From: Dr. Neal Pinckney (hnl03-131.gst.aloha.net)
Subject: re: Edema
Date: August 28, 2000 at 7:15 pm PST

In Reply to: Dr. Pickney! Help! Edema ! (post is a bit long) posted by DiDi on August 28, 2000 at 4:52 pm:

I'll try to respond to some of your concerns, but we don't give individual medical advice here.

While you mother's edema was typical of congestive heart failure, at age 30 edema is not necessarily a sign of any heart problems. It often is associated with a woman's cycle, and can often be counteracted by diet, lowered salt intake, and drinking plenty of plain water.

Fluid retention is often a sign of lack of sufficient fluid intake. When the body senses there isn't enough fluid coming in, it tends to store all available fluid, typically in the extremities.

So the first thing to do is to make sure you're getting plenty of water, at least six eight-ounce (.25 l) glasses a day. In hot weather, the need goes up (probably the cause of your current problem).

If you consume more than a small amount of coffee or alcohol, you need to add extra water to replace the loss they cause.

Since most gyms are air-conditioned, waiting for cooler weather is not a great reason for waiting to start a good aerobic exercise program. Sounds like you may find other reasons to put it off when it cools off. You don't really need a gym. A half hour of brisk walking early in the morning, before it gets warm, or in the evening when it's cooler, is a fine way to get cardiovascular fitness. A gym or health club is also
good, but you need to be sure you're getting aerobic benefits.

Lastly, in order to prevent heart disease and a fate similar to your mother, you need to be sure you're eating right.

The specifics can be found on the Healing Heart website, which is linked to the top of this page.