A feeling of swelling, heavy legs, marked ankles at the end of the day... Water retention may be a discreet problem, but it has a profound impact on day-to-day comfort. Common in women, it is often the result of a circulatory or hormonal imbalance. On Soin-et-Nature, discover gentle, targeted homeopathic solutions to help your body better eliminate fluids, without side effects. A natural approach to alleviate the sensation of swelling and regain lightness of movement.
Water retention affects women more than men. There are many causes, and they can vary from one person to another, as well as accumulating in the same person. Water retention or edema means that the body has stored more water than it eliminates. As a result, blood vessels dilate, allowing water to escape into the tissues, creating a sensation of swelling and pain. Swollen fingers, doubled calves and heavy legs are just some of the consequences of water retention. This dysfunction is extremely common.
Often confused with cellulite, water retention causes swelling. With the arrival of warmer weather, water retention and cellulite become a major problem for many women. But we can't tackle this problem without analyzing the causes of their appearance.
Under our skin, we have a panniculus of adipose layer supported by reticular tissue and collagen, and vascularized by the microcirculation that supplies (or subtracts) energy in the form of fat to the body, according to its needs. Occasionally, however, the physiological balance is upset by exogenous factors.
In such cases, adipose tissue cells break down and release triglycerides into the intercellular spaces, compressing the microcirculation network and severely impairing its efficiency, leading to edema and "orange peel" skin. The circulatory and lymphatic systems are also responsible for draining fluids and metabolic waste products. Impairment of these systems facilitates the retention of fluids and toxins in tissues and, consequently, inflammatory processes in adipose tissue. People with cellulite often also have peripheral circulatory problems such as venous insufficiency with insufficient lymphatic drainage. Water retention can also affect the presence of cellulite.
In homeopathy, it is essential to differentiate between the causes and manifestations of cellulite and water retention, as their treatment requires a personalized, targeted approach according to the patient's terrain. Precise identification of these imbalances enables us to propose appropriate remedies, acting on the physiopathological mechanisms specific to each case.
The mechanisms behind the appearance of this form of cellulite, which results from a build-up of fat (adipocytes) in the subcutaneous tissues, are well known. This pathology affects women in particular, and can be the result of one or more factors, the most common of which are: heredity, excessive caloric intake (too much food or a diet too rich in carbohydrates and lipids), hormonal imbalances (particularly too much estrogen), inadequate venous and/or lymphatic circulation.
It's worth noting that moderate cellulite, also known as physiological cellulite, affects around 95% of women. It first appears in its firm, sensitive form at puberty, when the skin on the thighs and buttocks becomes progressively red and grainy. From late adolescence to menopause, cellulite becomes soft and flabby, with the formation of subcutaneous balls. This is known as "dimpled skin" or "orange peel".
Of course, there is a genetic predisposition (hereditary), but obesity and overweight are also considered by many to be a major risk factor and, in fact, although slim women are not exempt from this pathology, they still have more limited manifestations. In particular, we're talking about swollen, painful legs where accumulated fluids can't rise to the top and stagnate in the lower limbs.
Water retention is not synonymous with cellulite, but it is certainly a condition that can contribute to its appearance. Water retention is an imbalance between the venous and lymphatic systems and is characterized by the presence of widespread subcutaneous edema, due to insufficient fluid drainage, favored by the cells' tendency to retain liquids, toxins and mineral salts.
Usually, water retention is caused by an imbalance between two specific mineral salts, potassium and sodium, which aggravate the poor efficiency of the lymphatic system in its activity, also affecting the upper limbs and abdominal area. The causes that determine the onset of water retention are generally linked to poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. In cases where, in addition to microcirculation problems, real cellulite is added, this is a sign that other factors may also be at play: hormonal imbalances (such as excess estrogen), taking medication (such as oral contraceptives), periods of severe stress and nervousness.
Nutrition plays a fundamental role in this imbalance, both as a causal factor and as a possible remedy. It is therefore important to establish whether edematous swelling is linked to poor eating habits and/or excess weight, in order to intervene. For example, excess sodium increases water retention, as does excessive calorie intake.
From a dietary point of view, it's a good idea to seek the help of a competent food specialist to establish the true caloric balance and the choice of an appropriate dietary approach to support microcirculation, the reduction of the inflammatory state and an efficient metabolism.
If the whole body is affected by water retention.
Dosage: 3 granules, 3 times a day.
For use in cases of water retention in the lower half of the body, contrasting with weight loss in the upper half, in subjects who are always thirsty and prefer salt to sugar. Here, water retention is aggravated by heat and the seaside.
Dosage: 3 granules, 3 times a day.
Natrum sulfuricum 9CH:
Indicated in cases of chronic infiltration of the whole body, with hypersensitivity to humidity and an often depressive tendency, in shy and impressionistic subjects. Aggravation in humid areas, including the seaside.
Dosage: 3 granules, 3 times a day.
Recommended if water seepage is associated with fattening and general impasto, with edema of the feet in the evening, and tenderness to warts. This condition is often found in the aftermath of vaccination. If water retention is confined to the legs.
Dosage: 3 granules 3 times a day.
Recommended in cases of frigidity with a sensation of icy cold in the bones, edema of the hands and forearms, and difficult perspiration.
Dosage: 3 granules, 3 times a day.
Indicated in cases of obesity with lymphatic engorgement, absence of perspiration, chilliness, slow metabolism, in inactive and cold subjects.
Dosage: 3 granules, 3 times a day.
Use if extremities are cold, cyanotic, with edema of the extremities, particularly before menstruation.
Homeopathic treatment of water retention can be combined with 50 drops of Coryllus Avellana 1DH and Betula Alba 1DH, taken in the evening until improvement.
All advice relating to the use of homeopathy is mainly based on the book "L'homéopathie de A à Z" by Dr Jean-Louis Masson, published by Marabout, 2003. The advice you find on this page is the result of research carried out by our pharmacists using medical literature, and does not depend on the Boiron laboratories. What's more, this advice in no way replaces the advice of your homeopathic doctor. It cannot replace a medical consultation. You should never interrupt a treatment in progress, nor change the dosage yourself.
Consult the bibliography of works used as sources of information for all homeopathic medicines on this dedicated page: Bibliography.
