Treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies

Patients often try to treat varicose veins with folk remedies at home - based on plant extracts, there are also preparations for external use and oral administration, many of which are positioned as means to completely get rid of vein diseases.They are widely advertised and sold without a doctor's prescription.But, unfortunately, this attitude towards traditional methods in the case of varicose veins is not completely correct.

Phlebologists do not consider traditional methods as the main method of treating varicose veins of the lower extremities - traditional medicine can be effective in complex therapy and can only reduce symptoms.

Why does herbal medicine not cure varicose veins?

The use of various plant-based remedies is not able to relieve the patient from varicose veins even in the initial stages of the disease.This cannot be achieved with drug therapy and other conservative methods recommended by official medicine.

Changes in the walls of varicose veins are irreversible.And no single product of natural or pharmaceutical origin can eliminate these characteristic disorders or at least safely stop their progression.Currently, there are no drugs that lead to the regression of phlebosclerosis and the restoration of the normal structure of the vascular wall.

In many cases, patients have a hereditary predisposition to varicose veins of the lower extremities.

Factors for the development of varicose veins:

• Genetically determined "weakness" of the venous walls, which can actually withstand only a normal level of intravascular pressure without consequences.
• A small number of intrauterine valves are present in the uterus, which may be a familial or even racial trait.

Of course, all this cannot be eliminated with the help of herbal medicines or other non-surgical techniques.Therefore, there is no need to talk about the healing of varicose veins with the help of conservative therapy, regardless of what advertisements and publications promise.

The improvement of the condition while taking medications or herbal remedies only indicates the compensation of the existing venous insufficiency.The length of this grace period depends on many factors.And the continuation of herbal medicine does not at all guarantee a low probability of resuming symptoms and preventing the development of complications.

However, herbal products can still be used in the complex treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities.In addition, some healing extracts formed the basis of a number of modern medicines.So patients may refuse to independently prepare decoctions and infusions for oral administration.Many people prefer standardized pharmaceutical products with regulated dosage, ease of administration and predictable action.

What is the effect of herbal medicine and traditional methods?

For varicose veins, chamomile, horse chestnut, aromatic rue, horsetail, dandelion, meadow lumbago (sleep grass), bird's knot (knotweed) and a number of other plants are most often used for medicinal purposes.

Chamomile helps relieve the symptoms of varicose veins in the early stages - it reduces the inflammatory process and the visibility of the affected veins.Chamomile tea and compresses have a minimum of contraindications and can be recommended by complex therapy specialists.

Dandelion is a popular remedy for varicose veins.The dried roots and stems are added to tea and also when taking a bath.It relieves mild pain, but has no therapeutic effect.

The effect of folk remedies

Herbal medicine has a limited effect on the affected veins:

• Phlebotonic effect - increases the tone of the veins.But remember that with varicose veins, the structure of the affected vessels changes irreversibly.In their walls, not only the amount of connective tissue increases significantly (which is called phlebosclerosis), but the structure of the muscle layer also breaks down.Therefore, already deformed veins will give an insufficient response to phlebotonic substances.Their lumen can be narrowed mainly with the help of powerful compounds - for example, ergot alkaloids.But the side effects from such a herbal medicine will be significant.Therefore, phlebotonic plants are used more to reduce the severity of venous insufficiency and for preventive purposes.
• Compression of the vein, due to which the process of its deformation is somewhat restrained.This effect can be used in complex prevention in individuals at risk.But it still won't be possible to stop, let alone restore, existing varicose veins this way.
• Antithrombotic and disintegrating effect, which reduces the risk of thrombosis and has a beneficial effect on microcirculation.But this effect can be expected only with sufficiently long-term use of decoctions and infusions.In addition, blood thinning will not occur locally in the area of varicose veins, but throughout the body.In some patients, this can lead to complications of other diseases.
• Anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect, mainly manifested in local herbal medicine for trophic ulcers and eczematous venous dermatitis.But without eliminating venostasis (the main cause of these complications), it will not be possible to achieve long-term normalization of the skin condition.

As you can see, the symptoms of the disease will decrease only temporarily, and varicose veins will not disappear completely.

Apitherapy for varicose veins

Apitherapy or "bee therapy" is the use of bee venom and various bee products for medicinal purposes.Recommendations for the use of honey and propolis as compresses for trophic ulcers and the presence of visible varicose veins are quite common.Some also resort to apitoxin therapy sessions, deliberately achieving bee stings in the projection of the most affected vessels.

Honey and propolis in the form of compresses are used to relieve swelling and pain.

Apitherapy is a classic popular method for the treatment of varicose veins of the legs, let's consider the expected effect and the possibility of its occurrence:

• Improving tissue trophism and providing them with vitamins and microelements contained in honey.In reality, there is no improvement - the penetration of the components through the skin is insignificant to talk about a significant therapeutic effect.In addition, a dense mass of honey can block the pores and thus worsen the condition of the dermis.
• In the presence of a trophic ulcer - the antimicrobial effect of applying honey compresses.The highly digestible carbohydrates of this beekeeping product can become a breeding ground for opportunistic microorganisms.This can lead to the opposite effect, especially in conditions of skin dysbiosis that occurs with varicose veins and against the background of a decrease in local immunity.
• Anti-inflammatory effect of honey compresses.Yes, honey can reduce the severity of non-specific inflammation.But in the case of varicose veins, the main changes occur in the wall of the subcutaneous vessel, and biologically active substances through the skin are still not absorbed well enough.Honey is a highly allergenic product;it is possible that local allergic reactions similar to inflammation may develop - this will not improve the condition of the legs.
• Fighting thrombosis (with apitoxin therapy), which is explained by the presence of a substance similar to hirudin in bee venom.Trying to use this effect, apitherapists often plant stinging bees in areas of veins affected by thrombophlebitis.In some cases, this actually activates thrombolysis (resorption of blood clots).But such an aggressive and not completely controlled effect can provoke thromboembolism and increase the severity of phlebitis.
• Improvement of microcirculation under the influence of peptides contained in bee venom.Indeed, these biologically active substances contribute to the expansion of capillaries and blood flow to inflamed areas after a bee sting.Bee sting sessions can potentially improve the condition of the soft tissues of the legs affected by varicose veins.But apitoxin therapy is also associated with inflammation and swelling, which exacerbate existing disorders.The wounds formed after the bite is removed serve as an entry point for bacteria - the risk of developing erysipelas and other very undesirable infectious complications.
• Restoration of venous walls under the influence of bee venom.The peptides and other substances it contains, with repeated bites, change all the tissues in the area of development of inflammation.The skin thickens, the subcutaneous tissue becomes thicker, the walls of the subcutaneous vessels thicken, and varicose veins become less visible.But this does not mean that the uneven phlebosclerosis and the nodular deformations of the veins arising in its background completely disappear.They are only compensated, which is associated with a temporary stabilization of the flow of chronic venous insufficiency.And valvular sclerosis is not eliminated by apitherapy.

Apitherapy is indeed a very powerful tool of traditional medicine, but with varicose veins it is fraught with the development of infectious complications.It will not be possible to restore the vein walls with such treatment;it is only possible to stabilize the course of the disease and alleviate the symptoms.

Do leeches treat varicose veins?

Leeches have long been used in the treatment of diseases of the blood and blood vessels.The risk of thrombosis is reduced and the pain is temporarily reduced.

Treatment with leeches (hirudotherapy) is a popular method of treating varicose veins and other vascular diseases, it eliminates symptoms, improves tissue trophism, but the effect is limited in time:

• Decreased swelling and visible pigmentation.
• Sucking a leech reduces the risk of thrombosis.This is explained by the antithrombotic effect of some substances in her saliva: anticoagulant hirudin, enzymes collagenase and apyrase with disintegrating properties.But the leech cannot act on the blood clot that already exists in the veins and does not reduce the likelihood of thromboembolism in thrombophlebitis.In addition, the proteins that come from her saliva decompose quickly enough, so a long-term antithrombotic effect cannot be expected from hirudotherapy.
• Blood sucking by a leech lowers intravascular pressure.This discharge of local blood flow is temporary and is not able to free the patient from venous stagnation with varicose veins.
• Certain substances in leech saliva have a vasodilating effect and lead to dilation of small vessels.In some cases, this helps improve microcirculation.Venous insufficiency caused by varicose veins is associated with excessive stretching of the final sections of the venous network due to blood stagnation.So, additional expansion of small vessels may not have the best effect on the state of the microvasculature.With spider veins, this effect from using leeches can even make the situation worse.

Hirudotherapy currently refers more to physiotherapeutic methods than traditional ones.But phlebologists are still very wary of such treatment because of the high probability of complications - erysipelas.

Venous congestion that develops with varicose veins leads to the interruption of nutrition to all tissues of the limbs, including the skin.The efficiency of local immune factors decreases, the composition of the microflora on the surface of the epidermis changes.All this is a prerequisite for the development of infectious complications.

Ingestion by leeches further disrupts the skin's barrier function.And the open wound after its separation can also become an entrance gate for pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria.And the most likely infectious complication of hirudotherapy will be erysipelas.In addition, the proteins that come from leech saliva are foreign to the human body and can potentially act as allergens.

Hirudotherapy cannot relieve varicose veins of the lower extremities or lead to stable compensation for venous insufficiency.It increases the risk of infectious dermatitis and erysipelas.

How to deal with the disease?

Any conservative therapy for varicose veins is only symptomatic relief.The main effect is aimed at reducing the severity of venous stagnation and correcting complications.No conservative technique can prevent the further progression of the disease and eliminate the main cause of chronic venous insufficiency.

Self-medication is dangerous!

Delayed visit to the doctor and self-medication for varicose veins significantly increase the possibility of complications:

• Thrombosis of superficial and deep veins with possible development of thromboembolism.Migrating blood clots clog arteries, which can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, and multi-organ failure.Pulmonary embolism is one of the most deadly conditions.
• Trophic ulcer, prone to chronicity and recurrence.
• Venous eczema is a severe protracted dermatitis of infectious-allergic basis.It significantly worsens the quality of life and can be complicated by erysipelas.
• Spontaneous rupture of varicose veins with risk of blood loss.

In hospitals, varicose veins are treated surgically - the entire affected vessel and its main branches are removed (or completely turned off from the blood circulation).As a result, the patient eliminates pathological blood discharges, eliminates venous stagnation and improves tissue nutrition.

Currently, patients have the opportunity to choose equally effective minimally invasive intravenous interventions instead of classic operations.These include:

1. EVLO is the disappearance of the affected vein (ie, irreversible closure of its lumen) after intravascular laser treatment.
2. RFO is an extinction caused by exposure to radio frequency waves.
3. Sclerotherapy is the introduction into the lumen of a vessel of a special sclerosing drug, which provokes adhesion and subsequent disappearance of the vein.

The treatment method is selected according to the indications, taking into account the stage of varicose veins and the presence of accompanying diseases.Uncomplicated varicose veins are usually eliminated with sclerotherapy or RFO, while advanced ones can be eliminated with laser technology. Laser treatment of varicose veins gives excellent results at any stage of the disease.