Whenthe blood moves back from the organs to the heart, it is carried by anetwork of vessels called veins. Veins are thin-walled vesselscompared to the arteries (vessels that take blood from the heart tothe various organs). Veins contain one-way valves every few inches toprevent the blood flowing back due to gravity. It is when thesevalves become weak that the blood starts pooling in the veins. Veinsthen become dilated (widened) and twisted, and are called varicose.Any vein may become varicose, but the veins most commonly affectedare those in the legs and feet.

Anothercondition similar to varicose veins is spider veins .They are usuallysmaller, bluish and are closer to the skin's surface. They occurmostly on legs and at times can be found on the face too. They oftenlook like a spider's web or a tree branch.

Formany people, varicose veins and spider veins are diseases of cosmeticconcern only. Butfor others it can be more than just a cosmetic problem; symptomscommonly found in those suffering from varicose veins are pain,heaviness, burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in lowerlegs.Veins appear as enlarged, snake-like, blue veins and are most easilyseen under the skin while standing. Itching may be present around theenlarged veins. Skin ulcers at ankle, whenever present, indicate asever form of varicose veins.

Dueto blood pooling in the veins, varicose veins is characterized by adull sensation of pain, cramps, feeling of heaviness in the legs orfatigue after standing for a short period. It is a general beliefthat the condition does not constitute much of a medical problem,except for the ugly, depressing sight it creates. Unfortunately, thisis only true as long as the condition is treated on time. If leftuntreated for a very long period, varicose veins could lead to legulcers, formation of blood clot in deep veins, discoloration of theskin due to breakdown of blood cells or other more serious medicalconditions.

Diagnosingvaricose veins could be as simple as visual observation, however, fora more accurate diagnosis, advanced medical procedures are employed.A common diagnostic tool for varicose vein is a medical procedurecalled phlebography. It involves injecting a radio-opaque substanceinto the bloodstream. The substance is monitored across the vein sothat the abnormalities in blood flow can be noticed. X-ray orultrasound can also be used to diagnose effectively the abnormalityin venous blood flow causing varicose veins.

Dependingon the severity of the condition, there are three major treatmentoptions for varicose veins. In most cases, wearing elasticcompression stockings could be the only treatment needed. Thestockings compress the veins of the leg improving blood flow throughthe veins. This treatment is usually very effective when coupled withweight loss, in case of obesity, increased activity and avoidingprolonged periods of standing or sitting.

However,when this option is not effective, another medical procedure calledsclerotherapy is often employed. This procedure involves cutting offblood flow through the affected vein by injecting a substances knownas sclerosant. Often, the injection of this substance is done severaltimes until a complete collapse of the faulty vein is achieved.Afterwards, pressure is externally applied to the vein until itsability to transport blood is restored. The procedure has been foundto be very effective, with almost 90% improvement rate. However, theside effects include pain in the site of injection, bruises, skinsores and discoloration or appearance of brown lines along the siteof the vein.

Invery severe cases of varicose veins, surgery may be employed. Thisprocedure involves surgically removing the damaged part of the vein.However, this is a complex procedure and is therefore employed as alast resort in very severe cases.

Thougheach case of varicose veins represents itself as an individual oneand needs to be treated accordingly, natural plant medicinesstand at the top of the table for treating varicose veins.VenousBalm-Rx and VenousDrops are established to not only reverseconditions stemming from venous insufficiency, but also improve theoverall tone of the veins. These are true venous blood decongestantsand used to negate venous blood stagnation which causes varicoseveins and venous insufficiency. The astringent properties of thesetreatments provide a tightening effect to skin tissue.

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