This is how to put an end to swollen legs, feet and hands.
How I finally restored my body's fluid balance and lost 5 kg of water - in a completely natural way without chemicals.
People who suffer from fluid retention (often called edema ) know how multifaceted and persistent this problem can be.
In some people, water retention begins after pregnancy or due to hormonal problems.
Other people are overweight and exercise too little during the day.
For others, it comes out of nowhere and the body retains water for no apparent reason.
The frustrating thing about water retention is that it is both visually unpleasant and has a health impact on your life.
You are ashamed of your fat legs , which are normally not that fat.
You are ashamed of your feet and ankles that you can no longer see.
Or for your fingers, which have looked normal all your life and have now suddenly become fat sausage fingers.
It is especially bad in the summer when you wear sandals or summer dresses and attract everyone's attention.
As if that wasn't bad enough, water retention is also a health problem.
If you don't do anything about it, joint problems often arise after a few months.
This is because the extra weight caused by water retention places a heavy additional burden on the joints.
But the worst part of all this is: There doesn't seem to be a real solution.
Water tablets (or even ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)) often have only a short-lasting effect and come with many chemicals and side effects.
I personally struggled with water retention for almost 2 years .
Until at some point it became too much for me and I took my fate into my own hands.
After months of research, I made a discovery that allowed me to rid my body of water retention in just a few weeks - without any side effects or chemical tablets at all.
With the so-called DVS method, I was able to get rid of my fluid retention and even strengthen my veins and connective tissue.
My story about fluid retention
Hello, I'm Jolanda Peters and I know the symptoms described above all too well.
I have been struggling with fluid retention in my legs , feet and hands for more than 2 years.
To this day, no doctor has been able to tell me the reason for this.
Of course I don't have much exercise during the day because I work in an office and spend most of my time sitting.
And yes, my diet may not always have been the most exemplary.
But that applies just as well to my colleagues and they do not suffer from swollen legs, fingers and ankles.
Or they don't tell me.
My legs and feet were so swollen, especially at night, that I often couldn't even see my ankles.
It was especially bad in the summer and on some evenings I even suffered from cramps.
I even took off my sandals and only wore closed shoes in the summer - which was anything but comfortable due to the swelling.
But it was still better than constantly being ashamed of my fat feet.
I tried well-known home remedies such as nettle tea , but I was also prescribed some water tablets by my doctor.
These helped a little, but you soon notice that your body gets used to the tablets and then you start retaining water again.
I don't even want to talk about the side effects and the chemicals in the medications.
After almost 2 years of suffering, I made a decisive discovery
I found a method that helped me lose no less than 5 kg of water in 6 weeks.
And the best thing is: it is a completely natural method.
No water tablets or other medications that fill the body with chemicals.
But that's not all: during my research I also discovered why water tablets don't work and which natural medicinal plants work best according to scientific studies.
If you suffer from fluid retention in your hands, legs or feet, be sure to read this article.
I have poured my heart and soul into this subject over the past 2 years and have been obsessively looking for a solution to my problem.
I would now like to share my findings with the world.
I'm sure it will help you too.
How did I come to this discovery and what is it about?
In the summer of 2020, I struggled with swollen feet and hands for the first time.
Like many other people, 2020 was a very difficult year for me.
I switched to working from home in May and continued my work there.
When my ankles first started to swell in June, I put it down to the fact that I was moving a lot less while working from home and eating mostly ready-made meals.
And water retention is apparently not uncommon in the summer.
My husband told me not to stress so much. It would go away on its own in the fall.
In retrospect, that was a mistake and I have to be honest: I totally underestimated the problem in the beginning. The first summer was a real drama.
By July I could no longer see my ankles and even my fingers were getting thicker from week to week.
So I resorted to a home remedy that my colleague at work recommended.
You probably know it: Nettle tea.
It is said to have a draining effect and increase the urge to urinate.
And indeed, it worked a little.
My fingers became thinner again, but not much has changed in my legs and feet.
In fact, as soon as I didn't drink nettle tea for a few days, the water came back - and even worse than before!
In August the scale showed 5 kg more than before I started working from home.
My thighs also felt much heavier.
But what really worried me was that the soles of my feet and ankles started to hurt.
Every step was painful, especially in the morning and evening.
Sometimes I even had cramps at night.
I continued drinking my 3 cups of nettle tea a day and looked for other solutions.
Then I tried lymphatic drainage in combination with lifting my legs.
But the same here too: you don't really feel like it's doing anything.
How could it be: the water has to leave the body somehow.
But lymphatic drainage is also a very expensive treatment that only works in the short term.
It was misery until the spring of 2021.
Despair had now given way to resignation.
In winter it wasn't so bad and I had already accepted my fat legs and feet as part of myself.
But I knew it would soon get warmer outside and then the worst symptoms would return.
So I decided on what I thought was the last resort: a visit to the doctor.
Because it was clear to me that I did not want to go through another summer with 5 kg of extra weight.
I finally wanted to be able to wear summer dresses and sandals again without being ashamed of my appearance.
The visit to the doctor finally got me in the right direction.
The first visit to the doctor
My expectations were clear: the doctor would probably prescribe me some water tablets and I would immediately feel better.
But it wasn't that simple.
First I had to figure out where my fluid retention was coming from.
In some people it is caused by weakened organs.
And almost all water tablets have side effects.
It must therefore be clear whether there is heart, kidney or liver disease, or even thrombosis.
For example, water retention is not uncommon in heart failure.
*Note : I also want to emphasize at this point: If organ weakness is the reason for your fluid retention, definitely see a doctor. In this case, water tablets may be the right therapy and it is important that you take the right type of tablets.
It turned out that I do not suffer from organ weakness.
According to my doctor, my fluid retention was caused by too little exercise, a diet that was too salty and my slight excess weight.
That was the good news.
The bad news: I still have to take tablets.
The doctor then prescribed me so-called diuretics.
I had to take it every day to get rid of excess fluid from my body.
My first visit to the doctor - unfortunately without success
I lost the water... only to come back!
At first, the tablets really worked.
After just one day I visibly lost water and felt lighter.
That's honestly exactly what I expected.
What wasn't so great was that I noticed side effects quite quickly.
Headaches, fatigue and cramps became more rather than less.
But the real problem: every time I stopped taking the tablets, even for a week, the water came back in a flash.
I then had to increase the dose to maintain the effect.
My body then got used to the dose and I had to take more water tablets.
With even more side effects!
That's when I realized that water tablets were not a long-term solution for me.
The last visit to the doctor
It was already May 2021 and I didn't have much time left before summer started.
It was slowly getting warmer outside and I knew my legs would retain even more water in higher temperatures.
And that meant even more pain with every step. After 3 months, my water tablets barely worked anymore.
Even though I had doubled the dose.
So I went to my doctor one last time.
My goal was to find out what other alternatives existed.
There may be other water tablets or even other active ingredients that help against water retention.
After all, I don't suffer from weakened organs.
So it can't be that hard to get rid of my fluid retention.
After putting some pressure on my doctor, she finally spoke up.
She explained to me the differences between the many different diuretics (water tablets).
This was the first time I understood what these tablets really do.
What follows is a summary of what she told me.
I then looked everything up again on the internet myself, so that I could present it better here.
My doctor explained to me that there are the following groups of diuretics:
1 - Loop diuretics
Loop diuretics inhibit the concentration process of urine by promoting the excretion of the salts sodium, chloride and potassium. The water flows towards these salts and more urine is excreted.
However, this can lead to a sodium, chloride or potassium deficiency . This explains my numerous side effects .
Loop diuretics therefore only have an indirect diuretic effect.
For example, loop diuretics include the following active ingredients with trade names:
- Furosemide (Lasix®, Furorese®)
- Torasemide (Unat®)
- Bumetanide (Burinex®, Fordiuran®)
- Piretanide (Arelix®)
- Etozolin (Elkapin®)
2 - Thiazides
Although the mechanism of action of these diuretics is slightly different, the same problem exists here too.
Thiazides increase the excretion of potassium, which can lead to a potassium deficiency. Thiazide diuretics also only have an indirect effect.
3 - Potassium sparing diuretics
There are also diuretics that do not excrete potassium.
However, in the Netherlands they are usually sold in combination with thiazides, under the product names Dytide® or Moduretik®.
And thiazides lead to increased potassium excretion.
4 - Osmotic diuretics
Unlike the other groups of diuretics, osmodiuretics have a direct effect on water excretion.
The problem here is that osmodiuretics are injected directly into the body and are only used in acute cases such as kidney failure.
So not an option for me.
Conclusion: water tablets are not an optimal solution
There are no diuretics in Netherlands that directly affect water excretion.
All available diuretics cause unwanted side effects .
This can lead to a deficiency of sodium and potassium in the blood.
This can manifest itself in fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation or cardiac arrhythmias.
Diuretics can also increase fat and sugar levels in the blood .
But the much bigger problem is that diuretics only treat the symptoms, not the cause .
For example, the circulation and connective tissue are not strengthened by diuretics.
All roads lead to nettle tea
Now I knew that water tablets were not the solution for me.
But it didn't really make sense to me.
So I asked my doctor about other options.
Her answer?
Nettle tea.
It would have a drying effect.
But as you know: I had also tried nettle tea.
Somehow I felt like I was going around in circles.
The subject of nettle tea kept coming up in conversations with my friends and my mother.
Until I asked myself: Why does everyone think nettle has a draining effect?
I decided to find out more about nettle tea as a home remedy.
After all, I had no other choice.
I became a nettle expert and discovered the DVS method
At first I read many different blogs where nettle tea was praised everywhere.
But that didn't really help me.
After all, I wanted to know why nettle tea didn't help me.
After many hours of research, I decided to ask for help.
I wrote to the author of a blog article and told her about my problems.
She is a naturopath (called Maralyn) and has more than 20 years of experience with all kinds of medicinal plants.
What I especially like about Maralyn is that she prefers natural medicinal plants , but at the same time follows the latest scientific findings. She combines both sides, so to speak: a scientific approach in combination with natural active ingredients from nature.
Maralyn then told me about the so-called DVS method , with which she has helped many people like me get rid of fluid retention once and for all.
The EVA method is based on 3 different medicinal plants that have been shown in various studies to have a draining and vein-strengthening effect.
And yes, nettle is one of them.
The 3 medicinal plants of the DVS method are:
#1: Nettle leaf extract
Maralyn told me why nettle tea often does not help against water retention, but nettle extract is excellent.
Nettle and its effects are now relatively well researched. Numerous studies have been done on this.
These studies are why nettle tea is also recommended as a home remedy.
Nettle helps with water retention. It has a draining and even anti-inflammatory effect.
But what no one knows:
Most research into nettle and its draining properties is not based on nettle tea itself, but on nettle as a plant.
Or in other words: nettle leaf extract.
Nettle tea did not help me because the dosage is much too low.
The dosage of the tea is much too low, because the water in the tea only absorbs a fraction of the nettle extract.
You would have to drink several liters a day to get a sufficient dose.
Nettle tea as a home remedy is well-intentioned, but in the end it is just a drop in the ocean.
What you really need, according to Maralyn, is nettle leaf extract.
#2: Horse chestnut extract
In addition to nettle leaf extract, Maralyn recommends two other medicinal plants that help with water retention.
Horse chestnut extract is the first of these.
The first study Maralyn sent me showed that taking horse chestnut extract works as well as wearing compression stockings - in people with chronic venous insufficiency (in other words, in cases of real misery).
But this is not the only research.
There is a second study that also concerns horse chestnut extract (HCSE).
Here, 6 out of 7 subjects reported that taking horse chestnut extract significantly reduced the pain in their legs and the volume of their legs.
When I later looked into the subject myself, I even found an article from the health insurance fund AOK Hessen, in which horse chestnut extract is recommended as a home remedy for fluid retention and heavy legs:
The AOK writes:
“The aescin contained in the seeds of the horse chestnut not only has a deswelling and draining effect , but also has the property of virtually closing the veins. They become more stable and thus protect the tissue against excessive moisture loss. Even minor inflammations in the veins can be relieved. That is why horse chestnut is also a proven remedy against chronic venous insufficiency, calf cramps and varicose veins.”
#3: Red vine leaf extract
The biggest surprise behind Maralyn's DVS method was the so-called “red vine leaf extract”.
I had never heard of this extract before.
But if you Google it, you will find numerous results saying that red vine leaf extract is very good for the veins.
In an article in the German pharmacy magazine Apotheken-Umschau, horse chestnut is even mentioned among the positive effects of red vine leaves:
These 3 medicinal plants help in water retention
The DVS method explained simply (Drainage, Vein Strengthening, and Sealing)
The DVS method stands for drainage, vein strengthening and sealing.
It goes like this:
D: Drainage. To get rid of water retention, you need to sustainably drain the body without losing potassium and other salts. Nettle leaf extract promotes the urge to urinate, while red wine leaf extract helps remove excess water from the tissues. Horse chestnut extract , in turn, helps reduce swelling in the legs.
V: Vein strengthening. Weak veins are one of the most common causes of water retention. Both horse chestnut extract and red vine leaf extract are excellent for this.
S: Sealing. To prevent too much new water from entering the tissue, the vessel walls must be sealed. According to AOK Hessen, horse chestnut extract also helps with this. This prevents the annoying water retention from returning.
When Maralyn explained it all to me, I was quite overwhelmed at first.
But everything sounded coherent.
And what I especially liked: Unlike chemical water tablets, these medicinal plants not only relieve the symptoms, but also combat the cause.
This is because horse chestnut extract and red vine leaf extract strengthen the veins, connective tissue and blood vessels.
They also prevent too much new water from entering the tissue.
The veins and connective tissue in particular play an often underestimated role in water retention.
Ultimately, the DVS method helped me
Finally I come across the life changing solution
I now knew exactly what I needed for the DVS method , but I had no idea how to get these extracts and in what dose to combine them.
Maralyn said the nettle leaf extract in particular would help in the short term.
This is because it has a strong diuretic effect.
I should take a strong dose of nettle extract in capsule form.
And what can I say? Summer was just around the corner and I wanted to get rid of a few liters of water, at least in the short term.
So I went to Google and searched for “nettle leaf extract”.
The first result was a shock:
The product I came across was called Water Balance blend from the company “Greenleaf Blends”.
And I can tell you right away: Water Balance was finally the solution to my long ordeal.
The company had developed a product based precisely on the three medicinal plants of the DVS method.
The whole idea behind the product is to get rid of water retention naturally.
When I read all the reviews, I was immediately convinced.
How the Water Balance blend works
Water Balance contains the 3 above-mentioned ingredients in perfectly balanced amounts and in high doses.
Nettle leaf extract is present in a ratio of 10:1. One daily dose provides you with 500mg of nettle leaf extract.
To get a comparable dosage with nettle tea, you would have to use a particularly large amount of tea.
The 10:1 ratio of the blend means that the extract is 10 times more concentrated than the starting material.
To get a comparable dosage, you would have to use about ten times as much nettle tea.
Assuming you normally use 1 teaspoon (about 2 grams) of dried nettle leaves for a cup of tea.
To get a similar dosage to the extract, you would need to use about 10 teaspoons (about 20 grams) of dried nettle leaves.
Horse chestnut extract is even available in a 15:1 ratio. A daily dose therefore contains 405 mg of horse chestnut extract.
The red vine extract is also high dosed (10:1 ratio). A daily dose also contains 405mg of the extract.
Water Balance blend also contains copper and manganese.
Inquiries with the Greenleaf Blends team taught me that these two trace elements are there for a reason.
Copper plays an important role in the formation of connective tissue and collagen production, while manganese is involved in various metabolic processes.
Click on the button to view the availability of Water Balance blend
My self-test with Water Balance blend begins
In May 2021 I had my last consultation with my doctor.
That same month I met Maralyn.
I started Water Balance at the beginning of June .
I stopped taking my water tablets.
At first I was very skeptical.
After all, it was the hottest time of the year.
Unlike the water tablets, I didn't notice an immediate effect with Water Balance.
This could of course also be due to the warm weather.
But after just under a week I noticed the first difference, which was also confirmed by the scale.
I lost just under 1 kg of body weight . I felt like it was mainly water, because I had to pee much more often.
By the way: the manufacturer recommends drinking at least 2 liters of water per day while using Water Balance. The idea is not to dehydrate yourself!
After 2 weeks the drainage really started.
My ankles finally became visible again and my hands and fingers were back to normal.
I finally got rid of my water retention in time for summer 2021
After 6 weeks I ordered another double pack just to be sure, because my legs and feet no longer retain water.
By the way, my scale now shows a weight loss of 5 kg!
I couldn't believe it at first: during the worst time of the year, my legs felt better than ever before.
And all this without side effects and in a natural way!
I got through the summer with flying colors with Water balance.
I only wish I had discovered the product a year earlier.
In the fall and winter I reduced the dose a little and the water did not return!
A year later, in the summer of 2022, the water has still not returned.
I can therefore only recommend the product to everyone and have included the link to the Greenleaf Blends online shop below.
It is best to immediately check whether the product is still in stock.
What I like about the Water Balance blend
It is developed by a company in the Netherlands.
The composition has been put together by experts. You can see that current leading research and the DVS method have been taken into account when developing the product.
Greenleaf Blends offers the product at an absolutely fair price. Other supplements against fluid retention, which are of lesser quality, sometimes cost £50-70 per month together. Water Balance blend is already available for £30 per month.
The ingredients are natural and of the highest purity and quality.
I think the packaging is beautiful.
I only need to take 3 capsules a day to combat my fluid retention.
The editor
Jolanda Peters struggled with edema for more than two years. Despite trying several treatments, she couldn't find relief. It wasn't until she discovered a natural method to tackle fluid retention that she was finally able to reduce swelling and improve her health. Since then, she has had no symptoms and can live a more comfortable life.
Appendix
Due to the many positive reactions, I have again answered a number of frequently asked questions:
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