Every second woman in Russia has the word "varicose veins" in the language. When this word is reproduced, associations with swollen, swollen legs with convex, winding veins of burgundy blue immediately begin to appear in the head. Someone associates this disease with pregnancy, and someone with old age. Is it so? And is it possible to cure varicose veins?
Physiology of veins
Blood in the veins in a large circle of blood circulation flows towards the heart, in contrast to the small circle. Since, while reading this article, we are interested in the veins on the legs, many may ask an interesting question: how does the blood move from bottom to top? Or what makes her move against gravity? This phenomenon has several reasons:
- The work of venous-muscular pumps. The mechanism itself is performed by the calf muscles. For example, when walking, the calf muscles take an active part in the movements. When they are strained during repulsion from the ground, they literally squeeze venous blood into the deep veins of the lower leg. During relaxation, the blood again fills the veins and venous sinuses.
- Negative pressure in the right atrium. In the atrium are the veins through which the outflow of blood into the heart occurs. During atrial contraction, blood enters the ventricle and negative pressure builds up in the first. With its help, blood is "absorbed", which contributes to its promotion, even from the lower extremities.
- The physiological structure of the veins. On the venous walls are valves that resemble the shape of a month, with a convex part down. When blood flows upward, they diverge, forming a passage, but there is no turning back - the valves close. Thanks to this system, the blood does not have the ability to go lower than it is. Therefore, if the previous two systems do not work for some reason, then the blood will remain in the place where it was.
Definition
Varicose veins develop due to stagnation of blood in the superficial veins of the lower extremities. In a constant overabundance of fluid volume, the venous wall simply stretches, forming a kind of "sacs". Recalling the third mechanism of the outflow of blood upwards, we can conclude that in the expanded state, the valves of the vessel do not reach each other, the blood will stagnate in the venous system of the lower limb. As a result, the volume of fluid increases, the veins stretch more and more.
Main reasons
- Heredity. Regrettably, this disease is inherited and can begin to develop already from youth. Therefore, if the family mother / grandmother have varicose veins, then the likelihood of its development is very high and it is worth following the recommendations for the prevention of its development.
- Overweight.
- "Standing" lifestyle. Varicose veins are sometimes called sellers' illness, because they are supposed to stand while working. Venous-muscle pumps do not work, blood without help is difficult to pull up. Thus, stagnation begins.
- High-heeled shoes also exert pressure on the vessels of the legs.
- Pregnancy.
- Acceptance of COCs (combined oral contraceptives). They have the peculiarity of thickening the blood, therefore, gynecologists do not prescribe this group of drugs for women with a predisposition or with already developed varicose veins.
Prevention
Disease is always easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, for women with a predisposition to this disease, this topic is especially relevant:
- Physical activity. The importance of muscle work we have already made out. Therefore, when standing work, motor activity is recommended. For example, make a couple of circles near your workplace or roll from heel to toe while standing.
- Do not sit with your legs crossed. There is a chance of crushing the vessel.
- Weight control.
- Do not take contraceptives if they were not prescribed for treatment. In the 21st century, a huge selection of effective contraception, which does not adversely affect the body.
- Do not wear high-heeled shoes too often.
- If there is heaviness in the legs at the end of the working day, you need to raise the legs up with a pillow or roller. This will contribute to the outflow of blood and improve the condition.
Symptoms
- The first and most informative symptom is heaviness in the legs. Everyone felt this feeling, but this does not mean that everyone around is suffering from varicose veins. Of course, severity is formed due to stagnation of blood, but if it is a rare phenomenon, since it is not a symptom of pathology. This condition does not develop in 1-2 days, it is a long and constantly progressing disease that takes time.
- Swelling on the legs.
- The appearance of spider veins is the initial stage. Further, if the recommendations are not followed, you can already see the expanded veins.
Complications
- Thrombophlebitis - thrombosis with subsequent inflammation of the vein.
- Trophic ulcers.
- Bleeding from a vein.
Is it possible to cure varicose veins?
The listed symptoms and complications are not only unpleasant, but also frightening. It is unlikely that anyone will want to meet this disease face to face. But in case of occurrence, is it possible to cure varicose veins? Consider the main methods of treatment.
Phlebectomy
This is a classic old method, in which the affected veins are removed, which are no longer subject to another treatment method. Helps normalize the outflow of blood and the external cosmetic effect. The operation is completely painless and safe, but there are general and individual contraindications for each surgical intervention, which the phlebologist warns about during the consultation. Is it possible to completely cure varicose veins with this method? Unfortunately, no, because you can’t cut off all the affected veins and you will have to use a different treatment method. Is it possible to cure varicose veins without surgery? Let's consider further.
Sclerotherapy
This is an advanced and highly effective treatment method. It is carried out by introducing special preparations into the cavity of the dilated vein with the help of a thin game. The drugs have a sclerosing effect, that is, when they are introduced into the vein, it "sticks together".
This procedure is very common in the world of cosmetology. More often it is used not as a treatment method, but as a way to get rid of external imperfections - spider veins, which can confuse especially the female half of the population. During the doctor’s work, the vessels "melt" right in front of the eyes, which indicates high efficiency. But, unfortunately, there are no guarantees that the stars will not appear again. An unpleasant complication may be age spots at the site of sclerosis.
Endovenous Laser Coagulation
Minimally invasive and effective treatment. The effect of this method is almost the same with sclerotherapy, but only with the help of a laser. The operation is performed by puncture (puncture) of a vein and the introduction of a fiber into it. After this, the stage of anesthesia occurs, anesthetic is injected into the vein itself.
Next, the fiber is stretched and the radiation energy is converted into heat and the vessel is simply "soldered". After treatment, spider veins or small superficial veins called microvaricosis may appear. You can easily get rid of them with the previous method described.
Radiofrequency ablation
The treatment method is almost the same as the previous one. The difference lies in the subject matter: if a laser is used during coagulation, then radio frequency radiation is used during ablation. There are no advantages over laser coagulation here, but the price will “bite” compared to the previous method, because waveguides are much more expensive.
Traditional treatment
This phrase most often causes two reactions: some think that this is a myth and is completely ineffective, while others do not hide the belief in the positive effect of traditional medicine on the body. For example, is it possible to cure varicose veins with laundry soap? It would seem - ridiculous, but it was not there.
Laundry soap
It, like any soap, has its own characteristics: alkaline environment and animal / vegetable fats in the composition. Plant acids help to thin the blood in the veins, and koalin, which is a type of white clay, helps strengthen the vascular wall and skin as a whole. Is it possible to cure varicose veins on the legs using only soap? And how to use it?
There are many recipes for using soap, but alas, not all of them are effective. The simplest and most effective option is a foot massage with soap foam. Before starting the procedure itself, you need to help your legs a bit: lie down with raised legs to drain stagnant venous blood from the lower extremities. The most convenient option is to lie on the bed and throw your legs back on the wall.
Then they are soaped with laundry soap, moving from bottom to top. After that, the massage itself begins: slowly moving upwards, with stroking and squeezing movements, we begin to push out the blood. If desired, the soap solution can be diluted with essential oils to taste, or purchased already prepared at the vertebrology center.
Hirudotherapy
This branch of medicine was practiced in ancient Egypt and is still used. The main object of treatment is a leech. It throws a lot of biologically active substances into the bloodstream of a person. The most famous of them is hirudin, which has the ability to thin the blood. The remaining substances have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anticoagulant effects. Ideal combination for the treatment of vein pathologies. But is it possible to cure varicose veins with leeches?
This procedure is more likely to be suitable as an addition to the main course of treatment. You can resort to it at any stage of the development of the disease. On the topic "is it possible to cure varicose veins?" customer reviews of different clinics are approximately the same: using only this method of treatment, the symptoms are much weaker, the pain goes away, but for a short time and you still have to turn to specialists for more serious help.
The opinions of phlebologists are divided regarding this procedure. Half of the doctors consider hirudotherapy to be ineffective, arguing that the main reason for the development of pathology is the weakening of venous valves and no leech can affect it. The other half claims that as a complex therapy this will not be superfluous, since the substances released by the leech can thin the blood clots, which is a frequent complication of varicose veins.
When deciding on a course of hirudotherapy, it is worth considering that its results completely depend on the specialist who conducted it. Like acupuncture, leeches overlap at specific points around the affected vein. The course of treatment is about 10 visits with a session duration of up to 40 minutes. As a preparation for the procedure, you can’t use flavored products immediately before taking it, smoke, take alcohol or a hot bath, and eat fatty foods.
Approaching the end, the question remains open: is it possible to cure varicose veins forever? It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body and on the degree of development of this disease. But, as has been said many times, this is a disease that damages the valves, not the veins themselves. Therefore, in most cases, you can only slow down the stage of development of this pathology.