Imagine if your ankles persistently ached due to painful swelling that greatly restricted your movements. Now imagine having to contend with swollen fingers and eyelids too. This type of debilitating swelling is experienced by sufferers of oedema - a condition that causes too much fluid (mainly water) to accumulate in your body. Any tissue or organ can be affected, particularly the hands, feet and around the eyes. It's your kidneys' job to eliminate excess fluids from your body in your urine. If they fail to do this properly then fluid can soon build up in your tissues and result in swelling.
Risk factors include prolonged periods spent sitting or standing (the pressure of fluid in the legs from doing either pushes it into the surrounding tissues), high blood pressure (abnormal pressure in the blood capillaries can result in the abnormal exchange of fluids to and from the tissues), heart failure (when the heart can't pump blood round fast enough to clear fluid from the tissues), or kidney problems (which can cause large amounts of protein to be lost in the urine and cause fluid to accumulate in the tissues).
You can check whether you have oedema using a simple test. Press with your thumb on the lower part of your shin for 2 to 3 seconds. Then stop pressing and gently feel with your fingers over that area. If you notice a small hole like a dent where your thumb was pressing then this is a sign of oedema and a sluggish circulation. If you think you might have the condition then see your doctor for further tests.
If you're diagnosed with oedema your doctor may prescribe one of the following diuretic drugs that stimulate your kidneys to increase urinary water output: bendrofluazide, frusemide, indapamide or bumetanide. However they can cause a range of unpleasant side effects including low blood pressure, dizziness, tinnitus, impotence, stomach upset and nausea. Fortunately there are several natural diuretics that are just as effective as prescription-only drugs in some cases but without the side effects.
Natural remedies that help your body eliminate excess fluid and reduce swelling
The following remedies can bring effective relief from oedema symptoms. As with all natural remedies it may be the case that you have to try a few different treatments before you find one that works for you. It's important that you consult your doctor before deciding to take any of the supplements listed, especially if you're already taking medication, in order to prevent any possible contraindications.
Dandelion (Taraxacum) extracts are renowned for their excellent diuretic action, which have been extensively studied. In fact, some of these studies date back as far as 30 years or more and traditional healers have been prescribing dandelion extract for thousands of years. Dandelion root has also been used to help treat high blood pressure (a risk factor for oedema) - its water-eliminating ability reduces the water content in the blood, which helps lower blood pressure. This is exactly how other prescription-only water tablets work. For example, the commonly prescribed drug bendrofluazide reduces blood pressure by increasing water elimination from the kidneys. However it can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach upset and can worsen diabetes.
Hope this answers your question properly.