Varicose veins are abnormally enlarged swollen veins that usually occur in the legs. They result from a weakness of valves inside veins that allow blood to flow back to the heart. If the valves do not work properly, blood accumulates in the veins, stretching them and causing varicosities. These prominent, blue, bulging veins are often accompanied by dull, nagging aches and pains. Swelling, sore legs, leg cramps and feelings of heaviness in the legs are also characteristics of varicose veins.
Amazingly, approximately 50% of middle aged adults have varicose veins. The subcutaneous veins of the legs are commonly affected, due to the tremendous strain that standing has on the veins. When a person stands for long periods, the pressure exerted against the vein can increase up to ten times. Hence, those whose occupations require long periods of standing are more susceptible to risk of developing varicose veins.
A more serious form of varicose veins involves obstruction and valve defects of the deeper veins of the leg. This type of varicose vein can lead to problems such as thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infraction and even stroke.
Endovenous Laser Treatment is designed to cure patients presenting with greater saphenous vein incompetence and reflux at the saphenofemoral junction. Endovenous Laser Treatment has had the enviable success recored of greater than 90% worldwide. So far there have been no major complication reported in the world in the last 4 years.
Endovenous Laser Treatment offers an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. Up until this point, a patient's options have included Surgical Ligation and Spring, Transcatheter Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy, Ligation at the Saphenofemoral Junction followed by either Ambulatory Phlebectomy and/or Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy.
Endovenous Laser Treatment consists first of doing a thorough Duplex Ultrasound and verifying that the GSV is incompetent and secondly straight. Under sterile conditions and under Ultrasound Guidance, a 7 19-gauge needle is inserted in the GSV and a 0.035 J tipped guided wire is inserted through the needle. The needle is withdrawn and a couble Lumen 5 French catheter is inserted over the guide wire. The guide wire is removed, the inner catheter is also removed and a 600 Micron Laser Fiber is inserted into the remaining catheter. The vein which had been previously marked by Ultrasound in Sagittal Mode is now anesthetized with 0.5% Lidocaine and 10% Bicarbonate. Using 14 watts of continuous energy, the Laser is slowly withdrawn. Appropriate compression with 30-40 reverse gradient hose is applied and the patient begins a 15-minute ambulation immediately.
Endovenous Laser Treatment offers lots of advantages. Firstly, this procedure is done in an outpatient setting or the doctor's office and the patient may resume work the following day. Secondly, there is virtually none of the morbidity that is associated with stripping and ligation and recurrence rates in 4 years are approaching zero. Thirdly, there is virtually no pain associated with the procedure and there is no scarring. Last but not least, compared to the expenses of standard stripping and ligation: ie. Doctors reimbursement, Anesthesiologists fees, and Hospital or Outpatient Facility fees, this offers not only better results and superior technology, but is infinitely less expensive. All mentioned above results in extremely high patient satisfaction.
This new technology offers huge advantages to both the patient and the doctor. Maybe in the future, this will soon be accepted as the gold standard for removing reflux at the SFJ to the knee. But on the other hand, especially compared with the natural plant medicine this procedure is still too expensive; thus only a few of the patients can afford to take this procedure.
VenousBalm-Rx and VenousDrops are new topical and oral remedies to treat varicose and spider veins. They are characterized by very strong and real pharmacological activities which unequivocally qualify them as ethical drugs.
There is a long history in the USA of physicians giving medicinal plants orally to their patients prior to the advent of modern pharmaceutical drugs in the 1930s. Medicinal plant extracts are actually listed in the 8th edition of Useful Drugs, a handbook published by the American Medical Association in 1930. Indeed today, conventional pharmaceutical companies rely on plant material to provide model chemical structures in the development of new drugs.
Very recent advances in the scientific understanding of medicinal plants suggest a much broader use of natural medicine to eradicate varicose veins than science thought possible just ten years ago. NaturesPharma has notably broadened its scope over the years and continues to be at the forefront of the natural health sector. To learn the topical treatment and dietary supplement for varicose veins, please go to http://www.naturespharma.org.