By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Edema in the legs is a recent phenomenon. Look at the feet of Masferre’s pictures and you see their feet and legs are well-defined. Of course, Masferre photographed faces more than legs but one can still see their legs. If you still want more evidence, ask your oldest citizens in the barangay if ever they saw edematous legs in the past. I mean, both legs are edematous or “inumbal”. I bet you there wasn’t anyone.
A cousin highly suspects “bukel” (legumes) as the culprit for gout and edema of the legs. I don’t know why we immediately jump the gun at “bukel” whenever one suffers arthritis or gout. Kawawang bukel. People have been eating “bukel” for centuries and come the 21 st century, we say it’s bad! You mean to tell me that people in the previous centuries lived peaceably with arthritis? I don’t think so. If gout was present before, it surely would have been in the healing stories of Jesus. Gout and other forms of arthritis are debilitating and so painful daw and surely somebody with gout would have pleaded Jesus to heal him or her. My biggest argument, though, that “bukel” does not cause arthritis or gout is that because it is a gift from God. I don’t believe that a loving Creator would give such a lovely plant, easy to grow in almost all parts of the world, generous with its leaves, beans and seeds, can be stored naturally (that is, without refrigeration) and that it would give illness. Nope, He wouldn’t. He loves us so much that He even gave his only Son for our sake. So, dear folks, “bukel” is not the culprit.
What is funny is that this cousin of mine noted that the “bukel” was mixed with meat. I don’t know why the meat was not tagged as the culprit, or the sugar that they scooped into their coffee or the Coke they drank after the meal. Kawawa talaga ang bukel. Actually, the culprits in gout and arthritis are the meat and the sweets. You will note below, however, that these excess meat and sweets are also the very same substances causing high blood pressure and diabetes that can result later to edematous legs.
Edema in the legs or leg swelling is caused by the retention of fluid in the legs. It is not usually painful unless it is caused by injury. If you press the ankle, your finger will make a dent. It is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying disease.There are many causes of this swelling but the most common causes of persistent or recurrent leg swelling are heart failure and/or kidney failure. It can also be caused by a problem in the lymphatic system like in filariasis or elephantiasis. Sitting or standing for a long time could also cause fluid build-up in the legs and so there is swelling but these are temporary. This could happen in long flights or sales ladies who stand or sit whole day in the mall. In these instances, you will notice that your feet don’t comfortably fit in your shoes anymore in the evening. How does this happen? You see, we need the movement of the muscles in the legs to help push blood up when we are standing or sitting. When these muscles are inactive, they cannot push the body fluids back up toward the heart. Result? Fluid retention in the legs, therefore, edema. Runners and trekkers don’t get edema of the legs because their muscles are active.
What to do when you have edema of the legs? Like any other condition, analyze first what is the cause of the edema. If you are “high blood” for a long time or diabetic for years, chances are your heart and kidneys are saying “tama na, sobra na” and they no longer can discharge their functions to the fullest. Napagod sila. There are medicines, western and traditional, to make you urinate and temporarily excrete the accumulated fluid but then these are temporary remedies. If currently you have heart or kidney failure, it is still wise to keep your diet healthy (meaning plant-based) and be physically active as much as you can. Discipline or self-control is the call of the times, whether you are a teen-ager or a senior citizen. The wisest thing to do is to trust that God provided in nature what we need to be healthy and well. He provided in nature what to eat and what to do to prevent making our blood sticky and sweet so that our systems continue to function well into our centennial birthday.
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