Varicose veins are an unpleasant disease. Both in terms of pain, circulatory disorders, which provokes even greater disturbances, and in a purely cosmetic sense, in terms of the aesthetic appearance of the legs. And yet, practice has shown that this disease is quite treatable - both with traditional medicine and with folk methods and recipes. One of them, and quite an effective one, is treatment with apple cider vinegar.
How apple cider vinegar can cure varicose veins
For therapy, only a natural product made from ripe apples is used. Cheap analogues sold in grocery stores are not suitable for treatment.
The effectiveness of therapy for varicose veins of the legs with apple cider vinegar is explained by the rich composition of the product. It includes:
- nutrients necessary for the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- vitamins C, E, group B;
- natural acids.
The listed components strengthen the venous walls, increase their elasticity and reduce permeability. Swelling goes away, the drainage function of veins and lymphatic vessels improves.
If you regularly use apple cider vinegar for varicose veins, improvements will follow within a week. The feeling of heaviness in the legs, cramps, pain when walking goes away.
But the result from the treatment of varicose veins occurs only in the case of the initial stage of the pathology. At an advanced stage, only surgical intervention will provide effective help.
Result of application
Regular and persistent treatment of varicose veins with apple cider vinegar will bring real and significant improvement to the condition of your legs. And it should be supported in the future by the use of the same remedy as a prophylactic to prevent complications.
If treatment with apple cider vinegar is also combined with other natural healing agents, such as Venorm anti-varicose cream, even better results can be achieved. The disease will recede and will not manifest itself, will enter a state of stable remission and surrender - both external, visual, and internal, the painful process will die out and the legs will be practically healthy.
How to treat varicose veins with apple cider vinegar
A folk remedy for varicose veins is used internally and externally. The first method is more effective, but has more contraindications. For external treatment, the course of therapy lasts 1-2 months.
Internally
Drinking undiluted apple cider vinegar is dangerous for the stomach, so prepare an aqueous solution for oral administration. Take 1 tsp. acids, add to a glass of water and take on an empty stomach. The course of treatment lasts for a month or more, depending on the result obtained. If vinegar is well tolerated, you can drink 1 tsp. twice a day, diluted with water.
Another recipe involves adding honey. Both ingredients are mixed in a glass of water in proportions of 1 tsp. vinegar for 2 tsp. honey The drug is drunk in 2 doses: on an empty stomach and in the evening before bed. This recipe is suitable for people whose pure vinegar solution acts too aggressively on the gastric mucosa and causes pain.
When taking vinegar, you should take precautions. If you feel a burning sensation in the stomach or pain, you should stop treatment and find another, more acceptable method. When taking it, it is necessary to regularly undergo diagnostics and monitor not only the dynamics of the development of the underlying disease, but also the state of the gastrointestinal tract.
Don't forget that vinegar eats away tooth enamel. It is better to drink the solution through a straw, and after taking it you need to rinse your mouth with clean water or brush your teeth.
External
External use has fewer contraindications. There are several treatment options from which you can choose the most suitable one with the least likelihood of complications.
One of the popular methods for treating varicose veins with vinegar is compresses. To carry out the procedure, you will need a piece of gauze or linen. It is soaked in vinegar and then applied to the affected area. The compress is fixed with a piece of bandage.
It is necessary to carry out the procedure in the evening. For highly sensitive skin, the product is diluted in half with water. You need to keep the compress in a lying position, placing a pillow under your feet, for 20 minutes.
The simplest method of treatment that gives good results is rubbing. It is used for varicose veins not only of the legs, but also of other parts of the body. For the procedure, you will need a cotton pad or gauze, which is soaked in vinegar and rubbed on the diseased areas on the body with gentle circular movements. Then you need to let the product dry. Rubbing is carried out 2-3 times a day. You can enhance the effect of the procedure using a cabbage leaf by applying it to the sore area of the body.
Pouring is another time-consuming method. The procedure requires 3 liters of water and 0.5 liters of apple cider vinegar. The solution should be watered on the affected areas of the body 4 to 6 times a day.
Wraps will help relieve pain, swelling and itching. As with compresses, the procedure will require gauze or a piece of linen. It is dipped in a container of vinegar and placed on the affected area. Then the wrap is fixed with polyethylene or cling film and wrapped in a towel. The patient lies down on the couch and a cushion is placed under his feet. You cannot cover your limbs with a blanket: local heating for varicose veins is contraindicated.
Therapeutic baths with vinegar are effective. Fill the container with water at room temperature and add up to 1 liter of acetic acid. The dishes for the procedure must be selected so that all areas with varicose veins are in the liquid. The foot bath is taken for 20 minutes. Then you need to wait until the skin of your feet dries itself. There is no need to wipe it dry with a towel: this will neutralize the entire therapeutic effect of the bath. For effectiveness, you can add a few drops of mint or juniper natural essential oil to the solution.
One of the most effective remedies for treating varicose veins is an ointment prepared at home. In a bowl you need to mix 1 chicken egg, 1 tsp. turpentine and 1 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar. Every evening you need to rub the finished product into the affected areas of the body.
If symptoms appear in the form of a barely noticeable vascular network, you can lubricate the affected areas with a cream based on vinegar, carrots and aloe juice. To prepare the product, peel the carrots, cut into slices and cook until softened. Then mash the carrot pulp to a puree and add 3 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar. Squeeze the juice from 2 aloe leaves and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Apply the cream with gentle massage movements to the area with varicose veins. After half an hour, the product can be washed off with warm water and wipe the skin dry.
Treatment with vinegar, when used systematically, gives a stable positive result. But it is important not to delay treatment, since severe stages of varicose veins cannot be cured by folk remedies. The disadvantages of this method include its duration and the need for systematicity. You can’t do the procedures from time to time, otherwise you won’t get the desired effect.
Still have questions about treating varicose veins with apple cider vinegar?
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Author
Salmina Daria Vladimirovna
Geneticist. Graduated from the Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy. She completed an internship at the Northwestern State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.
The whole truth about spider veins
Spider veins are not a disease!
So, spider veins or, as they are often called capillaries (telangiectasis), are not exactly a disease, but rather a cosmetic problem! This is the honest truth, which is often passed off as varicose veins.
Yes, on the one hand it is varicose veins, but varicose veins are at the level of skin vessels - capillaries and intradermal veins. Such microvaricose veins do not cause any painful symptoms, pain, cramps, swelling, or blood clots. Nothing. Only aesthetic discomfort.
Patients who often come in with pain in the legs, swelling, and discomfort in the calves notice spider veins on their legs and place all the blame on them. And therefore, instead of “treating” with a newfangled “anti-varicose” gel in the area of blood vessels, we recommend looking for the real cause of your discomfort in the condition of your legs (meaning symptoms) - for example, “heavy leg” syndrome, flat feet, chronic venous insufficiency, spinal osteochondrosis, etc. d.
Spider veins are not a disease, which means there is no need to strengthen the blood vessels!
Strengthening blood vessels with medications and gels is a waste of time. You can train muscles, ligaments, and develop endurance. But the blood vessels cannot be strengthened even with the help of medications.
What do we know about spider veins (webs)?
The problem is cosmetic and widespread, spider veins appear at different ages in approximately 70% of women due to the fact that female sex hormones are synthesized in the female body, starting from adolescence, and this stimulates the translucency of intradermal veins, and with age, the appearance of such unwanted elements like spider veins.
For example, a 9-month pregnancy and the accompanying changes in a woman’s body at the hormonal level, as a rule, aggravate the problem. This is normal and physiological, and most importantly, harmless.
That is, you can be calm about your health.
Is there a way to prevent the appearance of unwanted vascular elements?
You can read for hours on the Internet about preventing the appearance of ill-fated blood vessels. And even watch it on TV in popular talk shows. This is a good business - the problem is very common, and if you come up with some kind of “miracle remedy”, many will definitely try it and buy it. There used to be a drug called Asklezan - both tablets and gel. It was necessary to smear and drink 4-6 courses and they supposedly became smaller or “faded” or decreased. In general, they wrote about it in newspaper advertising, people ran and bought it. They smeared themselves. Well, of course, the effect is zero.
There is no way to prevent the appearance of spider veins!
They will gradually appear at different rates in different periods of life.
And if you don’t like it, you can think about treating existing unaesthetic telangiectasis, but it is impossible to slow down or stop this process, even if you take courses of venotonics and daily smear the area of the spider veins with various venotonic creams with or without leeches. This will not affect the process of their appearance and progression in any way.
Treatment of spider veins with medications is useless!
The basic concept of treatment for telangiectasis is not treatment of the whole body or strengthening of blood vessels or drug support by introducing any drugs into the area of spider veins using gels - this is a waste of time. Not a single star will fade, not a single one will disappear. It is a fact. All we can do is inject a sclerosant into the vascular element so that it damages the inner layer of the asterisk and it closes (sclerotherapy, or rather microsclerotherapy) or electrocoagulate the vessels every millimeter or percutaneously treat with a laser again every mm.
That is, the main concept of treatment is to destroy the vascular element in one way or another without damaging anything around it.
Percutaneous laser coagulation
Special lasers are used to treat telangiectasis. The basic principle of treatment is this: a laser beam passes through the skin and is absorbed by the red blood in the vessel, after which the blood heats up and explodes. The vessel is “brewed”. This is a very good method, but only for small and very superficially located meshes, for example, on the face and torso. On his feet he works very unsteadily and it is difficult to get results. Used in Russia mainly by cosmetologists.
In my opinion, a significant disadvantage of percutaneous laser coagulation for leg telangiectasis is the limitation in the diameter of the vessels, the high pain of the procedure and the high probability of difficult to predict side effects (burns of the skin surface, depigmentation in the affected area).
Electrocoagulation of capillaries
Using a very thin needle-electrode, many injections are made into the capillaries with simultaneous exposure to electric current. The procedure is painful and requires anesthesia with a skin anesthetic cream (EMLA on the legs takes effect after 2 hours of exposure under cling film). Therefore, you either smear yourself with Emla cream at home and wrap your legs in film and come to the doctor, or you receive hundreds of rather painful injections. The frequency of injections into the capillary is every 1-1.5 mm. That is, 1 cm of capillary will require 6-10 injections.
Sclerotherapy is the method of choice
Sclerotherapy is an injection technique for the treatment of spider veins and reticular veins. It is most effective against small veins and capillaries. Its meaning is to introduce a sclerosant into the lumen of the vessel, which causes chemical damage to the inner layer of the vessel, followed by its “closure”. After the vessel has closed, it begins to gradually dissolve (several weeks - several months).
Today, sclerotherapy of reticular (intradermal veins) and capillaries is called microsclerotherapy and has many modifications; moreover, everyone performs it differently, so the results can also be very different.
Types of microsclerotherapy
There is a technique of liquid sclerotherapy, when the sclerosant is administered in the form of a solution and this works well on small capillaries with low-intensity blood flow, and a technique of introducing foamed sclerosant (foam-form sclerotherapy), when air or other gas (CO2, for example) is added to the sclerosant, whipped by distillation through an adapter from one syringe to another and after 10-20 strokes a stable foam is obtained.
The sclerosant foam introduced into the lumen of the vessel expels blood well and is well retained there. Foam-form sclerotherapy works better on vessels with more intense blood flow.
Liquid sclerosant works more intelligently and gently, with a minimum of side effects, foam is more aggressive. In the same treatment area, liquid sclerotherapy can be used for some veins and capillaries, and foam for others. A phlebologist can use various scleropreparations, of different concentrations, in liquid or foam form during one session on one treatment area. It all depends on his experience, working style, etc. This is about the active advertising of the miracle method of foam-form sclerotherapy, which is separately positioned as a newfangled and very effective method. We've been using foam for about 10 years and it works great in certain situations, but not much else, especially with mesh.
Microsclerotherapy - a special approach
When it comes to sclerotherapy for spider veins, it is necessary to immediately clarify the situation.
This is an intelligent problem and requires a certain doctor’s experience and a certain technological approach.
It is necessary to take into account the volumes of the administered drug and its concentration. On the other hand, today microsclerotherapy is a methodologically verified procedure, and if everything is done according to technology, then the results will be as expected.
What patients don't understand
First of all, after sclerotherapy sessions, aesthetic results will not be immediate, but after some time. The fact is that closed vessels are visible through the skin and are noticeable. That is, if after the injections the spider vein does not close, then it does not change its color and remains the same as it was; if it closes, it darkens (the remaining small amount of coagulated blood shines through the skin).
The entire time that sclerotic telangiectasis is resolving, it will be noticeable. As soon as it dissolves, the marks will disappear.
This applies not only to sclerotherapy, but to any other effective treatment method. And it is important to understand this before you decide to undergo sclerotherapy. It is necessary to choose the right time for treatment so that you have a reserve of time for aesthetic rehabilitation.
How to get rid of spider veins?
It is clear that you are reading this to understand how you can improve the aesthetics of your legs. Considering the fact that in most cases the method of choice for primary treatment is sclerotherapy, it makes sense to see a phlebologist. An ultrasound of the venous system will be performed and treatment will be recommended. Naturally, in cases of small red capillaries, percutaneous laser coagulation (PLC) may be recommended to you, but this is unlikely, since PLC is usually used for follow-up treatment (only small red capillaries) and usually by cosmetologists.
In most cases of reticular varicose veins, the treatment area includes reticular (feeding) veins (blue), large and medium capillaries (purple) and small ones (red).
In order for the treatment to be effective, the phlebologist begins with the reticular (feeding) veins (marked with blue arrows in the photo), then moves on to large capillaries, then to medium and small ones. Of course, only red vessels can be treated, but practice shows that this is ineffective if the feeding reticular vein remains.
Stage one - sclerosing the “feeding” reticular veins
Often reticular veins communicating with telangiectasis are clearly visible without any equipment (magnifying glasses, polarized light). However, at the same time, poor results of sclerotherapy are associated with poor visualization of these very feeding veins, which can be obscured by the spider veins located above them. A solution to this problem has been proposed by companies that produce Veinviewers - devices based on the thermal imaging effect, which allow brilliant visualization of intradermal veins.
The phlebologist begins the session under the control of Veinviewer, punctures the feeding vein and closes it by injecting a sclerosant.
This is a simple and effective technology that we have been using for over a year to more successfully treat spider veins. Moreover, Venovisor makes it possible to clearly see the vein from which the unwanted vascular element is filled. Veinviewer technology is the key to understanding the problem of spider veins.
Stage two - sclerosing spider veins (telangiectasis)
This is a very simple manipulation at first glance - injecting the drug into the spider veins. The vascular network is punctured with a very thin needle and a small amount of sclerotherapy is injected into it. The introduction is slow and very small in volume.
This allows you to avoid long-term side reactions (matting (see below), pigmentation). Sclerotherapy can be most successful with multiple injections and small amounts of sclerotherapy.
After the introduction of sclerosant, we observe the redness of the element and its reaction. There may be a slight tingling sensation in the injection area. Thus, in the first session, as a rule, the feeding reticular veins are treated, in the second and subsequent sessions - telangiectasis (spider veins).
A few words about haste in treatment
You come 2-3 months before your vacation with the desire to get rid of capillaries, but you did not know that you cannot rush in the treatment of spider veins.
A number of side effects, which can then subside for months and years, are associated not only with the sclerotherapy technique, but also with short breaks between sessions.
Ideally, a session on one leg in the same zone should be carried out at intervals of 3-4 weeks. This is the optimal schedule. That is why we recommend treating spider veins as planned, taking into account your vacations and beach holidays and “much in advance.”
How to make injections painless and improve the results of sclerotherapy?
In microsclerotherapy, injections are performed with cosmetic needles with a diameter of 0.3 mm. These are very thin needles and the injection is insensitive. However, some patients are afraid of injections and for them this type of treatment creates psychological stress. We have solved this problem because we perform cryosclerotherapy. The technique was born in the USA and, with the light hand of the well-known Luis Navarro, was called painless sclerotherapy.
This new method involves cooling the skin for a few seconds with a blast of cold air before injection, creating cold anesthesia of the skin. This is enough so that the patient does not feel the injection.
The miracle of cryosclerotherapy
As it turned out later, this is not the only positive thing from cryosclerotherapy - bruises, hematomas, pigmentation and other side effects after the session are much less than after conventional sclerotherapy. This is due to local vasospasm in the treatment area. And, as a result, in spasmodic vessels the sclerosant works more effectively with a lower concentration and a smaller injected volume.
Compression and sclerotherapy
It has always been believed that round-the-clock compression is necessary for the entire period of sclerotherapy - during the day with stockings, at night with an elastic bandage, plus another 2 months after the end of treatment. That is, only six months. For many patients this was unbearable. But if this is true, then only for sclerosis of large veins. When performing microsclerotherapy of spider veins and reticular veins, compression is usually needed until the evening - either a bandage or stocking. The main purpose of compression in such cases is to reduce the formation of bruises after the session. In rare cases, the daily compression regimen can be extended to 3-5 days.
Modern technology for microsclerotherapy allows this type of treatment to be carried out with virtually no compression and at any time of the year, even in summer.
Innovations in sclerotherapy
Globally, the microsclerotherapy technique has not changed. Same drugs, same injections. Foam-form sclerotherapy, when used on spider veins, usually does not live up to expectations, so sclerotherapy with a liquid solution is preferable. However, since 2013 we have introduced a couple of innovations in technology: cooling the skin during the procedure and the use of a Veinviewer.
These improvements make the procedure more comfortable, reduce the number of side effects, and improve control over the administration of the drug.
Possible side effects of microsclerotherapy
Pigmentation
The most common side effect of microsclerotherapy is pigmentation at the site of sclerotic veins and spider veins. After administration of the sclerosant, the inner layer of the vessel is damaged; at first the vessel disappears, but after a few minutes it fills with blood again. If the vessel subsequently thromboses (closes), then a black tar-like mass (coagulum) is formed in it, which is darker than blood and the vessel shines through the skin brighter than the original one. Over time, the closed vessel with coagulum dissolves. Usually this is several months. If this process is long and the coagula is quite pronounced, then iron is deposited in the skin and it becomes light brown. Actually this is called pigmentation. In most cases, pigmentation goes away within six months, but in 5% of cases it can take a year and in 1% of cases up to 2 years. But it always passes, which makes me happy.
The severity and duration of pigmentation after sclerotherapy is individual and depends on the characteristics of pigment metabolism in the patient’s body.
Matting (neovascularization)
Matting is a reaction in the form of the appearance of small capillaries in the treatment area. This is a complex and sometimes difficult to explain and predictable phenomenon. It is largely determined by hormonal levels (manifested in women), as well as by the individual reaction to the administration of sclerosant. Most often associated with the use of high concentrations of scleropreparation or a large volume of administration.
That is why you should not try to inject all the vessels at once in the first session - the dose may be large and this will cause an undesirable reaction.
Most often, matting occurs if sessions on one leg occur very often (once a week, for example). A more gradual style of treatment with longer breaks produces better results. You should also not conduct more than 3 sessions in a row on one leg without a long break (3-6 months).
How to minimize the risk of side effects during sclerotherapy?
Introduce a small amount of sclerosant through multiple injections, take long breaks, and take a long rest after 2-4 sessions. Sclerotherapy should be like the leisurely work of an artist who gradually draws the details of a picture.
That is why it is necessary to approach your treatment without haste and without any limiting circumstances. Choose a time and go to the procedures calmly.
#FORM_PSK1#
How to get rid of night leg cramps?
If you wake up at night from a sudden cramp, then the first desire is to rub your sore leg. Unfortunately, this does not always help relieve pain. How to relieve night leg cramps?
Lying down, you can do the following: pull the foot of the sore leg towards you, while simultaneously squeezing and unclenching the calf muscle with your palms (after all, it is usually the one that cramps). This will help to quickly relieve the attack. After this, work with the feet of both legs, make circular movements or alternately pull them towards you. This will activate blood circulation and the pain will go away.
Some people advise that if a cramp is very intense, try to relieve it by pricking your leg with a pin or needle. We doubt you'll have it handy while you sleep at night. But you can pinch yourself on the shin several times, although this can be difficult if the cramp is very strong
Also, if your leg cramps, you can stand on a bare, cool floor (but not on the carpet, the effect will not be the same) and try to walk. And when the muscle relaxes, still standing on the floor, shift from toe to heel for a minute. This simple exercise will help improve blood circulation.
What are the causes of leg cramps during pregnancy?
Expecting a baby is certainly a happy, but at the same time difficult time. It is during this period that, as a result of weight gain, hormonal changes, and decreased activity, many expectant mothers develop varicose veins. Which becomes one of the causes of night cramps.
Please note: cramps during pregnancy are an alarming symptom. It may indicate a lack of microelements, may be a consequence of large fluid losses (for example, during toxicosis), convulsions occur if the growing uterus compresses the inferior vena cava, etc. The expectant mother should definitely consult a doctor who will accurately determine the causes of seizures.
What are the causes of leg cramps at night with varicose veins?
Experts name several reasons. Firstly, this is a violation of blood flow in the veins, which is inevitable with varicose veins. The blood stagnates, the pressure in the veins increases, and water leaks into the surrounding tissues. But with water you also get microelements that are needed for normal muscle contraction - potassium, calcium and sodium. As a result, the muscles begin to contract spontaneously, and these are cramps.
Secondly, with varicose veins, blood flow in the veins is difficult, and at night it becomes as slow as possible. Muscles may begin to contract in impulses to “push” blood through the vessels.
And thirdly, there is another, slightly more complex mechanism. The point is not only that the muscle contracts, but also that it does not relax. Special molecules in the body are responsible for relaxing muscles - ATP. When blood stagnates in the veins, ATP production decreases and the mechanism that “relaxes” the muscle fails.
