MS, Wilson6, WarLobo: thoughts on possible supps to combat fluid retention ...

[THeMaCHinE]

Water intake is good; she has tried racemic ALA, but perhaps R-ALA is worth a go; she is fairly low carb at the moment, but that could probably be improved over the long haul. I think the bc plays a fairly large part. I'm going to check into the bc the MS was talking about on another thread.

 

[spatts]

Is one kind of potassium better than another for fluid retention? Citrate, gluconate, does it matter? And what quantities are effective?

Thanks

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Is one kind of potassium better than another for fluid retention? Citrate, gluconate, does it matter? And what quantities are effective?

Thanks

*snip*

How much is usually taken?
The best way to obtain extra potassium is to eat several pieces of fruit per day, as well as liberal amounts of vegetables. The amount of potassium found in the diet ranges from about 2.5 grams to about 5.8 grams per day. The amount allowed in supplements—99 mg per tablet or capsule—is very low, considering that one banana can contain 500 mg. One should not attempt to achieve higher potassium levels by taking large numbers of potassium pills. This concentrated form of potassium can irritate the stomach—a problem not encountered with the potassium in food.

Are there any side effects or interactions?
High potassium intake (several hundred milligrams at one time in tablet form) can produce stomach irritation. People using potassium-sparing drugs should avoid using potassium chloride-containing products, such as Morton Salt Substitute®, No Salt®, Lite Salt®, and others and should not take potassium supplements, except under the supervision of a doctor. Even eating several pieces of fruit each day can sometimes cause problems for people taking potassium-sparing drugs, due to the high potassium content of fruit.

Potassium and sodium work together in the body to maintain muscle tone, blood pressure, water balance, and other functions. Many researchers believe that part of the blood pressure problem caused by too much salt (which contains sodium) is made worse by too little dietary potassium.

People with kidney failure should not take potassium supplements, except under careful medical supervision.

http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/

 

[spatts]

Well, then I already get a ton of potassium, so that must not be my problem.

That could be a problem for someone low carbing (no fruit) too.

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Well, then I already get a ton of potassium, so that must not be my problem.

That could be a problem for someone low carbing (no fruit) too.

Spatts, here's a reference that might help ...

http://members.tripod.com/~charles_W/table.html

 

[MS]

Those flavinoids are all basically anticoagulants, which may help reduce edema in folks with poor circulation. This is not the same kind of edema that you get with hormonal/mineral imbalances, so I doubt they would do anything other than increase a woman's risk of bleeding.

"dandelion leaves possess diuretic effects that may be comparable to the prescription
diuretic furosemide (Lasix®)."....................nuff said, although that research wasn't don in humans, the experience of the female board members here is that dandelion leaves work pretty well.

Maybe time to change birth control methods??? Has she had a medical checkup recently?

 

[JJFigure]

Another herbal remedy is Uva Ursi. I have a product from Planetary Formulas called Uva Ursi Diurite that contains Cleavers leaf, dandelion root, ginger root, marshmallow root, parsley root, and uva ursi leaf extract. It works fairly well, although I try to use it as a last resort.

Another product I found from Planetary Formulas is a digestive aid called Digestive Comfort - it's a chinese blend of herbs also known as Kan Ning Wan (healthy peaceful pills). I've found this helps with bloating/upset digestion when I'm PMS'ing.

I get both of these from iherb.com, BTW, in case you want to read more about them.

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Maybe time to change birth control methods??? Has she had a medical checkup recently?

She's really only open to oral b/c methods at this point; we have discussed vasectomy on my end, so that may be a possibility. It is my understanding that a male b/c pill will be coming to market in about a year, so that may be a possibility too.

Yes, she's regular with her checkups ... Is there anything specifically she should ask?

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Those flavinoids are all basically anticoagulants, which may help reduce edema in folks with poor circulation.

Don't a lot of women have problems with circulation in the lower body? Or is this still a mismatch?

What are the ladies here finding as an effective dose for dandelion?

 

[THeMaCHinE]

First thing that's got to go is BC for water.....

Really? Is that the bottom line basically? No way around it?