Varicose veins are veins in the lower legs that are distended, widened, and in some cases twisted. Normally, blood flows into the veins after it has deposited its nutrients into the capillaries and returns to the heart so it can be reoxygenated. But when the valves in the legs that help move blood upward aren’t working properly, blood can pool in the legs, causing pressure and bulging varicose veins. You usually find varicose veins on the sides of the legs, the upper parts of the calves, and the inner thighs. Varicose veins may also appear around the anus and are called hemorrhoids.
Symptoms of varicose veins include cramping, dull aching pain, heavy feeling in the legs, swollen ankles, itching, and tingling and burning sensations in the skin of the legs. Women are about four times more likely to be affected than men (which is why we cover them in this chapter on women’s special concerns). Obesity, heredity, pregnancy, and age put one greater risk. When the veins are near the surface, they are more of a cosmetic problem than a health threat. However, a blockage of deeper veins can lead to thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Here’s what you can do to help.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Doctors have a nebulous catchall phrase, chronic venous insufficiency or CVI, to describe vein circulation problems. All this means is that a person’s vein circulation system is failing, and blood is backing up either in the tissues or veins. Symptoms of CVI include nighttime leg swelling, leg pain, and cramping.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Put an aloe vera plant in your windowsill and use the gel to relieve varicose vein itching!
NATURAL REMEDIES TO EASE VARICOSE VEINS
For ulcerations, apply a soothing salve or poultice of calendula, chickweed, comfrey, or liquid chlorophyll (available in bottles from natural food stores). To ease the pain or discomfort of varicose veins, apply a moist warm compress of mullein, sage, and white oak bark yarrow tea, all of which are astringent and tonifying. (For more information on how to make a compress or poultice, see pages 18 and 19.)
Bilberry helps to improve the strength of capillaries. Take one 80 to 160 mg capsule of 25 percent anthocyanosides three times a day. Butcher’s broom also helps improve the strength of capillaries and it contains a compound called ruscogenin that reduces swelling. Research published in the medical journal, Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research showed that taking butcher’s broom eased the symptoms of varicose veins such as pain, leg cramps, itching, and swelling. Take 150 mg three times a day.
Studies done in Europe found that horse chestnut helped to increase blood flow up and out of the legs, strengthen connective tissue, tighten up veins, decrease redness and swelling, and relieve painful leg conditions caused by poor circulation. One of its compounds, aescin, has been found to close the small pores in the walls of the veins, making them less permeable. This strengthens the vein walls and reduces leakage of fluid into the surrounding tissues. Take horse chestnut capsules containing 50 to 300 mg of aescin two to three times a day or 1 to 5 drops of horse chestnut tincture three times a day. Improvement should be within six weeks.
Avoid horse chestnut if you have liver or kidney disease or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. You can find products in natural food stores that contain capsules of combinations of these herbs, which can be used three times daily.
A quart (946 ml) of nettle and/or horsetail tea daily is rich in silica, which helps build strong connective tissue.
You can apply a witch hazel compress as an astringent twice a day to the veins.
Thrifty Cures!
At night, alternate hot and cold foot baths to alleviate varicose veins. Begin with hot water and end with cold.
Supplement with daily doses of 1,000 mg vitamin C and 500 mg bioflavonoids to help strengthen the capillaries. Vitamin E helps the blood utilize oxygen better and prevents blood clots so 400 IU a day supplement is recommended.
A supplement of 500 mg omega-3s three times daily can also help prevent blood platelet aggregation and keep vessels more flexible. Take two tablets of 6x calcium fluoride, mornings and evenings, to impropve elasticity of blood vessel walls.
FOODS TO IMPROVE VEIN HEALTH
Eat more ginger, garlic, and onions as these foods help break down the fibrin surrounding the varicose veins. Add them to every dish you eat if you can!
Varicose veins are rare in parts of the world where a high-fiber diet is common. When fiber is lacking, one is likely to be constipated and tend to strain during bowel elimination, putting pressure on the veins. So it’s important to eat more vegetables (especially dark leafy greens, beets, cabbage, okra, and sea vegetables) and salads. Use purslane raw as a salad green as it is a rich source of omega-3s. Also add small amounts of cayenne pepper to food to improve circulation.
Skip This!
Avoid deep massage atop a varicose vein as loosening a blood clot may be dangerous. However, gently applying some arnica oil to the area can gradually help disperse congestion. Do this only on unbroken skin.
Eat fruits high in bioflavonoids, such as berries and cherries. Whole grains beneficial to the circulatory system include barley, buckwheat, and oats. Also good to strengthen the vascular system are fish, especially bass, cod, flounder, hake (whiting), halibut, mackerel, salmon, snapper, trout, tuna, whitefish, and yellow perch. Consider using fiber supplementation such as flax seed (best if freshly ground before use), chia seed, or psyllium seed (take 1 teaspoon [2 g] in a bit of water three times daily).
Eat a relatively low-fat diet to avoid creating viscous blood. Cut down on red meat, high-fat dairy products, fried foods, and baked goods laden with fats. Nix margarine or hydrogenated oils. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids.
KEEP IN MIND
The following are some additional ways you can avoid or heal varicose veins:
• If you stand for long periods of time or do lots of heavy lifting, pressure in the veins increases. Instead, move around, walk, or bike ride. Do deep knee bends and a short walk when taking a break instead of drinking another cup of coffee. This helps pooled blood move back into the circulatory system.
• Regular exercise helps strengthen muscle tone and improve circulation. Brisk walking, roller-skating, aerobic dancing, swimming, cross-country skiing, and biking are all excellent activities for one prone to varicose veins.
• Wriggle the toes and flex and rotate the feet. Raise up on the toes and slowly sink to the heels. You can also practice isometric exercises by tightening the muscles and then relaxing. The old high school gym exercise “bicycling,” where you lie on your back, elevate the hips and legs, and make a bike pedaling motion, is also excellent.
• Avoid long periods of sitting, especially with your legs crossed. If you must cross your legs, do so at the ankles, not the knees. Elevate your legs when sitting if possible. If you have a desk job, adjust your chair so that there is not a lot of pressure on the backs of your thighs. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched in front of you whenever possible (like when watching an occasional movie on TV).
• Raise the foot of your bed by four inches (10.2 cm). Before jumping out of bed in the morning and applying sudden pressure on your legs, stay in bed a few minutes and stretch and flex your legs and feet before getting up.
• Whenever possible during the day, elevate your legs. Use a slant board to elevate the feet above the heart. If you are into yoga, the shoulder stand or head stand is a great way to ease varicose veins.
• Use color therapy to ease varicose veins. Focus on lemon yellow, which helps to dissolve clots, and turquoise, which is a blood-purifying agent.
• According to those that study psychoneuroimmunology, standing in a situation which one hates, feeling overworked, overburdened, and not being able to stand up for oneself can be contributing psychological factors to varicose veins. Do your best to improve these situations.
• Do your best to avoid walking on paved surfaces and choose more natural uneven places to promenade so that you use a wider variety of muscles.
• Clothing that is too tight, including shoes or boots, will restrict circulation and may cause varicose veins by not allowing the blood to properly flow through your body. Snug-fitting girdles, pantyhose, and belts, tight socks, and shoes—especially high-heels—cut off circulation, thus forcing blood to seek alternative routes or causing pressure on the veins. Support hose, on the other hand, help promote circulation. Make sure they are the kind that is tighter at the ankles, gradually decreasing in pressure as they get higher up the leg. If you can’t find a good over-the-counter brand, they can be medically prescribed.
This Natural Varicose Veins Treatment article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
