bladder, diluting the urine. And since urine has some fluid-retaining salt in it, the more it's diluted, the easier it is to remove salt and prevent or decrease edema.

"Plain water is definitely the best, because just about every other drink--juices, soda, milk--has salt in it," Dr. Staub says.

Sip an herbal tea. Several herbs have a mildly diuretic effect, according to William J. Keller, Ph.D., a professor and head of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics at Northeast Louisiana University School of Pharmacy in Monroe. Parsley is the best known of these. Try two teaspoons of dried leaves per cup of boiling water. Steep for ten minutes. Drink up to three cups a day.

Lie down, put up your feet. Sometimes this is the simplest and best thing to do, Dr. Staub says. If you recline with your feet in a raised position, you allow fluid that has pooled in your legs to more easily make its way into the circulatory system and then to your kidneys, where it can be excreted.

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