Vegeterian Diets --Let Me Count The Ways There are several types of vegeterians: Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat plant foods, milk, milk products and eggs, but avoid flesh foods (meat, poultry and fish). Lacto-vegetarians eat plant foods, milk and milk products, but avoid eggs and flesh foods. Ovo-vegetarians eat plant foods and eggs, but avoid milk, milk products and flesh foods. Pesco/pollo-vegetarians eat meats like seafood and chicken, but do not eat other meats, such as beef, lamb, and pork. Total vegetarians, also called vegans, eat plant foods only. Read the Source Article |
Swollen Ankles -- Causes and Cures
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January 21, 2009, Last Updated August 6, 2010
By Susan M. Callahan, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist
Swollen ankles, technically called edema, can be caused by various
medical conditions, from heart failure to taking long journeys to
something as simple as standing too long on your feet. If doctors
cannot narrow down the cause or if they do no know the cause, then
the swelling is called idopathic edema, meaning swelling without a
known cause. All of these various medical conditions swell your ankles
ultimately by causing the leaking of fluids from the tiny capillaries that
supply blood and lymph fluid to your feet.
Why, you may ask, do the capillaries to the feet end up leaking? After
all, there are miles of capillaries which supply blood and lymph fluid to
every inch of the far reaches of your body, from the tip of your head,
to your eyes, to your little pinky and thumb. Why don't any of these
capillaries leak and cause your thumbs to swell? The answer,
researchers believe, is gravity. Because we stand, the extra pressure
caused by standing exerts the full brunt of our weight on our legs, and
the added pressure pushes all our body's fluid downward toward our
feet.
Swollen ankles can be caused by heart failure, high blood pressure,
excess salt in your blood stream, taking long journeys, or simply being
overweight. In the case of heart failure, medical intervention is
needed. However, for cases of ankle swelling or leg swelling
unrelated to heart failure, there are several natural remedies that can
help.
Here are the most effective remedies for swollen ankles, based upon
medical research:
Reduce Salt In Your Diet. Salt causes fluid retention. Excess salt can
cause your ankles to swell. It can actually cause swelling of all of your
tissues, but your ankles and eyes show the swelling most easily. Most
people do not know that your body only needs 200 mg of salt a day.
Most Americans consume over 4000 mg a day.
Carefully track the amount of salt in your food. Most processed meats
and snacks, and even "healthy" products such as yogurt and soy
products are often packed with hidden sources of sodium. Even your
tooth paste may contain loads of salt.
Eat a Banana. Bananas are one of the foods which can help to reduce
swelling of your ankles. Why? Bananas are packed with potassium,
which reduces fluid retention. Potassium actually lowers the salt
content in your body. This is the reason bananas can help to combat
high blood pressure. Other foods which can reduce swelling of your
ankles because of their high potassium content are tomatoes and
spinach.
Lose Weight. Excess weight has been strongly linked to retention of
fluid in the ankles and feet. Losing just 5 pounds can help. For every
pound of weight you carry exerts an additional 7 pounds of pressure
on your feet and ankles. So, that extra 5 pounds exerts an additional
35 pounds of pressure on your feet and ankles.
Support Stockings. As we age, the tiny capillaries around our ankles
naturally lose some of their ability to hold in fluids. Support stocking
help by literally acting as tourniquets, like a tight bandage acts to stop
blood from a cut, holding in and packing in the fluid. They help the
symptoms of swelling but they do not address the underlying cause.
Reducing salt and losing weight will bring you far greater permanent
relief than stockings.
Flex Your Ankles. Standing for long periods produces swollen ankles.
But why don't marathon runners get swollen ankles? They run 26
miles on their feet, after all. It turns out the standing is worse than
moving for your ankles. The act of moving your feet and ankles
actually helps the lymph fluids circulate through your body rather than
pooling around your ankles. So, if you have to stand for your job, you
should lift you leg and flex and turn your ankles every half an hour to
reduce the risk of swelling. On long journeys, in your car or on a
plane, train or bus, where your feet and ankles are stationary, take a
moment to flex your toes and ankles to move the fluids around every
half an hour.
Certain Exercises Prevent Leg Swelling. Specific exercises can
prevent leg swelling or greatly reduce the number of times you
experience swollen legs or ankles. A 1997 study from Hiroshima
University in Japan found that knee bends are especially effective in
preventing leg swelling. The study examined 13 healthy young males
between the ages of 23 and 36 . The subjects were asked to stand for
an hour at a time, interrupted every 10 minutes by one minute of
exercise consisting of knee bends, foot-stepping, walking or heel
raises. The knee bends were far more effective than any of the other
exercises at reducing leg swelling.
Examples of knee bend exercises? Try doing a few simple squats or
lunges whenever you find that you have to stand for long periods of
time. Make sure when you do your squats, that you keep your back
straight, and never bend lower than the height of a typical desk chair.
This will help you avoid putting undue strain on your knees.
Elevate Your Legs. The effectiveness of elevating your legs for
reducing swollen ankles --and leg swelling in general -- has been
verified by several research studies. As a general matter, medical
authorities recommend that you elevate your legs above the level of
your heart. If you are lying flat, any amount of elevation of your legs
will raise them above the level of your heart. But how high should you
raise your legs to be most effective in reducing leg swelling?
A 1989 study led by Dr. M. Y. Liaw and M.K. Kong from China found
that raising your legs at an angle of 30 degrees --about the height you
achieve if you rest your legs on 2 pillows --was most comfortable, but
that the higher you raise your legs, the more effective in reducing leg
swelling.
The study examined 31 women between the ages of 20 and 40 who
worked at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital . The participants' leg
swelling (edema) was examined at 5 different angles : 0 degrees
(lying flat), 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees (at
which point your legs make an "L" shape with your body). The 90
degree angle was not comfortable, with particpants complaining of
numbness and throbbing. At 30 degrees, leg swelling was reduced
and the comfort level was at a maximum.
Loosen Up Your Clothes. The lymph system is like a river. Any dam
that is placed at any point in the river stops the flow to points below
the dam. So, loosening up your clothes, especially in the evenings, can
dramatically reduce swollen ankles. Loosen or take off belts, bras,
neck ties, watch bands and rings. And never wear a bra to bed. For
men, never wear tight briefs. Tight bras and briefs can cause several
health problems, including swollen ankles or leg swelling. It dams the
lymph river, and prevents the natural flow of lymph fluid throughout
your body.
Get Screened for Rheumatoid Arthritis. If your ankles swell in the
mornings, it could be an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis or idiopathic
arthritis. Swollen ankles caused by arthritis often feel warm and
spongy. According to the National Institutes of Health, early treatment
of rheumatoid arthritis can greatly reduce your risk of disability from
this disease.
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