Are you looking to find out why and how to reduce some sort of swelling? Read on because this health blurb offers information on what is swelling, causes of swelling and ways to bring swelling down.
What is swelling? Swelling is the accumulation of excess fluid that has leaked out from the circulatory system and into nearby tissue causing the place to enlarge. Also referred to as edema, this fluid can amass all over or be limited to an area.
One of the most common complaints involves swollen feet and ankles. Yet just about any part of your body can swell, for instance your heart, lungs, liver, abdomen, face, breasts, gums, joints and lymph nodes.
Slight swelling is usually not serious, but when it’s excessive or chronic then reduction measures need to be taken. One reason is that when an organ is swollen its ability to function is diminished. Also, swollen surrounding tissue can reduce the delivery of nutrients and the removal of waste products for locations downstream. An example of this is skin ulcers because it breaks down in the absence of a healthy flow.
What causes swelling? Swelling can result should you sit or stand for long periods because of gravity, particularly in a warm environment or at high altitude. This cause of swelling is normal and changing position can help reduce it. And too much salt in the diet causes some to swell, so reduction of sodium can effectively reduce swelling.
Swelling is also a symptom caused by a variety of health conditions or an indication of an adverse reaction to some chemical, as well as being a side effect of certain drugs.
Since a wide variety of conditions can cause swelling, pinpointing your cause may require assistance from your health care provider. Here’s a list of just some:
- injury
- blood clot
- heart failure
- malnutrition
- hypertension
- heart disease
- varicose veins
- kidney disease
- burns, sunburn
- thyroid disease
- hypoalbuminemia
- nephrotic syndrome
- late stage pregnancy
- liver disease, cirrhosis
- acute glomerulonephritis
- menstrual hormonal changes
- lymphatic blockage ~ infection, inflammation, cancer
- chronic lung disease ~ COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis
One of the symptoms of an allergic reaction is swelling, e.g. hayfever, food allergy or dermatitis.
Certain drugs do cause swelling effects, for instance:
- NSAIDs
- testosterone
- anabolic steroids
- some antidepressants
- calcium channel blockers
- corticosteroids ~ prednisone
- some high blood pressure & diabetes medications
- oral contraceptives containing estrogen, progesterone
How to reduce swelling? To start, treat all conditions that are potential causes of swelling. Elevate and massage is a simply method to help reduce swelling in your periphery. Compression stockings can help prevent fluid from pooling in lower extremities. And diuretics reduce swelling because they cause excess fluid to be excreted. As previously mentioned, reduce salt intake and avoid maintaining one position for too long.