Varicose veins and spider veins occur when the tiny one-way valves inside the veins weaken. (This can occur through genetics or by lack of movement and exercise.) In healthy veins, these one-way valves push the blood in a direction to the heart and prevent it slipping back. Should this happen the blood is likely to start accumulating in the vein, causing pressure on the walls of the vein and eventually bulging of the vein. Varicose veins and spider veins have the same origin, only by nature the spider veins are smaller vessels.
Nowadays there are many invasive medical procedures available to treat varicose veins, however natural prevention is always a good starting point. There is so much we can do to improve on the occurrence and improvement of varicose veins and spider veins;
- Frequent daily exercise encourages good blood flow throughout the body all day.
- Elevating your legs whenever possible is helpful to prevent pressure on the vein valves.
- Frequent movement in between sitting down is essential, as is taking a rest if standing for long periods.
- Compression socks are very useful to give prolonged daily support to the vein walls and improve blood flow.
- Diet is also of great importance. Getting the right kind of nutrients through food is favourable to supplements. The best foods to support healthy veins and blood pressure health are foods containing fibre and potassium rich foods like the humble banana, grapefruit, carrot or spinach. Also, foods containing flavonoids are a great support.
- Limiting stress is by far one of the most impactful factors.
- Gentle upwards massaging with a fully natural varicose vein balm rich in concentrated natural extracts of horse chestnut, calendula, wheat germ oil and key essential oils is of huge benefit, to stimulate the blood flow in the area daily. This gentle daily massage promotes better blood flow preventing stagnation, which could later lead to complications.
