Foot Swelling

My mom's wound care nurse advised my mom to see a doctor about swelling in her feet and also advised her to lay off the salt.

An appointment yesterday yielded little more than a clean EKG and referrals to three other specialists. My mom wanted to find another doctor that would work with her more directly and not just refer her out to multiple specialists.

I talked to Dr. Rodier today and he asked, first and foremost, is the swelling in one foot or both? It's more noticeable in one foot. Dr. Rodier advised that my mom have an ultrasound to rule out clots in that leg. To rule out organ failure causes, Dr. Rodier would run blood tests for the kidney and liver (Chem 20) as well as the heart (B-Type Natriuretic Peptide or BNP).

Dr. Rodier went on to say that edema is all about having leaky arteries, which are due to TOIL (toxicity, oxidation, inflammation, and lack of mitochondrial energy).

I talked to my mom about getting on the Paleolithic (detox) diet that Dr. Rodier prescribes to all his patients:

• Weeks 1 & 2 -- Nothing but lean chicken, fish, eggs, raw nuts, and fresh veggies
• Weeks 3 & 4 -- Addition of fresh fruit
• Weeks 5 & 6 -- Addition of legumes
• Weeks 7 & 8 -- Slow re-introduction of grains, noting any sensitivities

Fo my mom, it's going to be about a lot less salt, a lot more veggies, more water -- and a few blood tests to make sure there's not something mechanical wrong. Edema is really not something to ignore.