Varicose veins are a vascular pathology associated with thinning of the blood vessel wall and the formation of aneurysm-like dilatations. The disease occurs in both young and old age, more often in women. The main method of treating varicose veins is surgery. However, the operation is carried out only in patients with severe forms of pathology. The initial stages of varicose veins are accessible to drug therapy and therapy with drugs from the arsenal of traditional medicine. How are varicose veins on the legs treated with folk remedies? What does it takeWhen should you stop using herbal prescriptions and see your doctor?
The main cause of varicose veins is a weakening of the venous valves of the vascular system of the legs and a decrease in the muscle tone of the vascular wall. The phenomenon described leads to the fact that part of the blood in the venous vessels flows downwards, overloading and stretching the vessels. Later, the muscle fibers responsible for the direction of blood flow atrophy die, and the nerve endings that innervate the tone of the veins die. The disease enters a stage that cannot be cured by therapeutic methods.
Varicose veins do not develop spontaneously without the influence of provoking factors.
The latter include:
Of course, the presence of a provoking factor does not guarantee the appearance of symptoms of the disease. However, the likelihood of such a development of events increases significantly.
Note:Varicose veins can also be iatrogenic. Changes occur under the influence of hormones used in the treatment of osteoporosis, as well as in menopause. If signs of varicose veins appear in such a situation, the existing pharmacological regimen should be canceled and a new one selected. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to correct the condition of the veins.
The timely diagnosis of varicose veins enables successful vein treatment without the use of complex medical techniques. Unfortunately, very often the first signs of the disease go unnoticed, which leads to the patient seeking help too late.
To avoid this, contact your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
At a later stage of the disease, patients notice the appearance of temporary pain, which becomes worse after long walks and prolonged standing in an upright position. Visually there is paste, swelling in the area of the ankle. At this point, conservative therapy is still possible, but it does not stop the process, it only slows it down.
Do not rely on folk remedies and pharmacological therapies for people with constant severity and pain, leg cramps and itchy skin, which indicates trophic disorders. The veins in patients are significantly dilated, deformed, and tightly elastic. Only surgery will help correct the situation.
The expansion of the leg vessels takes place in 4 stages of development. In the first stage of the disease, symptoms may not appear in any way. In some cases, there is a feeling of heaviness in the legs, rapid fatigue, and telangiectasia. Patients complain of recurring swelling of the legs, but this can be easily relieved by taking a mild diuretic.
At the beginning of the second stage, the symptoms of the disease intensify, its signs become more vivid and palpable. Patients complain of the appearance of conspicuous nodes in the veins, periodic numbness and itching in the pathological zone, as well as temporary pain. Examination of the legs reveals edema and tissue pastes.
In the third stage of the development of varicose veins, the patient's condition deteriorates significantly. Affected veins become significantly thickened, deformed, hard, and painful. Painful sensations become permanent. There is a high risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism. The formation of trophic ulcerations is possible.
Note:Damage to varicose veins in the third stage of varicose veins can lead to profuse bleeding that can only be stopped in a medical organization.
Primary varicose veins are a form of the disease in which vascular changes develop independently, under the influence of provoking factors and the genetic predisposition of the patient. The main ones include lengthening that occurs in women during pregnancy, while standing work, and when obese. The disease can also be the result of wearing underwear that is too tight, which narrows blood vessels and disrupts normal blood flow.
Secondary varicose veins are a result of another disease that disrupts the structure of the venous valve, its tone, and the structure and muscle layers of the vascular wall. A secondary type of disease develops after some infectious processes with tumors or vascular injuries.
As mentioned above, folk remedies for varicose veins are effective only at the initial stage (1-2 stages) of the disease. The use of traditional medical techniques should take place after consultation with the attending physician and a qualified assessment of the effectiveness of the selected drug. Today, herbalists consider the following herbal remedies to be the best:
To remove swelling, vinegar is used topically in the form of a compress or a bath. The tool helps to increase the tone of the vascular wall, relieve edema and activate blood circulation. The drug should be handled with caution because if used incorrectly it can cause skin burns.
For a foot bath with apple cider vinegar, pour 10 liters of cold water into a basin and add 0. 5 liters of vinegar. After that, you need to lower your legs into the resulting solution. The duration of the procedure is 7 minutes and the frequency is daily. The course of treatment can be 2-3 months or more. The water temperature for baths should not be below 20 ° C.
To apply a compress, the vinegar is diluted with cold water in a ratio of 1: 4 (vinegar: water). A soft cloth or gauze is dipped in the resulting solution, after which it is taken out, squeezed until wet and applied to the shins. A plastic sheet is placed over the fabric and a bandage is applied. The duration of the procedure is a maximum of one hour. The compress should be used every other day for 1-2 weeks.
Note:If you experience severe burning or discomfort during the procedure, the treatment should be discontinued. The wrong concentration of vinegar can negatively affect the skin and cause burns.
Blue or green tone is used to treat varicose veins. Before use, it is diluted into a batter with water. The resulting composition is applied to soft tissues and diseased areas. A bandage can be placed over the fabric for convenience, but this is not required. It is necessary to withstand the compress for 40-80 minutes. The procedure should be done every other day, 2-3 months or longer, until a satisfactory result is achieved.
The tincture is easy to make yourself. To do this, take 8 tablespoons of dried and crushed white acacia flowers, put them in a sufficiently large container and pour 20 ml of vodka. The resulting mixture is tightly closed with a lid and placed in a dry, dark place for 10 days. For better drug extraction, it is recommended to shake the liquid daily. The finished tincture is filtered through a layer of gauze and used to rub the legs.
Use the tincture before bed after rinsing your feet with cold water. The shins and other areas where varicose veins are enlarged are carefully rubbed with the composition and allowed to dry. After that, it is recommended to put the limbs on the roller so that they are raised. The duration of therapy is 3 months, the frequency of treatment is daily.
Horse chestnut in the form of alcohol tincture is used to treat varicose veins. For this purpose, the crushed fruits are mixed with 96% ethyl alcohol in a ratio of 1: 3 and infused for two weeks. After that, the agent is filtered and used to apply compresses.
To apply a compress with horse chestnut tincture, soak a piece of soft tissue in the preparation, squeeze it thoroughly and apply it to the affected area. After that, the fabric is covered with polyethylene and several layers of cotton wool or thick fabric are applied to it. The compress is kept for 30-40 minutes, after which the legs are wrapped in a warm blanket.
It is recommended to perform the procedure every other day before going to bed. The duration of treatment is 1-2 months, but can be extended if necessary.
Green tomatoes are used to treat varicose veins that contain substances that are similar to acetylsalicylic acid. They have anti-platelet and anti-inflammatory effects. For the purpose of treatment, tomatoes are cut into circles, applied to diseased areas and fixed with cling film. The duration of the procedure is 8-12 hours (a compress with tomatoes is applied at night). The course of treatment is carried out daily before bedtime until the external manifestations of the disease disappear (usually no more than 3 months).
Cabbage, like tomatoes, has a vasoprotective effect. Vegetable leaves are sprinkled with water and then placed in a shared cooling chamber for a day. After the required time, the product is applied to the legs and fixed with polyethylene. The duration of the procedure is 5-6 hours, the frequency is daily. The duration of therapy is 1 month.
To get rid of the symptoms of varicose veins, several large potato tubers are peeled, washed and rubbed on a fine grater. The vegetables should have a pulpy consistency. The resulting product is applied to the legs and feet and smeared over the skin. An additional fixation of the porridge on the legs is not carried out. The duration of the procedure is 1 hour, the frequency is daily, the duration of the course is 2 months.
Both Bee Submore and honey, propolis and other beekeeping products contain anti-inflammatory and heparin-like substances that help thin the blood. For the treatment of varicose veins, honey and propolis are used locally, immersed inside, poison - in the form of bee sting on the affected areas.
The honey compress is applied according to the general rules for applying compresses. To do this, the substance is applied to a cloth or gauze, applied to the affected area and covered with polyethylene. Next, the bandage is insulated with cotton wool and fastened with a bandage. Compressing with propolis by the technique of execution is no different from honey. The medicinal composition is made by mixing propolis and vodka in a ratio of 1: 5. The duration of the procedure with honey is 2 hours once a day; with propolis - 40 minutes once a day. The frequency of manipulation is every other day for 2-3 months.
Beesworm is used in the form of alcoholic tincture. To prepare, you need to take 1 tablespoon of the drug and mix it with 200 ml of 70% ethanol or vodka. After that, the drug is infused in a dark, dry place for 3 weeks. The tincture should be taken 20 drops 3 times a day within 2 weeks. You can repeat the course after an equal break.
Bee venom is administered by stinging. The procedure should be performed by a competent apitherapist. Therefore, it is inappropriate to consider the features of its implementation in the format of this article. Bee venom thins the blood, contains more than 50 substances useful for the human body and increases the tone of the vascular wall. The sting is done directly in the areas affected by varicose veins.
The decoction of the nettle is made with fresh or dried leaves of the plant. At the same time, fresh leaves are ground into pulp, dry leaves into powder. Prepared raw materials are poured with boiling water. The ratio of solid and liquid fractions of the composition should be 1: 8. The mixture is placed on low heat and cooked for 3-5 minutes. After that, it is cooled, filtered and taken orally 1/3 cup (70 ml) three times a day. The duration of treatment is 1 month.
Nutmeg decoction is made in a similar way to making nettle decoction. The ratio of walnut to water in the mixture should be around 1: 5. The mother is pre-squeezed. The finished medicine must be taken three times a day. The course of therapy is 3-4 months or longer.
Laundry soap itself has no noticeable effect against varicose veins. However, it is actively used in the manufacture of multi-component ointments.
The following recipe is considered to be the most effective:
Duration of use of the drug - 10 hours, frequency of treatment - daily. The course of therapy includes 20 procedures.
The broth is made from dried marigold flowers, 2 tablespoons of which are poured with 400 ml of boiling water, set on fire and boiled for 15 minutes. Then let the product cool down, filter and take 100 ml 4 times a day. The course of treatment lasts until the symptoms of the disease go away. It is recommended to use the calendula decoction as an additional method of therapy.
With the help of hirudotherapy, it is possible to lower blood viscosity, improve fluidity and prevent blood clots from forming. The leeches are used by a hirudotherapist. You should not use this method of treatment alone. The therapy lasts 5 sessions, after which a break of 2 months must be taken.
Treating varicose veins at home is not always possible. For therapy to be successful, it is necessary to consult a doctor and carefully follow his instructions.
Otherwise, possible negative consequences of the treatment can occur, e. g. B. :
Contraindications to the treatment of varicose veins are the 3rd and 4th degrees of pathology. In this case, the only way to get rid of the disease is through surgery. Traditional medicine is also inapplicable because of the high risk of thromboembolism, exacerbation of vascular insufficiency, severe disease with cramps in the calf muscles, the deposition of large amounts of blood in the affected vessels, and a high volume of the affected area.
In the first and second phase, running with varicose veins is possible. At the same time, it is recommended to avoid significant loads on the legs, preferring jogging and running. Jogging is not recommended for thrombosis, as well as in later stages of the disease.
It is possible to get rid of varicose veins by only walking at the onset of the disease, when the veins are not yet stretched. At this point the clinical symptoms of the disease are absent. Therefore, the patient just does not know the importance of starting the class. The moment the diagnosis "varicose veins" is made, jogging can no longer completely cure the pathology.
A doctor's visit for varicose veins should be made as early as possible. The further the disease has progressed at this point, the less likely the patient is to be completely cured. If a person visits the clinic at that time, the first signs will ideally be noticed: heaviness in the legs, flying pains when standing for a long time, swelling.
With varicose veins, diet plays an important role in stabilizing the patient's condition and restoring vascular tone.
Recommended for eating:
Dietary restrictions are consistent with an overall frugal diet. It is forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages, excessively salty, spicy, acidic and other foods with irritating properties. Also, do not consume large amounts of coffee, tea, and other beverages with diuretic properties.
The basis of VVV prevention is the rejection of a sedentary lifestyle and static loads on the legs. It is recommended that you do a short run or run several kilometers every day. During the working day, you should take short breaks dedicated to leg exercises. In addition, you should eat the foods described in the previous section and wear compression tights if necessary. Moderate compression improves blood flow to the superficial veins.
Note:Even if you go to work, you can avoid varicose veins if they are 2-5 kilometers away from your home. Rejecting a vehicle in favor of hiking saves money, prevents varicose veins from developing, and puts you in a good mood before the work day starts.
Despite the apparent safety, varicose veins are a disease that, under certain conditions, poses a threat to human life. This is especially true in the later stages of the development of pathology, when the vascular wall becomes thinner and its integrity is very easily disrupted. Therefore, therapy according to folk recipes should be started as soon as possible.
In order to avoid mistakes and the use of incorrect treatment methods, a doctor must be consulted before beginning.