Swelling is a common problem among people of different sex and age. This is a pathological accumulation of fluid in the subcutaneous fat. Edema can occur in completely healthy people, and testify to chronic diseases. Depending on the cause of the pathology, methods for its elimination will differ. How to deal with edema is described in this article.
List of Common Causes of Puffiness
An easy way to check on your own whether there is puffiness, wear socks with tight elastic. Walk in them for two to four hours. Then remove: if there is a dented trace of the gum on the ankle, then there is swelling. Their severity depends on the depth of the track.
Severe swelling of the feet, ankles, hands can be seen with the naked eye: the limb swells, it becomes as if pumped with air. You can visually compare it with a neighboring limb, and if there is a difference, then perhaps the pathology is provoked by problems with the joints. For example, with arthritis, one foot often swells, and the second looks normal. Arthritis is always accompanied by pain. other diseases, as a rule, are not accompanied by discomfort at the site of edema. The exception is if the accumulation of fluid is too large. In this case, numbness occurs.
List of the most common causes of edema:
- phlebeurysm;
- chronic diseases of the kidneys and bladder, ureteral obstruction;
- type 2 diabetes mellitus;
- pregnancy;
- premenstrual syndrome;
- some endocrine pathologies.
Vein problems: symptoms and directions of therapy
Varicose veins is a pathology of these vessels, associated with their crimping, fragility of the walls of the capillaries, destruction of the valve apparatus. Already at the first stage of the disease, the following symptoms appear:
- spider veins on the back of the legs;
- protruding veins, hematomas;
- pain in the knees, feet, ankles with a long stay on the legs;
- severe swelling of the legs in the heat and with physical fatigue associated with a load on the legs.
The disease usually appears with a hereditary addiction in humans. If the walls of the veins and capillaries are strong, then there is practically no risk of suffering from varicose veins. Even if you give a tremendous load on the legs, the disease may not appear. And people with a tendency to varicose veins can spend regularly on their feet for five to six hours, or, conversely, lead a sedentary lifestyle - and the disease will not slow them down.
How to deal with edema, if the cause is varicose veins? It is necessary to exclude a long load on the legs. Useful leisurely walks for ten to twenty minutes. Wearing compression tights and stockings is recommended.
How to deal with leg edema provoked by varicose veins during an exacerbation of the disease? The following remedies have proven themselves well:
- Heparin ointment.
- "Troxerutin."
Chronic diseases of the urinary system as a cause of swelling
One of the most common causes of edema is a disease of the kidneys, bladder, and renal pelvis. Most often, this is pyelonephritis in women and glomerulonephritis in men. Urethritis, stones or sand in the kidneys are often diagnosed, and in some cases, swelling may indicate acute or chronic renal failure. If the following symptoms are present, you should be wary and seek the advice of a nephrologist:
- swelling of the hands, feet, face;
- pain during urination;
- persistent weakness, asthenia;
- dizziness, breakdown;
- low-grade fever;
- aching lower back pain;
- problems with urine outflow;
- impurities of blood or pus in the urine.
In order to accurately identify the cause of such symptoms, it is necessary to take a biochemical blood test, a general urine test, an ultrasound of the urinary system.
How to deal with edema in kidney disease? To get started, get rid of inflammation - for this you will have to take a course of antibiotics prescribed by a nephrologist. Then drink a course of homeopathic diuretic drugs that have a beneficial effect on the kidneys - "Kanefron", "Monural", "Fitolizin", "Renel".
How to deal with edema after acute kidney diseases that have a chronic course? A regular intake (at least once a quarter) of diuretics is necessary. You can use medicinal teas from herbs of your own collection.
Type 2 diabetes is a common cause of leg swelling
Swelling in diabetes is caused by metabolic disorders of carbohydrate absorption. In diabetics, the legs most often swell in the later stages of the disease. There are only two ways to deal with edema in this disease:
- strict adherence to diet - the complete exclusion of simple carbohydrates, in some cases you even have to abandon fructose;
- experimentally select an individual dose of insulin under the supervision of a treating endocrinologist, which could bring the patient's life to a new level.
If swelling is hot in the heat, then you can try to mitigate the manifestations of pathology using folk remedies described below.
The appearance of edema in women due to hormonal causes
Representatives of the fair sex very often have swelling of the face and feet due to menstruation. The second common reason is pregnancy, during which the whole body experiences hormonal changes.
In order to less worry about swelling during this period, women should use traditional medicine. During pregnancy, diuretics are prohibited, even before taking homeopathic medicines (Kanefron) you should consult your doctor. The body of a pregnant woman can unpredictably respond to the most harmless drug, so you should take diuretics for edema only if the expected benefit is greater than the possible harm.
The appearance of edema in connection with endocrine pathologies
With hyperthyroidism, there is a tendency to increase the patient's weight, not only due to adipose tissue, but also due to fluid retention in the tissues. In some cases, this becomes a real problem - swelling can increase body weight by 2-3 kg. In this case, hormonal preparations like “Thyroxine” or “Eutirox” do not bring relief, since their effect is not aimed at removing the accumulated fluid from the body.
Edema due to hypothyroidism (myxedema) is dense, when pressed, a fossa does not form. The density of edema is due to the deposition of mucopolysaccharides in the subcutaneous tissue, the catabolism of which is sharply reduced. The patient’s skin is cool to the touch, has a pale, with a slightly yellowish tint color. If the myxedema is constantly bothering the patient, you should discuss this issue with your treating endocrinologist.
How to deal with swelling of the legs, if they are provoked by endocrine pathologies? Traditional medicine tips should be used below. In some cases, it is advisable to change your diet and reduce the use of salt and spices.
How to reduce facial swelling in the morning?
How to deal with edema at home, if every morning on your own face it is scary to look in the mirror? Puffiness of facial tissues in some cases beyond recognition changes a person, making the eyes narrow, and the cheeks and nose large.
- Two hours before bedtime, stop drinking any fluids, even ordinary water.
- Refuse foods with high salt content. Completely exclude chips, salted nuts and snacks from the diet.
- Three to four hours before bedtime, drink rosehip infusion without adding sugar or other sweeteners, spices.
- After waking up, wipe your face with a cube of ice made from herbs: chamomile, nettle, calendula. This method is contraindicated for those who have a tendency to rosacea and people with thin capillary walls.
- During the day, try to minimize the proportion of salt in the diet. It is not necessary to completely abandon it, about 5-6 g of salt for each person is necessary to maintain the water-salt balance.
How to get rid of swelling of the feet and ankles
This problem becomes especially relevant in the hot season. In order not to suffer from puffiness of the feet, you should stop at the most comfortable shoes made from natural materials. After walking for hours in shoes with an uncomfortable shoe or stiletto heels, swelling appears even in women with completely healthy legs. “Lucky” with varicose veins should better forget about shoes with a hard block or high heel.
How to deal with swelling of the legs during pregnancy:
- wear only shoes with orthopedic correct soles;
- once a day to arrange in the footsteps a bath of moderately warm infusions of herbs;
- minimize salt intake;
- monitor drinking regimen - do not drink more than two liters of liquid.
These are the basic rules that every woman must abide by. How to deal with edema during pregnancy? Reviews indicate that if simple methods do not help, you can resort to taking diuretics. They can be prescribed by a gynecologist or nephrologist.
Ways to reduce swelling of the hands
The upper limbs often swell with heart problems or with an imbalance in the thyroid hormones. These are quite serious diseases, swelling is one of the very first precursors of heart problems. It is imperative to visit a cardiologist and undergo an examination, not forgetting to mention that the hands often swell.
The basic principles of the fight against swelling of the hands are the same as with other parts of the body. This is a contrast shower, reduced salt intake, control of the fluid entering the body, a complete rejection of fast food and alcoholic beverages.
Edema during menstruation
Every seventh girl faces this problem. A few days a month, the face and legs swell quite strongly, the figure on the scales increases on average by one and a half to two kilograms. This is a standard condition during menstruation, swelling before menstruation is also possible .
How to deal with such a problem? Knowing when the start of the cycle is very simple: give up salty foods in a couple of days and reduce the amount of fluid you drink. You can drink Regidron for several days for prevention. These simple measures will allow the body to maintain a healthy water-salt balance. Thanks to them, you can successfully deal with edema during menstruation.
Prevention of tissue swelling
How to deal with swelling in the heat? If you follow simple rules, it will not be difficult for a healthy person to maintain a normal level of fluid in the subcutaneous adipose tissue. If there are chronic diseases, then standard preventive measures are likely to be powerless.
- Revise your drinking regime: perhaps there is not enough clean water drunk (this also contributes to fluid retention in the tissues), or, on the contrary, too much.
- A complete rejection of alcoholic beverages not only helps to get rid of morning swelling of the face, but also returns a youthful appearance and excellent health.
- You should once and for all exclude chips, snacks, junk food from the diet - the body will say thank you for such a habit more than once.
- Once a year to undergo a medical examination and prevent the development of diabetes mellitus, varicose veins, kidney diseases.