Varicose veins symptoms with natural treatments and prevention methods
Varicose veins symptoms are the first signs of alarm which you should look out for. Although varicose veins rarely lead to any serious health problems, if you have them, it is a sign that something is negatively affecting your circulatory system.
They appear due to malfunctioning valves in the veins which can be caused by several reasons. Although they can appear all over the body, people usually get them in the legs and feet.
Causes of varicose veins includes excess weight, hormonal imbalance, pregnancy, bacterial or viral infection, sedentary lifestyle as well as too much exercise, smoking, injuries, high blood pressure, surgery, clogged blood vessels caused by high cholesterol and any other factor which may put too much stress on the blood vessels thereby damaging the valves.
Age and genetic predisposition to venous diseases also increases the risk of varicose veins.
VARICOSE VEINS SYMPTOMS
They are usually very easy to recognize, especially if the condition is more serious or the veins at the surface of the skin are affected. Varicose veins symptoms are:
- Swelling - the most common symptom
- Bulging or twisted veins
- Changes in the color of the skin
- Rash
- Feeling of heaviness, mainly in the legs
- Itching at the affected area
- Pain which may get worse after standing or sitting for a long time
- Skin ulcers - they usually appear if condition is more serious
If smaller surface veins are affected, it is not that serious but if the deeper, main arteries are affected, condition can lead to health problems. This includes blood clots and ulcers.
Don't confuse varicose veins with the spider veins. Spider veins don't cause swelling but they do cause changes in the color of the skin. Their shape looks like a spider's web from which the name comes from.
DIAGNOSIS
The doctor diagnoses the condition based on the varicose veins symptoms since most of them are easily visible. He may also try to feel the affected area in order to get the better estimate, besides looking for changes in skin color, swelling, ulcers or rash.
However, if only the deeper veins are affected, then more tests will be required. This may include doppler ultrasound, MRI of the veins or blood tests.
TREATMENT
While there are standard medical treatments such as surgery, laser treatment, sclerotherapy and radiofrequency treatment which either close, destroy or remove the vein, I will focus on natural treatments that I have tried and that have worked for me. This includes:
- Elevating your legs up, above the heart, helps drain the blood thereby easing the swelling and the pain.
- Ice or cold bandage also helps ease the pain and ease the swelling by improving blood flow.
- Circulatory supplements containing Butcher's Broom, Hawthorn and Horse Chestnut.
- Cream made from Butcher's Broom and Horse Chestnut which in my case worked even better than the supplements.
- Healthy diet rich in citrus bioflavonoids that can help in treating venous diseases, including varicose veins.
- Have a moderate amount of activity such as walking to encourage blood flow and avoid putting too much pressure on the blood vessels.
- Lower stress and cortisol levels through relaxation and rest.
- Balance estrogen and progesterone with Vitex(Chasteberry). Vitex can be used by men and women.
HOW TO PREVENT VARICOSE VEINS
In my case, varicose veins symptoms were caused by too much exercise, that is, by too long and too frequent low intensity cardio exercises such as jogging. Although, exercise is good for blood vessels, too much of anything can be bad.
In this case, too much exercise put a lot of pressure on my blood vessels damaging to the valves of blood vessels in my right calf muscle.
Also, too much exercise, especially long bouts of low intensity cardio, spikes up cortisol and affects progesterone which leads to unbalanced progesterone and estrogen ratio. By disturbing the balance between these two hormones, testosterone is also affected.
As a consequence of hormonal imbalance, veins are one of the first to be affected which causes damage to the valves of the blood vessels. By having a healthy diet and exercising according to your abilities, you are making sure that your hormones are at their optimum levels which decreases the risk of varicose veins.
Some herbs, besides the ones mentioned above, can also help. This includes adaptogens, cayenne pepper, turmeric, ginkgo as well as supplements such as fish oil and Diindolylmethane(DIM).
CONCLUSION
If you have family history of venous diseases, then you should pay special attention to the varicose veins symptoms. Although you can diagnose them by yourself, it is always better to see a doctor to get a better estimate of your condition.
Doctor may offer you surgery or some other treatment but if you are like me, then you will first try to treat it naturally. While circulatory herbs such as Butcher's Broom and Horse Chestnut can help almost everyone by strengthening the blood vessels, taking any other natural remedy, and its effectivness, will depend on the cause of the disease.
It is up to you and your doctor to determine the cause of this varicose veins, whether it is hormonal imbalance, stress, infection, weight, blood clot, lack of activity or too much exercise.
- Heart Healthy Diet: Simple Tips and Guidelines
- Learn everything you need to know about heart healthy diet and find the right one for you. Implement few simple tips for immediate benefits.
- Heart Healthy Foods: How to Get the Most from Them
- Heart healthy foods can improve cardiovascular system function. Foods good for the heart are bursting with vitamins, minerals and rejuvenating phytochemicals.
- Herbs for the Heart and Cardiovascular System
- You have heard for hawthorn and garlic but there are few other herbs for the heart which can help in treating heart disease, naturally.
- The Best Heart Health Supplements
- Besides fish oil, there are several heart health supplements which can be useful. This includes Coenzyme Q10, Salicin, vitamin D3 and few others.
- Heart Healthy Spices
- Although there are many heart healthy spices out there, each of them can help prevent and treat heart disease in its own way, thanks to different types of flavonoids in these heart spices.
- Stress and Heart Disease: How are They Connected
- Stress and heart disease are closely related. In order to decrease the risk of heart problems, we have to learn how to handle the stress and treat its consequences, if we are unable to avoid it.
- Cardio Exercises for the Heart and Cardiovascular System
- Cardio exercises are vital part of natural heart disease treatment. However, which kind of heart exercise you should preform, varies from person to person.
- Good vs Bad Cholesterol: How to Improve Cholesterol Values
- Good vs bad cholesterol conflict is somewhat misunderstood. There is no good or bad cholesterol but only high or unbalanced cholesterol.
- Good Fats vs Bad Fats: Nutritional Facts and Guidelines
- What is the real truth when it comes to good fats vs bad fats? How much dietary fats should you consume daily and what are the best food sources of healthy fats?
- High Blood Pressure Remedies
- High blood pressure remedies range from tips and lifestyle modification to herbs and supplements. However, the method that works for someone else, may not work for you.
- Normal Heart Rate: How is Regulated and Influential Factors
- Normal heart rate varies from person to person. Although, age affects resting heart rate, there are many other factors that can raise or decrease heart rate.
- How to Lose Fat: Overlooked Tips for Weight Loss
- How to lose fat is surely one of the most intriguing questions for so many people. However, the answer is very simple. Eat healthy foods, perform fat burning exercises and take care of your hormones.
- Hormones and Heart Disease Connection
- Don't neglect hormones and heart disease connection. If you want to treat or prevent heart disease you have to balance your hormones.
- Heart Disease and Immune System Connection
- Heart disease and immune system connection is often overlooked, while trying to improve cardiovascular system function. However, there are several things you can do to change this.
- Dental Health Heart Disease Connection: Facts and Tips
- Dental health heart disease connection is one of three overlooked factors, along with hormones and immune system. However, with smart and effective approach we can change this.
- Causes of Heart Disease
- There are many causes of heart disease and factors that can increase or decrease your risk for developing heart related problems. Check how to turn the tide in your favour.
- Symptoms of Heart Disease
- There are few main symptoms of heart disease. Find out which are they, how to recognize them as well as my personal experience with some of them.
- Diagnosis of Heart Disease
- Accurate diagnosis of heart disease is the first step toward recovery. You can't start with treatment before you know what kind of disease you have, obviously.
- Treatment for Heart Disease: Medications and Surgeries
- Standard treatment for heart disease consists of surgeries, medications and devices. Which one is right for you, depends on your condition.
- Heart Disease Blog
- This is a blog about natural remedies, personal stories, helpful herbs and supplements, workout program as well as other tips and facts which may help people faced with heart disease.
- Contact Me
- Ask questions and leave comments about this site here.
- About the Author of Heart Health Guide
- About the author of Heart-health-guide.com website.
- Heart Health Guide Sitemap
- This is sitemap of Heart Health Guide.com. If you want to get better overview of informations on this website, you can get it here.
Copyright © - Heart Health Guide - All Rights Reserved.
