Causes of Water Retention

Many different problems and conditions can cause edema. Some causes include lifestyle, hormones, other causes are drug-related or the result of a serious medical condition.

There are many causes and many treatments for those causes.

Common Causes of Water Retention

• Eating Too Much Salt- Sodium intake is closely related to water retention and edema. Over consumption of salt is one of the commonest reasons why people retain excess fluid.
• Gravity - Prolonged periods of standing often causes fluid to ‘pool' in the tissues of the lower leg.
• Hot Weather - During periods of high temperatures, the body is less efficient at removing fluid from its tissues.
• Burns/Sunburn - When burn injuries occur, the skin reacts by retaining fluid and this causes localized swelling.
• Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) - Women have an increased risk of water retention, due to the rise and fall of hormone levels. Some experts believe the problem is related to abnormal fluctuations in blood sugar. Others believe it is sodium-related. When your blood breaks down progesterone in the run-up to menstruation, the kidneys are told to retain water and sodium. As well as this, a water-retaining compound may be secreted, which causes more water to be retained. Diuretic treatment is not beneficial for edema related to PMS.
• Contraceptive Medication - The birth control pill or any oral contraceptives that include estrogen can lead to fluid retention in some women.
• Pregnancy - Hormones released in pregnancy encourage the body to hold onto excess fluid. Pregnant women typically retain a significant amount of sodium and water. The fetus and placenta need some of this excess fluid. Swelling in the face, hands, lower leg and feet is typically seen in pregnancy.
• Menopause - Water retention, causing bloating and edema can occur in menopausal women either during perimenopause or post menopause. Hormone fluctuations and estrogen replacement therapy are two common culprits.
• Nutritional Deficiencies - Dietary deficiency, like inadequate intake of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can cause fluid retention. Vitamins B6 and B5 also assist fluid dispersal. Low levels of protein (albumin) in the bloodstream may also cause edema.
• Medication Side Effects - Water retention and edema may also be caused by drugs, such as high blood pressure medication and certain forms of steroid medications such as corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Medical Conditions Can Cause Fluid Retention

Fluid retention may be a symptom of a more serious underlying medical condition. Here are the most common examples:

• Chronic Venous Insufficiency - Weak valves in the veins of the legs fail to return blood to the heart as efficiently as normal in some people suffering from fluid retention. The pooling of blood can result in varicose veins. Chronic venous insufficiency may itself occur after the patient has experienced venous blood clots (deep vein thrombosis). The swelling is usually limited to the lower extremities (feet/ankles) and may affect only the left or right side.
• Kidney Disease - Kidney disease can cause swelling in the legs and around the eyes. It is the result of an increase in pressure in the blood vessels, caused by the kidneys failing to excrete a sufficient amount of sodium and fluid. The fluid left behind raises pressure on the blood vessel walls, which induces fluid to move from inside the blood vessel to outside, leading to edema.
• Heart Failure (Congestive Heart Failure) - Heart failure can adversely affect the right hand chambers, whose function is to receive blood from the body and pump it to the lungs to be filled with oxygen, or the left heart chambers, which pump oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. If these chambers are unable to pump effectively, the body compensates by retaining fluid and increasing the volume of blood. Typically, right heart failure, leads to swelling in the legs and abdomen, while left heart failure causes edema in the lungs, or pulmonary edema, leading to shortness of breath.
• Liver Disease - Cirrhosis causes congestion in the liver which leads to an increase in pressure in the liver's blood vessels which backs into the blood vessels leading to the liver, causing ascites.
• Malignant Lymphoedema - This includes cancerous tumours that block structures of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes.
• Thyroid Disease - An example is hypothyroidism, usually treated with thyroxine.
• Arthritis - Arthritic joints may swell with fluid, causing localized edema.
• Allergic Reactions - People who are susceptible to allergic reactions may experience edema in response to particular allergens. In some cases, the reaction is severe and requires immediate medical attention. This type of edema is short-lived.
• Idiopathic Cyclic Edema - This is one subtype primarily occurring in young menstruating women in which large amounts of tissue swelling occurs in the legs and abdomen after sitting or standing, and swelling of the face and eyelids upon lying down.

Naturally Reduce Water Retention - Capisette

A variety of nutrients have been shown to address the underlying causes of fluid retention, including those found in Capisette.

Capisette goes above and beyond replenishing the system with the nutrients it needs to combat fluid retention. By regulating your body's delicate fluid balance with Capisette, your body becomes balanced, and subsequently, helps you to feel normal again.

A few ingredients in Capisette are:

• Potassium - One of the three major electrolytes in your body which may be helpful for edema by regulating the flow of fluids into and out of your tissues and cells.
• Uva Ursi Ext. - Has been used worldwide as a diuretic while also supporting the kidneys and urinary tract.
• Dandelion Ext. - Has diuretic properties that may be helpful with edema. It is one of the few diuretics that do not create a potassium deficiency.
• Horse Chestnut - Studies report that horse chestnut may be able to reduce leakage of fluids from the capillaries caused by edema while promoting overall circulatory health.
• Buchu Ext. - A mild diuretic.

For a Complete list of ingredients Click Here.

Related Resources

EatingDisordersOnline.com: Fluid Retention

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