Taking 200 mg to 400 mg of magnesium a day may help reduce swelling, Dr. Botek said. (Talk to your doctor before taking the supplement, though — especially if you have a kidney or heart condition.)
Magnesium Deficiency
Like the legs, the feet often become swollen because the body cannot get the blood and lymph to flow freely around the body. This is known as edema, and it is often the result of a magnesium deficiency, particularly in pregnant women.
Magnesium also helps limit water retention, which can lead to swelling. Hydration – If you don't get enough water intake, excessive salt build up in your body can cause excessive water retention. That's why you can feel bloated after eating a lot of salty foods.
Common causes of swollen ankles, feet and legs
eating too much salty food. being overweight. being pregnant. taking certain medicines – such as some blood pressure medicines, contraceptive pills, hormone therapy, antidepressants or steroids.
Drinking lots of water will also help your foot and ankle mobility with less swelling. If you change your diet and you're still retaining water in your feet and ankles, it might be time to talk with a podiatrist in the Rockville, MD area.
Vitamin B-6 and magnesium oxide can be effective natural remedies for fluid retention. These supplements work with the kidneys to help the body flush extra water and sodium from the system.
The abnormal buildup of fluid in the body is called edema. Edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles, because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations. Common causes of edema are prolonged standing, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, being overweight, and increase in age.
An extreme lack of protein in the diet over time can lead to edema.
Compression – wearing special clothing or bandages that gently squeeze the part of your body that's affected and encourage the fluid to drain away. Massage – a special type of massage called Manual Lymphatic Drainage encourages the fluid to drain away.
Some of the many common causes of fluid retention include: Gravity – standing up for long periods of time allows fluid to 'pool' in the tissues of the lower leg. Hot weather – the body tends to be less efficient at removing fluid from tissues during the summer months. Burns – including sunburn.
Take magnesium supplements for water retention
As well as bathing in magnesium salts, taking magnesium supplements can ease fluid retention - in a controlled, crossover study, 38 women took 200mg magnesium for two months and saw significantly improved fluid retention.
Potassium rich foods:
Potassium-rich foods such as Sweet potatoes, bananas, Salmon help to reduce the swelling in the feet.
There are methods that can be implemented, which may help to eliminate edema. Reducing sodium intake, in addition to eating grapes, beets, pineapples, and green leafy vegetables are good sources of vitamin B, and are recommended for this purpose.
Exercise-The most effective forms of exercise to help combat leg swelling are swimming, walking, and biking.
When should you call the doctor? Report your symptoms to your doctor if there's so much swelling that it leaves an indentation if you press your finger into it, or if it has developed suddenly, lasts for more than a few days, affects just one foot, or is accompanied by pain or discoloration of the skin.