Cream of Tartar
★★★★★
I have been taking Lasix (furosimide?) and daily potassium supplements for many years for my valve leakage, and gradually I started retaining more and more fluid. Cloth still fit, just that the scale shows numbers that pop my eyes wide. Tried so many things...none worked.
So I tried 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar with glass of water and was amazed by how fast it worked.
Then went and read more , and learned that's it may not be good if taking potassium sparing drugs. (my meds were non-potassum sparing) Optimistic by the result started taking 1/2 tsp with glass of water daily.
I must say, I feel good, I've lost 10+ lbs of fluid over a couple of months. Plan to adjust/reduce to 1/4 tsp once I reach my optimum weight and see how it goes.
Cream of Tartar
★★★★★
Would someone from EC please comment on the safety of this recommendation?
i got all excited when I first read about Cream of Tartar, becoz I have awful leg spasms keeping me up at nite and have been noticing that im craving bananas which do seem to help. So, potassium imbalance?... it would be awesome to have a little bottle of CreamTartar on hand for those late nite moments when the legs are hopping & im out of bananas.
Then I did a little reading elsewhere and learned that Cream of Tartar is EXTREMELY high in Potassium... Maybe this is not something to be messed with after all? she recommends adding 1/4tsp in water to be sipped, but doesnt say whether she uses it all or how fast. Or in how much water. from my reading I saw that the kidneys must be in good shape for dealing with high levels of potassium, and that too much can cause unexpected death from heart failure.
How dangerous is this advice?? I don't think I would be comfortable trying cream of tartar without knowing its limit of safety, and I am having a hard time identifying exactly how much potassium Cream of Tartar actually contains... Online sources claim anywhere from 495mg per tsp- which is not so much- all the way up to 5 grams- which would obviously be toxic!
Reaally need some clarity, EC... Thx!
(Us)
05/13/2014
For muscle twitching at night, avoid all artificial sweeteners, especially in drinks, bottled diet teas, diet soda, drink mixes such as crystal light. Your Restless Leg Syndrome will disappear.
(Il, US)
06/27/2014
@Bo- have you ever tried taking magnesium supplements for the leg cramping/spasming? I used to have horrible leg cramps and spasms, in my calves. I started taking magnesium and the cramping and spasming has almost completely stopped. Every now and again i will wake up from a really bad cramp in my calf. It only happens 2-3 times a year now, instead of on a regular basis. When i wake with the horrible cramp i take an extra magnesium pill, along with some potasium (sp?), and i also drink some gatorade.
Obviously, check with your doctor before trying anything. The magnesium can cause tummy problems for some people (it is also used to help people when they are constipated), so start slow, and work your way up to the amount that you (and your doctor) decide will work for you. I hope you find something that helps...i know just how horrible leg cramps and/or spasms can be. Good luck!
(Maine)
08/17/2014
For leg cramps and twitching, put a bar of soap in your bed.
(Fairfax, Va)
08/17/2014
(Michigan, US)
12/21/2014
(West Terre Haute Indiana)
05/24/2015
I mix Epsom salts (potassium sulfate) cup for cup with water. Put it in a spray bottle. It absorbs through skin without the effects of taking it orally.
You will relax immediately; so will muscle cramps. Will put you to sleep easily. Spray some on and rub it in daily. Saves on using large amounts in bath or foot soaks
(Michigan)
05/28/2015
Epsom Salt is actually magnesium sulfate. Spraying it on the legs does and will help restless leg syndrome, very much. Thank you Arthur Hall for mentioning this for RLS. Many people have good results with the bar of soap, but it did not help me. I have to wonder if this has something do with what causes RLS in different people.
Magnesium alone has not helped me with edema, though it has helped with easing joint pain at times. Potassium does help with edema, but I would lean to the cautious side and not use more than 1/8t. of either cream of tartar or pure potassium citrate.
~Bj~
(Somewhere, Europe)
05/29/2015
Yesterday, after strenuous legwork, my toe cramped up. I immediately stood up and pressed down hard on it. That helped for a minute, but it kept cramping. I grabbed a handful of Epsom Salts (probably way too much) and put it in a pail of warm water and stuck my foot in there for a bit. Instant relief and no repeat cramps, thank G-d!
Update:
One night when the leg cramps & electrical nerves were very bad & we were out of bananas, I did actually get brave/despearate enough to just sample- with the tip of my pinky finger- a taste of Cream of Tartar. My sample was Less than 1/16th tsp...
Within minutes I began suffering the classic effects of Extreme Hypotension, bordering on medical Shock. it was a terrifying experience & I believe I came close to dying that night. I thank the Creator that just before I came to the point of passing out, a sudden small thought entered my swimming conciousness- "take Sea Salt NOW", and immediately I did, and sat on the floor, and in short time began to feel my pounding heart slow a bit and become more steady, and my veins stopped throbbing and I became less dizzy and faint, and was able to go back to bed (still wondering if I would wake in the morning)
This is a Very Extreme Reaction- and I believe Uncommon Side Effect- BUT I want to state that I believe this occured because I am allready a Clinical Hypotensive with chronically dilated veins. Cream of Tartar is a powerful VASODILATOR which is why it is so effective to reduce blood pressure, but as such is extremely dangerous to people who allready live with Chronic LOW Blood Pressure due to naturally dilated veins. We who have Low BP from large veins should stay far away from all Vasodilators, whether chemical OR Food-Sourced, it doesn't matter- we have no margin for error. Vasodilators in an allready dilated cardiovascular system can trigger medical shock and potentially kill.
(Usa)
03/18/2018
I realize Bo posted 5 years ago but I find it difficult to believe a tiney bit of cream of tartar almost killed him but he was able to eat bananas. For perspective I have drunk two whole teaspoonsfull in a glass of water more than once.
I get pain and muscle spasms in my legs when I lay down at night sometimes and calcium/magnesium/zinc pills, vitamin e, and coQ10 fix it within minutes. Bananas and a glass of milk used to work too, but I use pills now.
(El Monte, Calif.)
03/23/2016
(Australia)
09/03/2016
Hi --
I have been told by a Naturopath if Magnesium is not working then try a Kelp Tablet. It worked for me.
(Wales)
07/11/2018
Anything containing potassium will tend to lower the blood pressure, so that includes all fruits & vegetables. But low blood pressure can be an indication of poor adrenal & kidney function. Licorice root tea or capsules can help to raise low blood pressure. Small dose gradually increased is best so it can be monitored. Potassium is very healing, but always better when derived from fresh fruit & vegetables. Since going high fruit raw food I no longer suffer with edema and my insulin sensitivity is much improved. My injected insulin requirement (I am diabetic) has dropped by a quarter to half of the amount I was taking when following a high fat Ketogenic diet (which made my insulin resistance much worse).
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
The upshot is, it takes only a few days on a NO-Carb diet and your waterlogged legs and feet will go back to normal. It's amazing to say the least.
Also, there is another dietary problem at work here, the severe lack of the micro-mineral Chromium. Chromium deficiency causes an Insulin insensitivity. The cells are trying to incorporate the Insulin so they can burn glucose, BUT the absence of Chromium won't allow this otherwise simple function. I don't know how, but the spice Cinnamon also very much helps the body burn sugars.
The amino acid Taurine helps cells utilize minerals (opens the ion gates).
(Seattle)
05/24/2023
Apparently you're unaware of the Kempner Rice Diet, devised by Dr. Walter Kempner back in the 40's - 60's. He CURED people of fatty liver, obesity, diabetes, and even diabetic retinopathy, using a diet of sugar, rice and fruit juice.
Sounds insane, but it worked for a majority of his patients!
https://fanaticcook.com/2018/11/04/sugar-does-not-make-people-fat-case-in-point-kempners-rice-and-sugar-diet/
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Distilled Water
★★★★★
(Akron, Oh)
06/30/2010
Was glad to see your report on distilled water. Needed help with swelling. Will give this a try. Thanks.
(Los Angeles, Ca)
11/27/2013
★★★★★
Distilled water has been very helpful for me. I started using it June 1 2013 see a huge difference in my health, joint pain and well being.
(Ten Mile Tn.)
11/28/2013
STEPHANIE, be careful, because distilled water will remove minerals from your body, especially calcium. You are flirting with osteoporosis.
(Uniontown, Oh)
11/28/2013
(Ten Mile Tn.)
11/30/2013
YEP, RO WATER has all the minerals removed just like distilled water does. Our Anti-Aging doctor uses an RO SYSTEM because the Knoxville water has so many man made chemicals in it. She then has to supplement with minerals. We have well water and drink from an Alkaline Ionizer which gives us double the good minerals that is normally in the well water. I'm not that smart, but Google is. ======RH=======
(Jekyll Island, Ga)
06/13/2014
Distilled water removes only the inorganic minerals from your body which can cause all sorts of problems especially joint pain. DW will not remove any organic minerals. Do the research.
(US)
09/11/2014
I don't understand how by drinking distilled water can remove anything from the body.
I can understand that by not replacing minerals into the body they will eventually deplete. But, that by drinking one hundred percent pure water, like it was when the earth was first made and the first dew gathered upon the grass how could that actively deplete a mineral.
We know that smoking activetly depletes many minerals and vitamins from the body. But that is an active process. In other words a man or woman has to smoke and the chemicals interact with the body and deplete the nutrients. But how can drinking water that is distilled deplete minerals?
Thank you.
(St George Isl., Fl.)
09/12/2014
HI U NO DRUGS, , , , , , , , , , , , because you don't understand, does not mean it is not so. Pure water is a very strong solvent and because of what is known as hydrogen bonding it has an affinity for minerals to satisfy this ionic charge.
Like in paper mills, most industry uses steam in the process. A small amount of steam condenses in these pipelines and the water is called condensate and it is pure or distilled water. To remove, the steam line will have a line going down to a trap which removes this hot distilled water which then falls on concrete. After awhile, this distilled water will absorb the calcium ( or mineral) and a hole in the concrete will occur.
This phenomena also takes place in your body when you drink distilled water. Folks also don't appreciate that a double osmosis filter in your home will do the same thing.
Back in the ridges of Tennessee we use an alkaline water ionizer which doubles the amount of minerals that are normally in the water. We want the added minerals and the ionized structured water.
I hope this has shed some light as to why distilled water removes minerals from your body.
=====OLE ROBERT HENRY=======
(IL)
07/11/2023
(Tennessee)
09/12/2014
Dear Robert Henry,
Thank you for explaining this. I have heard that one should not drink distilled water and now I understand why.
I was so happy to read your post yesterday about your vacation and resting etc. I am glad you are doing well.
~Mama to Many~
(IL)
07/11/2023
Dear Mama to Many,
I follow your advise a lot on EC. Can you please suggest alternate to distilled water. I can not drink tap water because it tastes horrible and even I force myself to drink, I feel weird and bloated sometimes
(Australia)
01/04/2018
False. Distilled water removes inorganic minerals, which your body can't use anyway. Organic minerals are immediately utilised. Be aware of this when buying mineral supplements: if they're not organic, they're not beneficial.
(Brazil)
11/02/2018
Osteoporosis is easily prevented or reversed drinking lots of vegetable juices including green leaves. It is a disease of people who do not like to eat fruit, green leaves and vegetables.
(Seattle)
05/24/2023
Actually Ricardo, green veggies like spinach, etc., can make osteoporosis and other bone diseases worse, due to their high oxalate content.
A better solution is to do like our grandparents did -- make soup or broth from the bones, skins and tendons of the 'whole animal' -- chickens, cows, pigs, etc., -- and we'd have a lot less hip and knee replacement surgeries which have skyrocketed in the last 40 years. Even "kids" in their 30's and 40's are needing hip replacements...so sad.
(Tennessee)
07/13/2023
Dear Sandy,
My children grew up with well water and will not drink "city water, " when we go to hotels or airbnb's etc. So I understand your dilemma.
Some options would include trying a Brita filter; we used one when we lived in Michigan. Store bought spring water would have minerals in it.
Ask around. There may be a spring somewhere that people like. Where I live there are a couple and we see people stopped and filling up bottles right on the side of the road. (Rural roads.)
If you know anyone who has good water they may be happy for you to fill up gallon bottles at their house. My son and daughter in law have bad water and fill up bottles whenever they go to her parents' house.
When we travel I usually just get bottled spring water.
I have used a Berkey Filter in the past, but they are pretty expensive.
For the issue of feeling poorly after drinking certain waters, charcoal tablets can be taken to help with that. I keep a bottle of them in my car; I never know when I will need them!
Love,
~Mama to Many~
Elana's Vegetable Soup
★★★★★
2 potatoes with skins, 3 carrots, 1/2 head cabbage, handful of fresh parsley, 1/2 bunch broccoli. Add lots of water and bring to boil till tender and drink the juice. I make enough for 2 days and drink at least a quart a day or whatever you like. It tastes so good and the feet swelling goes down. I make soup from the vegetables and that is yummy too!
Foot Massager
★★★★★
HI U OLE PATOOTS DOIN,,,,,,,,, as all know I fell and crushed my T 12 three years ago and have had edema since. Took diuretic pills, PT, lymph massage, etc. with little improvement.
Was told about the MED Foot Massager, bought it and again had little help until I did some study. The leg lymph system is fed from both sides of the T 12 vertebrae and I suspected the location of my leg lymph restriction. So about a week ago I began putting my feet on the machine and then sitting on the machine while on a bench. My feet, ankles and legs began to go down so I did the regimen morning and night . Now they are close to normal.
Guess by sitting on the massager my restriction is relieved and the lymph fluid can go on it's merry way.
As all know the lymph system is the sewer system for your cell waste. Without that waste being removed, you will absolutely not feel well. Also, physical movement or exercise is the only way it gets to move. Hopefully this massager has helped my problem and may give your some ideas if you have edema.
==========ORH==========
Fulvic Acid Complex
★★★★★
Anyway, her family in Cebu city were worried about her and so they contacted us. The grandmother is also a vegetarian and still very healthy -- she used to hike the mountains regularly but, because of the edema, now has problems just walking. The family wanted her to go into the hospital in Cebu, but she flatly refused because she hates cities.
The gist of this was that I sent her a fulvic acid product, which also contained zeolite, concentrated ascorbate and all the major electrolyte minerals for the body. To be honest this was a shot in the dark by me -- the description of her problem given by her family was very sketchy and non-specific -- so there could have been many other things causing her problems and so I just sent her the Fulvic acid complex in the hopes that it would work for her and have particular beneficial effects on her kidneys, liver and blood. The product -- which is taken in drops and is only sold in the Philippines -- is called Quantumin Plus. The dose I recommended was 10 drops two or three times a day with water or Tea. I have seen similar fulvic acid complexes sold in the US online.
Today, we have just received word -- after a month -- that her skin problems are now healing rapidly and the edema in her legs has reduced significantly. She has been taking no other medicines(she hates hospitals too). She is now able to walk normally and apparently continues happily tending her pigs and chickens as well as tending the small coconut forest in her garden. I simply remain astonished at the power and usefulness of this fulvic acid drops mixture.
(Yutan, Ne)
12/22/2013
Hi Bill from San Fernando I read your post about taking Quantumin Plus for edema. I just ordered me a bottle of this product that you talked about. I have edema in my right ankle & foot. Can tell me how much a person should take a day to help with the edema. Also do you know how long a bottle will last. Sincerely Mar
(San Fernando)
12/23/2013
Hi Mary...Since you only have edema in the right foot, then it is probably a local problem(not a body-wide problem) caused by a blockage in your lymph in the ankle region. So if you take bromelain (a protein digesting enzyme) 500 mgs outside mealtimes 3 time a day, this should help to remove the protein blockages in your right ankle and reduce the edema.
I would also take the Quantumin at 6 drops a day since this contains minerals and is also beneficially alkalizing for the body.
The 35 ml Quantumin bottle will last about 3 months.
(Manila)
12/02/2015
General Feedback
Ginger
★★★★★
(Fairbanks, Alska, Usa)
06/17/2013
How much powdered ginger should I use in my gunpowder green tea to ameliorate the massive all over body swelling which my doctors say is lymphatic obstruction. However, no salt, mostly veggies and fruit (raw) with brown rice or sweet potatoes and sometimes bits of chicken AND their lymph breaking massages have not helped. I should mention this started after several surgeries repairing head, brain, neck and shoulder injuries from an accident. I am now allergic to chemically based allopathic meds. I think their meds has caused this problem. They have me now on insulin, metformin, glyburide, and 25 mg of HCTZ daily with 300 mg of potassium. (I also developed diabetes during all this). Can someone please help me? I still have a young son to care for and teach... I am practically bedridden with the severe swelling and pain. Yes. Walking makes it worse. The doctors measured my body water content and found that I am "... At least 41 pounds of water over what you should be carrying. " I drink 2-4 quarts of water per day. Any less and I start holding even more! All heart, lung, kidney, and liver functions show healthy normal. HELP!
(New York, New York)
06/17/2013
Ginger is good ant-inflammatory agent and will also soothe an upset stomach. If you are able to get access to fresh ginger, I think that you should use it instead. To make ginger tea, just peel and grate a small piece and boil with water. Add some honey to it.
Green tea and ginger are good separately. I think that you should experiment with how much ginger you can tolerate if you are adding to green tea. To me, powdered ginger tastes different and not as palatable as fresh.
Let me know how this works you.
Grape Vine
★★★★★
Green Tea
★★★★★
Increase Energy-Production Pathways
★★★★★
The most common underlying cause of edema is hypometabolism, or low basal metabolic rate. The reason that it plagues young women more than young men is that young men have a higher metabolic rate. Women have a higher estrogen influence earlier in life, which down-regulates metabolic rate (and raises maximum lifespan). But when men get old, they often have higher estrogen than their post-menopausal wives--and develop edema.
Most of the treatments for edema mentioned here raise metabolic rate, and most things that raise metabolic rate ease edema. Lipoic acid is a mitochondrial nutrient that stimulates metabolic rate inside your body's power plants. So can coQ10, carnitine, B1, B2, B3, NADH, coconut oil, MCT oil, ketosis (fat-burning metabolism), exercise (aerobic only), breathing, and negative ions (from a shower, waterfall or surf). These are bottom-up effects, enhancing metabolism from the ground up.
Your body's metabolic rate is also influenced by top-down mechanisms. Thinking positive thoughts, cultivating happiness, sleeping soundly, having a great sex life, relaxing, escaping traps (toxic jobs or relationships), and looking forward to waking up each morning can also raise metabolic rate. And the specific mechanisms of neuroendocrine regulation include steroids (progesterone and testosterone are up-regulators, and estradiol and estrone are down-regulators), corticosteroids (low cortisol is an edema trigger), and thyroid hormone. Most people with edema will read the symptoms of hypothyroidism and go, "yep, yep, maybe, yep, OMG yes, yep, maybe, yep" as they read them. See the thyroid one-pager on the Steve page at Project Wellbeing (dot com) if you don't want to track them down on one of a hundred pages on the internet.
Since insulin resistance is so common in our society and since it causes low metabolism when eating a carb-replete diet, ketosis can relieve edema in a sustained way. After being in ketosis for many days, the insulin-resistance threshold begins to lower and carb-based energy pathways begin to increase.
Two last things to mention in this brief intro: one is body temperature as a sign of hypometabolism and the other is nutritional deficiencies related to hypometabolism. Most people with hypometabolism have a low body temperature and low pulse rate. This is something you can monitor, and track over time, to see if the remedies that work (and do not work) are associated with subtle increases (or not) in body temperature. Lastly, some of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in modern society are directly associated with hypometabolism. Magnesium deficiency, vitamin D deficiency and B-complex vitamin deficiencies are three that first come to mind.
To reliably track your body temperature requires a good thermometer (electronic ones are unreliable), and the right timing. Early morning body temperature just before getting out of bed is the best indicator of basal metabolic rate, because it minimizes muscle contributions, digestive contributions and adrenal contributions. If you are not fortunate enough to still have a mercury thermometer in your possession now that they are illegal to sell retail, use a gallium thermometer or import a mercury thermometer to act as your temperature reference standards. Electronic thermometers can work OK if you know how to interpret their results by periodic comparison to a mercury or gallium thermometer--or a fertility thermometer.
If you do not want to be bothered with verifying the connection between your metabolic rate and your edema, you can simply correlate the easing of your edema symptoms with your subjective feelings of your energy levels, strength, stamina and mental clarity.
