La Jolla Vein Care’s Dr. Nisha Bunke was a guest on this morning’s episode of San Diego Living on CW’s channel 6. Dr. Bunke spoke about the dangers of varicose veins.
Recognize the signs and symptoms of venous disease:
heavy, tired and aching legs
swollen legs and or ankles
cramping in the legs
dull or sharp pain in the calf
varicose veins and spider veins
red or warm veins
itching around the veins
skin changes around the ankles such as pigmentation, brownish discoloration, eczema, new red and blue veins, breakdown of the skin
Heavy legs are a common symptom of venous insufficiency and varicose veins.You should see your vascular specialist for any of the above signs and sympto
The goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms, prevent complications, and for some to improve appearance. Lifestyle changes can ease the symptoms but do not cause the veins to vanish. These include:
Anti-embolism stockings, also known as TED hoses, are designed specifically for non-mobile patients or those confined to a bed. These are the white stockings used for hospital patients. They are low-cost temporary solutions commonly used for patients in nursing homes and post-surgery to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Graduated compression therapy provides external support to the vein walls and works in conjunction with the calf muscle pump. Compression stockings improve circulation while helping to minimize and control leg and ankle swelling.
However, for ambulatory (walking patients who are not bed-bound), TED hoses do not offer sufficient support to counter the effects of gravity. They have not graduated compression and only offer about 8-18mmhg compression. TED hose does not help the symptoms of venous disease and varicose veins. TED hose cannot be used for vein treatment and should not be used for daily support in walking patients.
In comparison, graduated compression stockings are medically therapeutic and designed for people who are mobile. Graduated compression means that they are tightest around the ankle and gradually ease as they go up. These can help reduce the risk of DVT in patients who travel by plane or car and reduce symptoms such as leg swelling (edema), aching, heaviness, fatigue, pain from varicose veins, and useful for pregnant women to reduce pain from varicose veins.
A very thin needle is used to inject a sclerosing agent along the varicose vein. Modern medicines used to inject spider veins (sclerosing agents) include polidocanol (Asclera), sodium tetradecyl sulfate (sotradecol) and glycerin. Discuss with your doctor the best type of solution for your veins.
Removing varicose and spider veins has never been easier. Click here to view a 3D animation that explains how sclerotherapy can make your veins disappear—without surgery.
Does Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Cover Compression Socks?
Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Cover Compression Socks and Stockings www.compressrx.com
Compression socks and compression stockings are considered medical garments that are typically covered expenses Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Some FSA and HSA programs expire at the end of the year. Consider stocking up on daily compression socks and stockings or even give them as gifts. FSA and HSA cards are accepted at Compressrx.com
How Chocolate, Wine and Cranberries Are Good For Veins
Foods that are rich in flavinoids may improve symptoms of venous disease. Flavonoids help protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. They can be found in a variety of foods, such as fruits and vegetables. When we eat foods rich in flavonoids, it appears that we also benefit from this “antioxidant” power. In addition to having antioxidant qualities, research shows that flavinoids have other potential influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot.Flavinoids are also well known for their ‘venoactive’ effects on the blood vessels and have been proven to reduce symptoms of venous disease such as leg aching, heaviness and swelling.
Foods that are flavinoid rich include cocoa and chocolate, cranberries, apples, peanuts, onions, tea and red wine.
Remind the cook to use compression socks- long hours of standing in the kitchen can cause leg fatigue, heaviness and swelling.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Black Friday Compressrx.com compression stocking sale starts this Friday. All compression stockings and socks are 20% off plus free shipping for a limited time! Go to La Jolla Vein Care’s Facebook or call us for the promo code!
Did you know that flexible spending (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA) can be used to purchase compression socks and stockings? Some spending accounts expire in January, but now you can wear fashionable compression stockings that offer medical-grade support all year long.
The valves inside the leg veins can be seen on ultrasound. The arrow points to a valve in the great saphenous vein within the leg.
Leg veins have one-way valves that prevent blood from flowing backward. Diseased valves are ‘leaky’ and allow blood flow both forward and backward, eventually causing bulging of the veins, i.e., varicose veins.
In the circulatory system, the veins carry de-oxygenated blood back to the heart. The leg veins carry blood toward the heart, against gravity. Therefore, the leg veins have one-way valves the prevent backflow of blood. When the valves do not function properly, they allow blood to flow backward, causing the pooling of blood. This is referred to as venous reflux or venous insufficiency. Eventually, the backflow of the blood will cause varicose veins to develop and symptoms related to the increased pressure in the leg veins such as leg heaviness, aching, swelling, restless legs, night cramps, throbbing, and pain.
The La Jolla Vein Care doctors and staff attended the American College of Phlebology (ACP) Annual Conference in Phoenix last week. More than 1,000 vein care practitioners from the United States and around the world attended the meeting to share information and research in the field of vein disorders (also known as phlebology). The speakers included vein and vascular experts from around the world, include La Jolla Vein Care’s Dr. Fronek. Dr. Bunke was featured in the daily congress newsletter as being the first physician to complete a specialized Fellowship program in the field of Phlebology.
La Jolla Vein Care’s medical assistants and vascular sonographers attended also to learn the most update information on a variety of vein topics including; complications in sclerotherapy, the swollen limb, thrombophilia, new anticoagulants, venous stents, compression therapy, vascular ultrasound, foam and liquid sclerotherapy, vascular malformations, lymphedema, venous system during pregnancy, venous skin changes, dvt and superficial thrombophlebitis, chronic venous insufficiency and research on specific vascular topics.
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