Edema; water retention may be due to various causes like excess consumption of  sodium, hot weather, excess standing and various other medical conditions involving the kidney, heart, liver and lymphatic system. Women may experience it due to hormonal changes also. Unless there is a severe medical cause, edema can be treated by natural methods easily.

One of the culprit that causes edema is eating a lot of salt; sodium absorbs water. The most natural way to avoid salt to cure edema is to avoid or minimize consumption of processed foods like salty snacks, canned soups and soy sauce. Besides it is best to substitute salt with lemon juice or herbs that are diuretic like parsley.

When one feels like having a snack one can easily have unsalted nuts, seeds, bananas and whole grain unsalted crackers.

It is surprising to note that dehydration can also cause edema. The most natural way to cure it is to drink a minimum of eight glasses of fluids in a day as mineral water, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and herbal teas with nettle and dandelion. Include fruits like melons, oranges, sweet lime and lemon, which are high in potassium and low in sodium.

Inclusion of diuretic vegetables like leafy green vegetables, celery, cucumber, watercress, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots and onions can also help a lot to cure edema. When one should include starchy whole grain carbohydrates like rice, pasta, couscous and potatoes in one’s diet. Avoiding red meat and inclusion of  salmon, tuna, sardines or any other oily fish is one of the other natural ways to cure edema.

Physical exercise activates the body, widens the blood vessels and helps kidney to expel out the excess water. Brisk walk or workout for about half a hour in the day about four times a week helps a lot. Additionally,  our emotions can also problems of edema. Here the natural way for cure lies in  freely expressing  emotions.

These natural ways can help cure edema unless there are severe medical causes that require the help from a medical professional.