Swollen feet, ankles and legs: Causes and Natural Treatment

Published: 09/09/2011 - Updated: 06/01/2017

The swollen feet, legs and ankles can be due to have several causes, it’s not a disease but a symptom that arises due to several causes that must be assessed because they speak of a poorly functioning of organs or systems, as soon as possible to avoid further complications . This condition is also known as peripheral edema and can be treated naturally. 

Causes of swollen feet, legs and ankles: 

  • Low and deficient functioning of organs such as kidneys and intestines loaded with toxins. 
  • A diet high in toxins, salt and harmful fats. 
  • Weak veins that prevent efficient venous return, causing blood and fluid accumulation in the lower extremities due to the effect of gravity when one is standing or sitting for long period. This is the case of dysautonomia. 
  • Fluid retention due to poor kidney function. 
  • Illnesses that require to be in wheelchairs. 
  • During pregnancy it is normal to feel swollen feet, even if the swelling is strong talk about a serious condition called preeclampsia, which is due to toxemia in the body along with hypertension. 
  • Overweight 
  • Age, when you've been sedentary or have poor diet. 
  • Heart failure, kidney or liver disease. In any of these conditions, there are too many fluids in the body. 
  • Infections in the legs 
  • Obstruction of lymph nodes 
  • Food or water poisoning 
  • Malnutrition 
  • Depression or lack of joy or enthusiasm. 
  • The intake of birth control pills, hormone and testosterone. 
  • Some medications such as those for lowering blood pressure, steroids, antidepressants, and more. 
  • Emotional causes: a life where there is much emotional control causes severe stress on the body, while retaining the expression of anger, for example, generates internal pressure and low immune system and systems deteriorate and weaken. 

Natural Treatment

To treat this condition is necessary to consider and address the cause that generates it. However, a general treatment for swollen feet is to follow the recommendations: 

General Note: Consider the cure and not just remove the symptoms: Symptoms are saying that something is wrong in the body. Trying to remove a symptom with medication or cover its face with only a temporary remedy will not give us the cure and the problem will persist. It is best to address a deeper cure, which can only be achieved with a real awareness, by changing lifestyles, both in diet and daily routine as in the attitude you have to live. Degradation and weakening of organs and systems is a result of poor diet, lack of exercise and stress and attitudes that go against the natural harmony of the body. 

Diet: diet is undoubtedly one of the key factors to consider, because if there is a high level of toxins in the body, no condition can be healed if symptoms persist. A recommended diet for tissue regeneration and restoration of damage, as well as the purification of blood and guts is to remove certain harmful foods and start to include those that help the body restore damaged tissues or intoxicated.

The foods we recommend to avoid are: salted, refined, fried or spicy food, as well as vinegars and mustards. Sugar and white flour bakery or refined should also be excluded from your diet as well as red meat and cow's milk and derivativesThese products, eventually, go up on your intestinal lining, causing fermentation in the stomach and blood acidic, which is really harmful to the cardiovascular system, nervous system and major organs such as kidneys and liver.

Cleansing diet: it is advisable to begin a deep healing diet, so that the body actually performs the removal of waste matter and can begin to rebalance organ systems. We recommended an elimination or cleansing diet for two or three days, eating only apples or grapes with two liters of water, so the intestine can loosen and remove attached substances. 

After the elimination diet, begin to introduce foods slowly, avoiding the products mentioned before and including 4 or 5 servings of vegetables, either in juice or salads. Cooked vegetable soups are great as well as brown rice and whole grains. Cow's milk should be replaced by vegetable milk such as almond or oatmeal, yogurt and kefir, which is excellent for keeping proper elimination of toxins. 

You must include the following foods and supplements: citrus, parsley, carrots, flax seeds, whole grains, amaranth, bean sprouts, liquid chlorophyll, et. And you should drink daily at least two liters of pure water.

Exercise

The body was to be in motion. When you lead a sedentary lifestyle, the veins become fragile and sluggish systems and organs. So, if possible, you should be physically active, swimming is one of the best options as well as stair climbing and cycling, to help keep veins strong and efficient venous return. 

In case you cannot exercise:

You must give massages the legs and feet if possible, or try to raise them frequently in a wall against gravity, so the blood and lymph fluid can flow efficiently and avoid stagnation in the lower extremities, causing swelling of feet. 

The emotional aspect 

You need to learn ways to release emotional anger and understand what it feels like. Consider that we can often disguise or avoid what bothers us, and we adapt to circumstances we do not like. There are many readings that can help us to live more fully and understand what we feel and help to heal. There is no cure for any condition if we are not at peace or quiet.

Alternative Therapies 

Reflexology, acupuncture, bioenergetic therapy, and the digit puncture can help us release tension and the body to function more healthily and smoothly. These therapies should be combined with diet and exercise.

Home remedies for treatment: 

  • Give a foot bath with warm water and sea salt, and then massage with almond oil or olive oil to stimulate circulation. Then recharge your feet on a wall against gravity. 
  • If the problem is water retention, take diuretics herbs or foods such as ponytail, corn, grapes, etc. And do not hesitate to perform a cleansing diet like the one proposed here.

About the author
  • K. Laura Garcés G

    Writer, therapist and lecturer. She is a lover of natural medicine and the power of mind and emotions in body and life. In addition, he has studied nutrition and develops appropriate diets to support this healing process.She has written more than 1500 articles in magazines in Spain and Mexico, winner of two literature contests. Linkedin.

5 Replies to “Swollen feet, ankles and legs: Causes and Natural Treatment”
  • Patrick says:

    I have a problem because after an operation my feet and ankles got very swollen and I didn´t know what to do. I´ll follow these recommendations to see if my problem goes away. Because I´m already following an strict diet that my doctor told me to do

  • Tek says:

    What worked for me:

    Walking for at least half an hour a day, drinking 3 liters of filtered water a day, and eating homemade sushi at least once a day along with green drink made by pureeing the following foods in a Vitamix blender:

    2 cups spinach
    2 cups kale
    1 and 1/2 cups cilantro
    4 stalks of celery
    2 inches fresh ginger
    1 green apple
    Juice of half a lemon
    1 and 1/2 cups of frozen grapes
    Several large chunks of frozen pineapple

    Not only were these choices delicious and tasty, they WORKED! My 6 month old swollen, tingling, cramping ankles that had me hobbling around the house and dreading to walk ‘down’ the stairs disappeared within a matter of days. I believe the seaweed and ginger used in preparing the sushi really complimented the cleansing ingredients of the green drink. And the walking helped with getting circulation going again, while the water helped flush toxins from the blood stream. I walked for an hour a day, but I believe that half an hour would suffice.

    I hope this helps someone out there willing to give it a try.

  • Stacy says:

    Wow, this was really a truly fantastic article, and wonderful comments as well! My grandmother used to suffer from nearly chronic ankle inflammation, and I think a lot of it was her being way overweight, but after reading this article, I think there was probably a lot more going on. Thanks for the wonderful information!

  • Beckie says:

    Great article!
    Does anyone have any suggestions for reading material on releasing
    anger?

  • Mindful Meditation says:

    Thanks For this article. I appreciate, it was helpful