Varicose Veins

A varicose vein is disease related to veins. Varicose veins are gnarled, enlarged veins. The word varicose is a Latin word, root varix, which means "twisted". Veins of the person suffering form this disease become enlarged, dilated or thick.

Symptoms of varicose veins :

Some of the symptoms of varicose veins are swollen legs. Patient may experience muscular cramps and feel tired all the time behind the knees. Skin may become purplish hue and pigmented because the blood my not be able to reach heart, instead it may get collected in the lower part of the legs.

Varicose veins can affect any part of the body, but generally they affect the legs. Largest veins in human body are found in legs, they carry blood from lower end to the heart. Mechanical obstacles to blood-flow may be a reason for varicose vein, but it is primarily caused due to an increase in intravenous pressure, which is the result of the incompetence of the valve.

Varicose veins have an ugly appearance and can be dangerous. There might be a blood clot within the affected vein which might break away and move toward the heart or lungs, giving rise to serious complications. As compared to men, women suffer more from this problem and the urban society is affected more than the rural one.

Causes of varicose veins:

• Sluggish circulation due to constipation, dietetic errors, lack of exercise and smoking.
• Standing for long periods.
• Wearing tight clothes.
• Pregnancy puts undue pressure on the abdomen and pelvis thus slowing down the flow of the blood from the lower end to the heart.
• Obesity

Home Remedy for Varicose Veins:

Varicose patients should be on juice fast for four or five days or on an all-fruit diet for seven to ten days. Take warm water enema during this period to cleanse the bowels and avoid constipation. Once the fast is over, go on a restricted diet plan, have orange or lemon juice for breakfast, raw salad of any vegetables that are in season with olive oil and lemon juice dressing for lunch and end the day with steamed vegetables like spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnip, cauliflower along with raisins, figs or dates. Avoid bread, potatoes and other starchy food.

Gradually start with a well-balanced diet consisting of grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits. 75% of the diet should be raw. Avoid all condiments, alcoholic drinks, coffee, strong tea, white flour products, white sugar and white sugar products. Take a sho0rt fast or all-fruit diet for two or three days each month depending on your progress.

The best natural cure for varicose veins is raw carrot and spinach juice. Mix 300ml carrot juice with 200ml of spinach juice to get a potent juice.
Vitamin E and C is beneficial for varicose veins, 3000 mg of vitamin C and 600 to 1200 I.U. of vitamin E per day are recommended. This will ease pain and leg cramps associated with the varicose veins.
Another home remedy for varicose veins is alternate hot and cold hip bath, which should be taken daily. Spray cold water or apply cold pack on the affected parts. Mud pack may be applied before sleeping and keep it on till morning. Take a hot Epsom-salts bath twice a week.

Precautions for Varicose Veins :  

1. On a long plane or a train trip, get up and take a walk every half an hour. When you are driving, stop the car once in a while to get out and stretch out your legs.
2. Elevate your feet and rest your legs on a chair or stool while reading or watching television.
3. Walking helps leg muscles push the blood up. Try swimming or walking in deep water so that the pressure exerted by the water against legs helps in moving the blood up the veins and protects stagnation.
4. Sleep with your feet raised slightly above the heart level to shift the blood away from the ankles. If your problem is serious, raise the bed by keeping blocks of six inches in height under the posts at the foot. But avoid this if you have heart problem.
5. If your doctor has advised bed rest, keep moving around gently to help keep the circulation moving.
6. Do not wear round garters since they cut off the venous circulation and thereby raise pressure in the veins and increase the risk of varicosities.
7. Do not wear elastic girdles continuously when you are sitting for a long time since they bunch up and hamper the return flow of blood.
8. If you are pregnant, wear elastic stocking and lie down occasionally throughout the day. After you deliver the baby get up as soon as possible to improve the blood circulation.

Sunbathing and deep breathing exercises can provide releif. Try certain yoga postures like viparitakarani, sarvangasana and sirshasana. They drain blood from the legs and ease pressure on the veins. They relax the muscles and let the blood flow in and out of lower extremities freely. You can also try padmasana, gomukhasana, vajrasana and shalabhasana for benefits.