As we count down the winter months, here’s another reason for the older folks among us to keep moving, even through the cold: exercise is one of the best options to prevent varicose veins and other circulatory issues in the legs.
While you might have thought of varicose veins as an inevitable and purely cosmetic sign of aging — like going bald, graying and getting wrinkles — they are actually a common blood vessel disorder over which we have some control. And the main things we do to treat the condition also help prevent other problems, such as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, a type of potentially perilous blood clot that can form in the legs.
Also, unlike hair loss or sagging skin, varicose veins can sometimes turn into a nuisance. They can become painful, cause swelling and, in rare cases, lead to ulcers and clots.
So, what are varicose veins, anyway? Those clumpy blue masses under our skin are kind of like a plumbing problem in our veins. They occur when the blood vessels widen and the valves that keep blood flowing toward the heart become weakened or degraded, causing blood to pool and back up, much like when your toilet won’t flush properly. You may be surprised to know they are actually closely related to hemorrhoids, another painful blood vessel abnormality.
Fortunately, for those of us yet to develop varicose veins, there are ways to possibly stave them off, and for those who already have them, there are ways to prevent the condition from worsening.
While exercise itself may not directly stop varicose veins from forming — and it is still unclear why they do — it can help put us at a lower risk for getting them. That’s because being overweight and sedentary raises our odds of developing varicose veins. Keeping our weight down and staying active may help counteract other risk factors that we can’t control, such as being older, a woman or having a family history of varicose veins. In addition, exercises such as walking or jogging that get the legs moving help improve muscle tone and blood flow.
Working out might also help us avoid — or recover from — blood clots, which can be serious, and even deadly, if not caught and treated promptly. People are at a higher risk of developing DVT if they frequently travel long distances by airplane or automobile, or are obese, over age 40 or pregnant.
But beyond staying active, there are other steps we can take to help with these and other circulatory problems in the legs. One of them is wearing compression stockings. These socks come in many fabrics and styles, are worn above or up to the knee depending on the patient’s condition, and can actually improve varicose veins and save us from clots. That may sound counter-intuitive because the socks hug our legs, but, when properly fitted by a certified compression stocking fitter, they improve circulation and keep blood from pooling up in our calves and thighs where they can form clots or backups. The professional fitting is very important because stockings that are too tight may exacerbate the situation and those that are too loose will not work as intended.
We encourage you to talk to your doctor about the stockings if you’re at risk for developing varicose veins or have them already, travel frequently, have to regularly sit or stand for more than a few hours at a time, or have had a problem with clotting in the past.
In addition to getting regular exercise, it’s critical to get up and move around while traveling to keep blood from clotting. It’s also important to avoid crossing your legs and to wear loose clothing and flat shoes.
For varicose veins — and related hemorrhoids — in particular, a few natural treatment options might help. These include butcher’s broom, which is derived from an evergreen shrub; horse chestnut, a plant; gotu kola, an herb; and mesoglycan, a supplement known for its vascular healing qualities. All promote circulatory system health.
Unfortunately, once we get varicose veins, we’re pretty much stuck with them, unless we have them removed by a physician in procedures such as sclerotherapy, which injects a solution into the vein to shrink and dissolve it, or phlebectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove the varicose vein. Other, techniques, such as laser removal, are also an option.
With all of this in mind, it’s worth getting a move on with preventing or treating varicose veins.
Steve Bernardi is a compounding pharmacist and Dr. Gary Kracoff is a registered pharmacist and a naturopathic doctor at Johnson Compounding & Wellness in Waltham, Mass. For more information, visit www.naturalcompounder.com. Readers with questions about natural or homeopathic medicine, compounded medications, or health in general can email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 781-893-3870.