29 Jul Avoiding swollen ankles this summer

Most of us are happy to see the summer arrive. However, for many people, one of the unpleasant side-effects of the warm weather can mean suffering from unsightly swollen ankles and puffy feet.

If you don’t find out how to avoid water retention in your legs and ankles, it could last well into your holiday, seriously spoiling your svelte poolside look

If you’re lucky enough to be jetting off somewhere, long-haul flights often exacerbate the problem. For those who choose to cruise for their summer holiday, spending hours relaxing on deck could mean that your ankles start to swell after a few days on board. Unfortunately, it is harder to avoid water retention in your ankles if you’re carrying a bit of extra weight or are over sixty and less mobile than you used to be.

Causes of water retention

The cause of swollen ankles is water retention.  This is often caused by a combination of sitting for long periods – either enjoying the sun or being stuck at the airport – coupled with heat and dehydration.

Writing on the Yahoo! website, Dr Sarah Brewer, a qualified medicinal nutritionist and author, explains why fluid retention happens by saying, “Swollen ankles are usually a sign of poor circulation. Blood sent to the feet has to return to the heart against gravity.

If the heart pumps poorly, or if the vein valves that stop backflow are incompetent (as is the case with varicose veins) blood can pool in the lower legs.”  This build-up of fluid leads to puffiness, meaning that your ankles swell up.

Normally, fluid rich in oxygen and nutrients passes from your blood capillaries into surrounding tissues, delivering nourishment to the cells before returning to the capillaries. However, when you have water retention, capillaries become ‘leaky’ and you get too much fluid in the tissue, a condition known as Oedema.

Most of the time, the lymphatic system acts as an overflow, returning fluid from tissue back into the bloodstream, but even this can be overwhelmed when there is too much fluid in one area, resulting in swelling and puffiness in areas such as the ankles, abdomen or feet.

While occasional fluid retention in legs and ankles is common, you should always seek medical advice to check for underlying health problems such as high blood pressure, heart, kidney, liver and circulatory problems if you feel that your water retention is persistent or worsening.

How to avoid puffy ankles

For most of us, fluid retention is nothing more than an annoyance, and you can avoid water retention by using a natural herbal remedy. HRI Water Balance herbal water retention tablets contain active ingredients including dandelion leaf and root, as well as extracts from Buchu, and Uva Ursi to help restore the body’s natural water balance.

To ensure the quality and safety of herbal medicines, it is important to make sure you choose traditional herbal products with THR logo which shows that they are approved by the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

If you are interested in finding out news and information about a natural approach to supporting your health, beauty and wellbeing, why not follow HRI Herbal on Facebook @HRIHerbal.