K STANLEY
Gee, there are a couple of complaints I can address in this issue of Healthlink! Is your mother a diabetic? To reduce the swelling in her legs, she needs to 1.) eliminate salt (as much as she can) from her diet, 2.) elevate her legs during the day for as long as two hours at a time; legs should be elevated to the extent that her feet level is above her heart, 3.) she should wear support hose ALL THE TIME, except at night. To find good support hose, go to Happy Feet on the net. You don't need a doctor's Rx for them, but you do need to go in for measurement. As for the salt, sometimes it's impossible to eliminate all of the salt (you need some, anyway) because processed food--canned, frozen--packaged--always has way too much salt. Check your labels. You should restrict your intake to between 1 and 2 grams a day, and less if you can. Good luck.