Have you ever noticed during the summertime how some people have sock marks dimpled into their skin long after they take them off? Some people don’t lose the marks till the next morning. Sexy huh? Don’t worry, this article isn’t about looking at people’s ankles, it’s about the effect extra fluid has on your body. Those sock marks are a sign you’re holding onto extra fluid and the longer you hold on to it, the worse it is for you.
So let’s discuss how fluid is regulated around your body and then ways to get rid of extra fluid and keep it off.The first thing to know about all bodily fluid is it’s totally vital to life. Blood, lymph fluid, saliva, urine and plasma are just a few of the important fluids that course through your body. All of these fluids interact and are dependent with one another. If you have trouble in one area, it will eventually cause trouble in another area. Let’s take blood for example.If you begin to get dehydrated your blood begins to get thicker. This thick blood makes your heart work harder because it has to push against a thicker fluid. This leads to your blood pressure increasing because of the stronger pumping action of your heart puts more pressure on the walls of the arteries..
Over a period of years chronic dehydration causes damage to your blood vessels and allows them to begin to spring small leaks. These small leaks allow fluid to begin to seep out into the spaces outside the arteries and to build up in the surrounding tissues. This fluid is also called extracellular fluid. Extracellular fluid is bad because it usually contains high levels of toxic by-products that can’t be sent to the liver or kidneys for excretion. So these toxins just sit there.
A very common place for these toxins is around the ankles and feet. There are two main reasons for this. First is gravity. Fluid will find the lowest place in your body to settle. That’s why so many people have those sexy sock marks. A second reason is the extra fluid puts a great deal of stress on your veins. Your veins have backflow flaps so blood can’t back up and settle in your feet and ankles. But under years of chronis stress these flaps become weak and wear out. This puts even more pressure on your heart and leads to more swelling in your feet and ankles.
So what is the best way to keep from having these problems? Drink more water. I know it sounds wierd to fight swelling with drinking more, but that’s what actually works. The more fluid you bring in the less your body wants to hoard the fluid already inside of you. By continually flushing your kidneys and liver you can keep your toxic load down and keep those nasty sock marks away. Fashion does matter!
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