Are Varicose Veins a “Female Problem” ?

Both males and females are predisposed to certain kinds of medical problems. For example, women have to have annual mammograms to make sure that they are not at risk for breast cancer. Men have to make sure that they get annual prostate exams to prevent cancer as well.

However, there are other maladies that are not as serious, but still gender-specific, like varicose veins. Generally, women are the ones who get varicose veins because of pregnancy weight. Also, since women wear high heeled shoes, that can also hinder circulation and cause varicose veins.

So, what do varicose veins look like? Well, these veins usually show up on the lower legs (usually on the calves). They are alternately green, purple, and blue in color. The puffier they are, the more serious they might be. For example, these kinds of veins indicate poor circulation problems. Poor circulation can thus be indicative of heart problems, and clots.

One way you can tell if the veins are more than just annoying blemishes is if they throb when you walk. The more painful they are, the more serious they could be. Thus, you should make an appointment to see a dermatologist as soon as possible. You’ll be happy to know that there are a bunch of different ways that your veins can be fixed. However, be aware that the veins won’t be cured overnight. They will need to be dealt with over a period of time – sometimes weeks, sometimes months. But, the patience will be worth it to know that you are taking care of your health.

Holistic Treatments For Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are a very ugly, embarrassing problem that many people, especially women suffer from. In fact, twice as many women have varicose veins as men. They tend to run in families. Most often varicose veins show up on the legs, ankles and feet, but theoretically, they can appear anywhere. They cause no harm, other than to a person’s vanity. Sometimes they can be tender to touch and can cause swelling of the ankles and feet.

If you are wondering if you have a varicose vein, look at the symptoms. Varicose veins are dark blue blood vessels that are clearly seen through the skin. Sometimes aching in the legs accompanies the presence of varicose veins, especially if the person is on their feet for a long period. If the vein stands out, it is probably a superficial varicose vein.

Varicose veins are caused by excessive pressure on the legs that causes blood to pool in a vein, causing the vein to twist out of shape. Women are more likely to have them because of the hormonal changes that occur during both pregnancy and menopause, which tend to cause varicose veins.

The most common thing recommended to relieve any pressure from varicose veins is support nylons. This helps to release the pressure on the leg and ankle. Laser treatment can remove some forms of varicose veins and surgery or stripping is needed for severe veining.

Some people would rather turn to holistic treatments to prevent and ease varicose veins. Acupuncture cannot help the problem get better, but activating certain acupuncture sights can help to keep varicose veins from getting worse. Some people turn to aromatherapy. Cypress and geranium essential oils are used by blending twelve drops of them with another oil and rubbing the mixture on the legs, not just the veins. Oil of rosemary is also massaged onto the veins to help stimulate circulation. If the person is suffering from swelling and pain, they can apply oil of cypress or oil of chamomile.

Increasing fiber intake to 30 grams per day can help keep more varicose veins from forming. Adding vitamin A helps alleviate any varicose ulcers. Blood vessels are strengthened through taking B Complex One. Vitamin C promotes circulation and vein strength. Vitamin E helps improve circulation and make one less prone to having varicose veins. If you struggle with varicose veins, avoid sugary and salty foods, as well as animal protein, fried foods, cheese and ice cream.

Chiropractors can help keep varicose veins from forming through manipulating the spine to relieve pain on the legs. Some choose to take an herbal treatment. Witch hazel applied to the area is said to help reduce the appearance of the veins. Horse chestnut can be taken internally or externally to help with circulation. Other herbs that help are bilberries, butcher’s broom, gotu kola, ginko and hawthorn.

Alternating between hot and cold baths can sometimes help stimulate circulations. Adding Epsom salts to the water is a good idea. You can soak your feet and legs in the water without needing to wash your whole body. These are some suggestions to help ease the discomfort of varicose veins and prevent more from forming.

Reduce Varicose and Spider Veins With Diosmin 95

What are varicose veins? Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins. They are usually blue or dark purple, but they can also be flesh colored. Varicose veins typically look like gnarled or twisted cording and can sometimes be bulgy. They are usually raised and swollen above the skins surface and are mostly found on the inside of legs or on the backs of the calves. Gravity, body weight, and the job of carrying blood from the lower portion the body back up to the heart are reasons that the legs are the primary location for varicose and spider veins.

When a woman is pregnant she often develops hemorrhoids which are varicose veins that form around the anus and in the vagina.

Spider veins are like varicose veins only they are much smaller. Often they are blue or and they lie closer to the surface of the skin. Sometimes they look like branches or spider webs giving them their name spider veins. Spider veins are usually found on the legs, but can also be found face and can cover a very small area of skin and sometimes a large area of skin.

Varicose veins and spider veins are caused by venous insufficiency. The heart is supposed to pump blood, full of oxygen and nutrients, to the whole body. The arteries then carry the blood from the heart towards the body parts and the veins carry oxygen-poor blood from the body back to the heart. When the leg muscles are squeezed the blood is pumped back to the heart from the lower extremities. The veins have valves that act as one-way flaps and the valves prevent the blood from flowing backwards as it moves up the legs. However, if the valves become weak, blood may leak back into the vein and collect there. The vein becomes enlarged by the pooled blood and it then becomes varicose.

This is also one cause of spider veins; hormone changes, inherited factors, and sun exposure also cause spider veins.

Both men and women suffer from spider and varicose veins. On the average 50% of women in the United States and 40% of men suffer from vein problems. Varicose veins affect one half of the people 50 years of age and older.

There are a variety of factors that increase an individual’s chance of developing varicose or spider veins. These factors include but are not limited to age, heredity, hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause, being on birth control pills or hormone replacement therapies, obesity, injuries to the legs, and over exposure to the sun.

Even though not all varicose and spider veins can be prevented there are some things that can be done to limit the chances of getting new varicose and spider veins and can ease the discomfort the you feel from the ones you already have:

• Protect your skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen.

• Get regular exercise to improve your circulation and your leg and vein strength

• Keep your weight under control so there isn’t any added pressure on your legs

• Keep your legs uncrossed while you are sitting

• Elevate your legs as much as you can while you are resting

• Sit down every so often don’t stand for long periods of time

• Wear support hose and avoid tight fitting clothes that might constrict your groin, waist, or legs

• Stick to a low-salt diet that is rich in high-fiber foods

• Take a nutritional supplement with Diosmin 95® such as Venacura

The active ingredient in Venacura has been clinically proven to keep the neuramediators in your veins more active for a longer period of time. By keeping the neuramediators more active will prevent and reverse varicose and Spider veins. The addition of Diosmin95® is a good choice for people with healthy veins as well as those with varicose or Spider Veins.

If you want to have healthy beautiful looking legs and if you want to reduce your varicose veins and spider veins then Venacura with Diosmin 95® is the clinically proven, guaranteed solution for you. Venacura is the only product with Diosmin 95® available in the United States.

Endovenous Laser Therapy : Laser Cure for Varicose Veins

A varicose vein starts out as little more than a visual problem but it can lead, over time, to leg swelling, fatigue and pain. The reduced flow of blood to your legs causes your legs to tire quickly and often make them feel as heavy as lead weights. If left untreated the varicose vein can get serious to the point of causing leg ulcers, impaired walking, leg cramps and blood clots. Correcting the problem used to involve hospitalization, surgical removal of the varicose vein and a long recovery period. It can make one shudder just to think about it. Today, however, utilizing the latest laser technology, in many cases, much of that old surgical procedure can be a thing of the past.

The benefits of this new laser procedure for varicose vein treatment are considerable. There is really no preparation work required at all. It can be done as an outpatient procedure and generally takes less than an hour start to finish. The old surgical procedure often took 4 to 6 hours or more. Total anesthesia for the laser procedure is not required and there is only minimal pain. When everything is done there is no scarring. The incision to insert the laser is so small that there is no need for stitches. When the doctor is done with the laser there is really no recovery period at all. Vigorous physical activity is discouraged for the first day or two after laser treatment but generally you walk out of the outpatient facility and return to your normal daily activities immediately. There may be some minor itching and tenderness for a week or so afterwards but not enough to limit your activities. Sometimes you have to go back for a second or third follow up laser procedure to obtain complete resolution of the problem. Of course that will vary from individual to individual.

The technical name for this procedure is endovenous laser therapy. The laser used is very precise and delivers a very controlled dose of laser energy. The doctor will insert a very small thin laser fiber into your thigh. Even though your varicose vein shows up in your lower leg area the real cause of the problem is almost always a faulty valve in your upper leg. Once the laser is properly positioned in your upper leg he will activate the laser. The heat from the laser energy will cause the blood in that area of the vein to coagulate and close off the diseased varicose vein. This will cause the entire vein from there down into your lower leg to shrink and be absorbed back into your body. The number of veins in your legs is huge so the loss of the one varicose vein is not a problem for your circulatory system. The blood that normally would have gone through the diseased varicose vein will now go through other healthier veins.

This laser procedure has proven to be more than 96 percent effective at eliminating the problem with a varicose vein. So there is still a chance that you may have to undergo the old vein removal procedure. But your chances of solving a varicose vein problem quickly and easily with laser technology are better than ever before.

Varicose Veins – Causes and Treatments

Varicose veins are enlarged, discolored veins. They appear swollen and twisted. Varicose veins are typically 3 millimeters or more in diameter. They are commonly found on the backs of the calves or on the thighs. Varicose veins are often painful and itchy. Scratching them can cause open sores to appear. Varicose veins occur more frequently with women than men and with people over the age of 50. Despite the best efforts of researchers, the exact cause of varicose veins still remains a mystery, but there are some theories.

A person who is overweight passes the additional weight in the abdominal muscle to the leg veins, which causes the veins to enlarge. In most cases varicose veins are found in the legs, which suggests that this condition comes from standing for long periods of time.

Veins have valves that prevent the blood from flowing backwards as it moves up the legs. In a varicose vein, however, these valves fail or become weak and result in blood going away from the heart and leaking back into the vein and collect there. This pooled blood enlarges and stretches the vein and it becomes varicose.

Weak vein walls can cause the vein to stretch and this can cause the vein valve to malfunction. This tends to occur with women who are pregnant, or on their period, because they produce hormones that can weaken the vein walls.

It appears that varicose veins are hereditary. Studies have shown that people who have family members that have varicose veins are more likely to get it. Weak veins and walls may also be inherited characteristics.

Arterio-Venous shunts can weaken the vein walls because it helps bypass the capillaries, which keeps the high blood pressure of the arteries from overwhelming the veins. The hormones created during puberty, pregnancy and menopause can create Arterio-Venous shunts.

Researchers have not been able to determine a cure for varicose veins, but there are treatments that can alleviate some of the problems of varicose veins.

Surgery can be used to treat severe varicose veins. This technique is called vein stripping. This is usually done under local or partial anesthesia. This surgery involves inserting a flexible implement through the varicose vein. When the implement is taken out, the varicose vein is removed with it.

There are two endovenous procedures that can be used to remove severe varicose veins in the legs or thighs. These techniques are less invasive than vein stripping and do not require an overnight stay. Both procedures require the insertion of a device inside the varicose vein. The endovenous radio frequency closure procedure uses a catheter to transmit radio frequency energy to seal the varicose vein. The endovenous laser procedure uses a diode laser to transmit laser energy to seal the varicose vein. In both cases, the varicose vein will turn into scar tissue and eventually fade away in several weeks. After either procedure, a person could resume his or her normal routine the very next day.

The most common treatment used to eliminate severe varicose veins is sclerotherapy. This procedure requires no anesthesia and does not require an overnight stay. A solution such as sodium tetradecyl sulfate, hypertonic saline, or aethoxyskerol is injected into the varicose vein. This solution will seal the vein walls and stop the blood flow. Then the varicose vein will turn into scar tissue and eventually fade away in several weeks. Additional treatments may be required for some cases.

Non-surgical treatment for varicose veins

Elevating the legs provides relief in varicose veins. “Advice about regular exercise sounds sensible. The wearing of graduated compression stockings with a pressure of 30–40 mmHg has been shown to correct the swelling, nutritional exchange, and improve the microcirculation in legs affected by varicose veins. They also often provide relief from the discomfort associated with varicose veins. Caution should be exercised in their use in patients with concurrent arterial disease.
The symptoms of varicose veins can be controlled to an extent with either of the following:

• Anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen or aspirin can be used as part of treatment for superficial thrombophlebitis along with graduated compression hosiery. — but there is a risk of intestinal bleeding.

• Diosmin 95 is a dietary supplement distributed in the U.S. by Nutratech, Inc.
Sclerotherapy is used for telangiectasias (spider veins) and varicose veins that persist or recur after vein stripping. A Cochrane Collaboration review concluded sclerotherapy was better than surgery in the short term (1 year) for its treatment success, complication rate and cost, but surgery was better after 5 years, although the research is weak. A Health Technology Assessment found that sclerotherapy provided less benefit than surgery, but is likely to provide a small benefit in varicose veins without reflux. Complications of sclerotherapy are rare but can include blood clots and ulceration.

Symptoms Of Varicose Veins

• Aching, heavy legs (often worse at night and after exercise)

• Ankle swelling

• A brownish-blue shiny skin discoloration around the veins

• Skin over the vein may become dry, itchy and thin, leading to eczema (venous eczema)

• The skin may darken (stasis dermatitis), because of the waste products building up in the legs

• Minor injuries to the area may bleed more than normal and/or take a long time to heal

• Rarely, there is a large amount of bleeding from a ruptured vein

• In some people the skin above the ankle may shrink (lipodermatosclerosis) because the fat underneath the skin becomes hard.

• Restless Legs Syndrome Restless Legs Syndrome appears to be a common overlapping clinical syndrome in patients with varicose veins and other chronic venous insufficiency.

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and twisted. Carl Arnold Ruge is credited with having first defined varicose veins as “any dilated, elongated and tortuous vein irrespective of size”. The term commonly refers to the veins on the leg, although varicose veins occur elsewhere. Veins have leaflet valves to prevent blood from flowing backwards (retrograde). Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart. When veins become enlarged, the leaflets of the valves no longer meet properly, and the valves don’t work. One cause of valve failure is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can cause permanent damage to the valves. The blood collects in the veins and they enlarge even more. Varicose veins are common in the superficial veins of the legs, which are subject to high pressure when standing. Besides cosmetic problems, varicose veins are often painful, especially when standing or walking. They often itch, and scratching them can cause ulcers. Serious complications are rare. Non-surgical treatments include sclerotherapy, elastic stockings, elevating the legs, and exercise. The traditional surgical treatment has been vein stripping to remove the affected veins. Newer surgical treatments are less invasive (see radiofrequency ablation) and are slowly replacing traditional surgical treatments. Since most of the blood in the legs is returned by the deep veins, and the superficial veins only return about 10%, they can be removed or ablated without serious harm. Varicose veins are distinguished from reticular veins (blue veins) and telangiectasias (spider veins) which also involve valvular insufficiency,by the size and location of the veins.