I have badly swollen feet and ankles when I have been on my feet for some time or been walking.

Swelling in feet and ankles is commonplace, especially among older population. The various causes of swelling in the feet and ankles are pregnancy, menstruation, obesity, old age resulting in weakness of bones, and foot injuries. Another cause of swollen ankles is an edema, also referred to as peripheral edema, and it is caused by an abnormal retention of water and fluids. Other causes of swollen ankles are microbial infection of the foot, insect bites, blood clotting, burns, and lymphatic obstructions. Swelling in the legs and ankles generally causes considerable discomfort. If accompanied by pain, it can be even difficult to walk. If your ankles are swollen, it is best that you consult a doctor first as there could be many reasons why the swelling has occurred. In particular, you must consult an orthopedist if the swelling does not subside in a week's time. Meanwhile, you can try some of these home remedies for swollen feet to complement the medical treatment.

• One of the most effective swollen feet treatments is the intake of foods that have diuretic properties. These foods help flushing out excessive fluids from the body, thereby relieving swollen feet caused due to edema. You can consume barley water and parsley water, both of which are excellent diuretic agents.
• Another effective home remedy for swollen feet and ankles is soaking the feet in cold water for 15 minutes. This will help reduce the edema and relieve swollen feet.
• You should also reduce your intake of salty foods. Salt is osmotic in action, and it can increase water retention, resulting in the swelling of feet. As such, you must refrain from consume salty foods. Also avoid canned and processed foods as they are rich in salt.
• Massaging your feet with warm mustard oil is also an effective method of alleviating swelling and pain in the feet and ankles.
• One of the most effective home remedies for swollen feet is the application of apple cider vinegar, which helps reduce the excessive fluid content in the body, thereby relieving swelling in the ankles and feet.
• You can also use cucumber to treat swollen feet on account of its ability to absorb excessive water from the body. Take a slice of cucumber, put it on your foot, and cover it with a bandage or cotton cloth to relieve the swelling.
• The intake of soaked lecithin seeds is also one of the home remedies for swollen feet.
• If you are overweight, a long-term treatment would be to reduce. Follow a negative calorie diet and exercise regularly to keep a check on your weight, thereby preventing and treating swollen feet and ankles.

answered by c

Swelling of the feet and ankles is due to fluid and water retention, also called as oedema. Fluid retention may be the symptom of some disease either heart disease, liver disease or kidney / renal problems. Also, drugs given to treat hypertension can cause salt, water and electrolyte imbalances and lead to feet and ankle swelling.

Parsley is the best natural diuretic. You could try this out: Add two teaspoons of dried parsley leaves per cup of boiling water. Steep for ten minutes. Drink up to three cups a day.

Realise that use of diuretics and natural remedies to treat oedema will take care of the symptom but not really help in the long run. The root cause for developing water retention has to be identified for proper treatment. Seek professional help to find out the root cause for your oedema so that you can derive maximum benefits of an appropriate treatment.

Always keep your feet on a table slightly elevated with a pillow under them for support whenever you are sitting.

Restrict intake of salt from your diet as it can worsen water retention but do not eliminate salt completely from your diet. Do not add top salt and avoid consuming canned, bottled foods. Avoid foods like salted nuts, pickles, ketchups.

You can definitely try out our natural cure using parsley but you do need professional help to deal with your specific condition.

answered by P P