Home Remedies: Varicose Veins

The heart can pump blood to the toes in one beat, but it needs to pump a full five beats before the blood can make the return trip up your legs. The constant uphill battle against the force of gravity eventually takes its toll on our veins. By the time we reach the age of 60, about one in four of us has at least one bulging, blue-tinged ropy reason not to wear shorts in the summer.

Varicose veins is a condition of the superficial veins of the legs, where the standing pressure in the veins is greatest. These enlarged, twisted, and swollen veins usually appear just under the skin of the inner calves or on the backs of the legs, but they can also appear on the thighs. “Imagine that the blood in your veins is like a swimming pool. The farther you dive down, the more the pressure increases,” says Gabriel Goren, M.D., vascular surgeon and director of the Vein Disorders Center in Encino, California. “The pressure in the veins is directly proportional to the height of the person.” In other words, in tall people with varicose veins the appearance and symptoms can be more severe than in short people.

Doctors say that genetics and gender play the biggest role. If you are a woman and one of your parents had varicose veins, then you probably have them, too, especially if you have had multiple pregnancies.

Actually, the heart has an ally in the upward-pumping process. Every contraction of your calf muscles helps push blood back toward your heart. In fact, almost 90 percent of all venous blood leaves your legs through the deep veins by the contraction of your muscles. Doctors call it the calf muscle pump or peripheral heart.

As the blood ascends your veins, a series of valves prevent it from flowing back down. “They are like swinging doors going into a saloon, except they only open one way,” says Kevin Welch, M.D., dermatologist with the Medical Center of Pensacola in Florida.

Varicose veins start when the circulation slows, usually because of the lack of muscular activity. The blood begins to pool and stretch the walls of the vein. The added pressure in the distended vein pushes on the valve, eventually forcing the “saloon doors” to open the wrong way. “Instead of the blood being held in little compartments, it flows backward,” says Dr. Welch.

The damage doesn’t stop at one valve. As we age, more valves fail, and more varicose veins develop, says Dr. Welch.

On the bright side, varicose veins are not dangerous, although they can cause an achy, tired feeling in the legs, says Dr. Goren. Often, the legs swell, too, and that swelling worsens throughout the day. Pain is more common during warm weather or after a period of prolonged standing.

You should see a doctor if your legs develop a brownish, purplish discoloration with itching or scaling, particularly around the ankles. Anything you can do to keep the circulation moving and relieve the pressure in your veins will help relieve your symptoms, says J. A. Olivencia, M.D., vascular surgeon and medical director of the Iowa Vein Center in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Try This First

Give them some support. Graduated compression stockings will give your circulation a boost and reduce the circumference of your veins. “Like a stretched-out sock, veins become stretched out from pooling blood, and they lose their ability to contract,” says Dr. Welch. “Put compression stockings on before you get out of bed in the morning, and wear them all day.”

The compression level of graduated stockings, which is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), is greatest at the ankles and decreases gradually up the lengths of the legs to promote blood flow toward the heart. Wear moderate compression stockings rated in the 15 to 20 mmHg range, or labeled grade one or two. They are available in drugstores.

Do not substitute ordinary support pantyhose for graduated compression stockings. “Support hose is a misnomer,” says Dr. Welch. “Support hose provide uniform compression from foot to thigh. Since the upper part of the leg is so much larger, this creates a binding atmosphere. The compression may actually be greater at the thigh or calf than at the ankle, which can force blood down the leg instead of toward the heart.”

Other Wise Ways

Put gravity on your side. Elevate your legs above the level of your heart three or four times a day for 5 to 10 minutes, recommends Dr. Goren. Prop your feet up on some pillows or sit in a reclining chair with your feet up. Getting gravity on your side will help drain excess fluid from your legs and relieve your discomfort. “The gravitational drainage will reduce elevated venous pressure and will ease the discomfort,” he explains.

Flex those muscles. Don’t stand or sit in one place for more than a few minutes at a time. “The blood in your weakened veins will pool. The pressure will increase and fluid will accumulate in your ankles and calves,” says Dr. Goren. To prevent blood from pooling in your veins when you are sitting, wiggle your toes and flex your feet and ankles several times every 10 minutes to work the leg muscles that help pump the blood back to the heart. If you are at work or traveling, get up and walk around at least once an hour for 3 to 4 minutes. If you have to stand in one place, get the calf pump moving by moving up and down on your tiptoes.

Take a walk. Walking reduces the pressure in your veins by one-third. “Staying active will set your calf muscle pump in motion. Blood will be pushed uphill toward your heart, and the pressure in your veins should drop,” explains Dr. Goren.

The improved muscle tone that you develop as a result of regular walking will also improve circulation. “A weak muscle doesn’t pump as well as a strong one,” says Dr. Olivencia. “A walking program is the simplest and most effective way to make the calf muscle pump work more efficiently.” Slowly work up to one hour of walking, three times a week.

Watch your weight. Excess weight, especially in the abdominal area, presses on the veins in the upper thighs and groin, causing them to weaken. circulation slows, resulting in increased pressure in the veins. If you are more than 15 percent over your ideal body weight, chances are that the excess pounds are putting stress on your veins in one way or another, says Dr. Olivencia. “When people are overweight, they become less active. Their clothing may be tight and constrict blood flow.” And that constriction will only make varicose veins worse.

Shower at night. Your morning shower may be a lifelong habit, but when you have varicose veins, the wake-up cascade of hot water is an invitation for discomfort early in the day. “At night, during sleep in the horizontal position, even bad veins can regain a more narrow shape,” says Dr. Goren. “Heat in the early hours of the morning will immediately distend the veins.” This will make them more prominent and more uncomfortable for you.

Stay out of the hot tub. People who have varicose veins should avoid soaking in a hot tub or whirlpool bath, no matter what time of day it is. The hot water just makes your veins swell, cautions Dr. Goren.

Avoid high heels. High heels increase the pressure in your veins and reduce the ability of your calf muscle to pump. “Wearing heels occasionally will not cause problems,” says Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. “If worn regularly, though, high heels alter your ability to contract your calf muscles.” That, in turn, makes it harder to pump blood back up to your heart.

Don’t toast your tootsies. Ah, the heat from a warm, cozy fire. Doesn’t it feel good on a pair of cold feet on a cold winter night? That soothing feeling, however, is short-lived. Heat dilates the blood vessels and encourages additional fluid retention and discomfort in the veins, says Dr. Goren.

The same principal applies to any heat source at the floor level. Close heating registers or reposition furniture so that heat is not blowing on your feet while you are sitting down, says Dr. Olivencia.

Sleep it off. Elevate the foot of your bed on one or two bricks and put gravity to work while you sleep. “Tilting your bed this way will encourage fluid to drain out of your legs,” says Dr. Welch. Check with your doctor first if you have a history of heart trouble, emphysema, or difficulty breathing at night.