Hi - lots of interesting stuff here!  As an osteopath, I believe that good circulation is vital to health.  I give the following exercise to all my patients that suffer ankle swelling / oedema, lower leg discolouration and those about to go on long flights or car / coach journies.  You can do them in the office too, as you don't need to lay down or raise your feet - but of course they are more effective if you can.  I proved their effectiveness a few days ago on my return trip from Turkey, when my feet swelled for the first time ever!

 First, do alternate toe-ups and heel-ups (raising your heels then your toes as far as possible, about one movement a second) for 30 seconds.

Next screw your toes up then down for 30 seconds.

Take 3 deep breaths.

Bend and straighten your knees as far as possible - this may be easier to do left then right etc., again one a second for 30 seconds.

Repeat heel-toe.

If you have the space (i.e. not in economy class or the back of a small car!), raise one knee up to your chest then the other for 30 seconds.

Take 3 deep breaths.

Finish with shoulder shrugs - raise your shoulders up towards your ears then lower again for 30 seconds.  If you are old enough to remember Mike Yarwood's impersonation of Dennis Healy's laughter, you've got the picture.

The last stage is very important as the lymph fluid re-enters the veins via little valves just behind your collar-bones.  The one on the left, as I recall, drains only the upper half of the body on the left side - above the diaphragm - while the one on the right drains all the body below the diaphragm and the right side above. (I may have the sides mixed up, no text books to hand).  That's why the deep breaths are important.

This sequence makes the muscles in the legs pump the lymph fluid up the body and releases the "bottle-necks" (knee, groin, diaphragm and the space behind the collar-bone) so it can flow away.

This routine is not a substitute for proper exercise but means you can keep the fluids flowing when you can't walk across the car park or up the stairs.  You may find, as a bonus (or adverse reaction if you are between motorway services at the time!) that all the extra fluid returned into your circulation is quickly filtered out by your kidneys and you JUST HAVE TO PEE!!!

By the way, as I understand it animals are normally eviscerated, i.e gutted, immediately after being slaughtered so nothing from the gut or kidney / bladder can get into the meat.  Fish, on the other hand, may spend some time in the ship's hold before being gutted.  Some meats are hung for a long time (beef, venison and mutton) while lamb and, I think, pork are butchered fresh.  Game birds are not eviscerated before being hung and the country guide to a well hung bird is that it isn't ready 'til the first maggot drops out.  I'm still partial to the occasional pheasant, though.

Peter Still