Vein Trouble and Varicose Veins

Venous conditions affect a large proportion of the population in the West, particularly women - there are four times as many female sufferers as male, commonly ranging in age from 35 to 50. Vein problems include a wide range of leg symptoms, such as heaviness, swelling, unpleasant tightness, pain, restless legs, or burning or tingling sensations - most of which are worsened by heat or fatigue at the end of the day.

The contributing causes most often cited are:

- work that involves prolonged standing or sitting
- floor heating
- exposure to the sun or to heat
- how many pregnancies a woman has had
- hormonal factors
- being on the pill
- being overweight, especially if this goes with an excessively rich, spicy, or unbalanced diet, or heavy drinking or smoking

A detailed clinical examination, supplemented with haemodynamic tests (such as a Doppler or ultrasound), is essential in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, to choose the most appropriate treatment, and to ensure the best monitoring possible.

Vein problems are linked to one unavoidable factor, and that is heredity, which is beyond our control at the moment. But there are other factors that can trigger or aggravate the condition, and these should be acted upon.

Our evolution from quadrupedal to bipedal status put a significant strain on the venous system. The stagnation of blood flow, and the resulting increased pressure, have led to unsightly, sometimes painful, dilation of the veins and to varices.

General advice

These tips are both important and effective in the improvement or slowdown of the condition. You should:

• Avoid heat in all its forms: sunbathing, saunas, Turkish baths, hair removal using hot wax, floor heating, or tanning sessions with UVA rays
• Take cool showers, rather than hot baths
• Help promote good venous return by wearing heels that are neither too high nor too flat, by avoiding tight clothing, socks, shoes, or boots, and by remembering to put your feet up whenever possible
• Lose any excess weight, which only puts extra strain on the legs
• Give preference to physical activities that promote venous drainage, such as walking, gentle jogging, cross-country skiing, swimming, and cycling - rather than weightlifting, basketball, fencing, volleyball, tennis, or squash, which tend to dilate the veins .

Oxygen-bearing blood leaves the heart and travels round the body through the arteries. It returns, carrying waste products, through the veins a process doctors call 'venous return'.

Dietary advice

Your diet should be:

• High in vitamin C, which comes primarily from citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, grapefruit), spinach, parsley, and tomatoes
• High in vitamin E, which is most abundant in whole-grain cereals, wheatgerm, soya beans, lettuce, spinach, asparagus, and cold-pressed vegetable oils such as olive or sun­flower oils
• High in selenium, which comes principally from pineapple, cereals, and fish.

Mechanical measures

- Elastic support for the legs is now available as fine compression stockings or tights, which still show off the shape of the legs while preventing dilation of the veins

- Lymph drainage, through massage, the application of gentle pressure, or the use of specialized equipment, improves the circulation of lymph fluid (the liquid in which our cells are bathed) and thus improves the symptoms.

Homeopathy

Aesculus and Vipera

- Four 5c tablets of one or both of these remedies to be sucked slowly, twice a day between meals

Aesculus hippocastanum

- Vegetable origin: the horse chestnut
- The homeopathic remedy for swollen veins
- One specific sensation: the feeling of heaviness

Vipera redii

- Animal origin: the venom from the poison asp
- The homeopathic remedy for inflammation and dilation of the veins

• You could also try Aesculus-Heel@ (Heel), which contains Aesculus D2:
  - Available in drop bottles of 30 and 100ml
  -In general 10 drops 3 times daily
• It is also important that you combine these treatments with a constitutional remedy, to be chosen after consultation with a professional homeopath. Some likely choices are Calcarea fluorica, Pulsatilla, or Sepia

Calcarea fluorica

- Mineral origin: calcium fluoride
- The homeopathic remedy for slackened tissues (such as prolapsed organs, sprains, and varicose veins)

Oligotherapy

Manganese and cobalt

Trace elements are usually found in a varied and high-quality diet. In cases of deficiency, which is unlikely with these two minerals, they can be given as medicinal supplements.

Dietary sources of cobalt

Cobalt is most plentiful in mushrooms, white cabbage, shellfish (crayfish), onions, radishes. and meat (especially liver).

Dietary sources of manganese

The best sources of manganese are beetroot, blackcurrants, cereals, chestnuts, chocolate, nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts. and walnuts), wheatgerm, ginger, cloves, green vegetables, soya beans, egg yolk, and tea.

• Manganese-cobalt treatment this combination is available in various brands and forms, such as Organic Minerals (Colloidals) which contains 70+ trace minerals:
  - Available in 946ml bottles
  - Take 1-3 caps just before breakfast and/or evening meal
  - Children 1 teaspoon daily for each 20lbs of body weight

Or Maximol (Ionized colloidals):

- Available in 500ml bottles
- Take 1/2 capful once or twice daily on an empty stomach

Herbal remedies

Blackcurrant, chestnut, and red vine leaf all have an elective action on venous circulation.

Possible Prescription: Ask your herbalist to make up 60ml bottle of mother tincture of red vine leaf. Take 25 drops in a little water, three times a day for several weeks.

• You could also try 'Health from the Sun' Blackcurrant:
  - Available in containers of 50 capsules containing 500mg of Blackcurrant
  - 2 to 3 capsules to be taken daily .

Red vine leaf

This shrub possesses a wealth of benefits to human health. We all know the virtues of red wine: a grape treatment purifies the body (although watch out for the calories), while the vinegar soothes the skin. The leaves and fruit promote circulation in the veins and help strengthen fragile capillaries

• You could try a topical treatment such as vitamin k Creme plus (Jason) which contains horse chestnut, calendula and bioflavonoids: - Available in 60g tubes
  - Rub in the cream twice a day

Plant essential oils

Mint

- You can massage your legs gently with a few drops of essential oil of mint, alone or diluted in virgin olive oil. You could also soak your feet in luke­warm water to which a few drops of essential oil of mint have been added.

Mint

Fifteen different mint species are used throughout the world for their digestive and refreshing properties. Peppermint is the most sought-after for its delicacy and its effectiveness, both of which are related to the quality and concentration of its essential oil.