160) PREVENTION TIPS FOR VARICOSE VEINS

Still life with human legs and daisies (Photo credit: J. Star)

Women and also men can develop varicose veins due to the following reasons:-

• Poor blood circulation
• Tight fitted clothing
• Weight issues
• Hormonal imbalance
• Pregnancy
• High Heels

Here are some prevention tips to prevent the condition from getting worse.

Simple exercises

When you stand or sit still for long periods of time, your blood circulation can be affected and eventually you may develop visible bluish veins along the back of your legs.  To avoid this from happening, try these simple exercises.

1) Flex your calf muscles frequently to keep the blood flowing in your legs. When you point and flex your calf muscles, you are moving about one cup of blood out of the leg.

2) Squeezing your feet together while wearing shoe.

3) Go up and down on your toes.

These movements will work your muscles.  Shaking your leg does not help very much.

Don't wear tight fitting clothing for long periods of time

Varicose Veins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The movement of blood up the leg may be blocked if you  constantly wear girdles or knee-high stockings or socks.  

It forms a barrier resulting in the vein walls expanding.  Once that happens, the valves loses their tight fit and starts to fail, allowing blood to accumulate causing varicose veins to appear.  

What should you wear?

Consider wearing graduated support hose which are special knee high socks, pantyh

ose, nylons and tights that are good for your legs.  You may find them in pharmacies and it comes in various colors and patterns.

What the support hose does is it provides gradual  but gentle pressure on the leg, beginning at the foot and towards the upper leg.  This will help to reduce the expansion of the vein wall.  More pressure is applied at the ankle and becomes lesser as it reaches the knee area.

For daily use, choose a 15 mm Hg to 20 mm Hg pressure hose.

For people who have larger varicose veins, please consult your physician before wearing.  Usually doctors will prescribe up to 30 mm HG to 40 mm Hg pressure.

Maintaining a health weight

In most studies, varicose and spider veins are linked to obesity.  Consider losing weight with exercise and proper eating habits which may alleviate the condition.

Fluctuating Hormones

For women, the vein wall relaxes due to change in hormone levels during both pre-menstrual and mid-cycle ovulation.  When the veins are in a relaxed state, more blood will pump through it and putting more pressure on the valves.  Some women who are on the pill or taking hormone replacement therapy may also experience a similar condition.

The condition may be so bad, that doctors will prescribe support hose, exercise and weight control to keep the vein walls healthy.

Pregnancy

When a woman is pregnant, her body is flooded with high levels of various hormones.  Estrogen especially will relax the smooth muscles and collagen fibres that may contribute to the expanding vein walls.  The hormones will also trigger the body to increase the amount of blood by up to 40%.

So, if you suddenly develop varicose veins, there is a  possibility that you are pregnant.But the good news is that these veins will usually subside 4 to 6 weeks after the baby is born.

High Heel Shoes

Avoid wearing heels every day.  They may be fashionable but it is not so for your veins.  When you wear a heel that is 1.5 inches or more daily, your calf muscles will not be able to pump blood out of the leg.

To test the difference,  feel how the calf contracts when you wear a pair of lower heels and then change into higher heels.  You will notice that only your foot moves forward in high heels and your calf does not contract when you walk.

Exercise

You know that exercise can maintain a well toned leg muscle as more blood is pumped out and the veins have no chance to expand and cause valve damage.  However, take care not to do too much or strenuous exercises.  

For example, before lifting weights, breathe in and as you lift, you should breathe out.  Otherwise, you will force more pressure to build in your abdomen and block the flow of blood back to your heart.  This can also result in your veins compensating the blockage by expanding, losing its elasticity in the process.

My next topic for discussion is, "How To Know If Your Love Is True?"

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My Art & Poem Corner

If you have a heart, 

You'll willingly part, 

A juicy piece, 

of delicious berry.

I'll exchange it for a kiss.

One bite please, Jerry! 

One guinea to another, 

Oh! Why do I bother.

You're just a greedy piggy! 

There's more than one Cavy, 

that has a juicy strawberry! 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Until my next post,

Here's To Your Health!