Beautiful Legs without Varicose Veins

Lots of women having varicose veins on their legs are afraid of exercising, because they believe, that physical exercises could make the problem worse. Exercises actually improve the blood circulation through your legs. Any exercises involving legs are good to prevent spider veins, the best and most efficient is exercising the lower calf muscles. Swimming, walking, bicycling, jogging, aerobics, step aerobics – if you do something from the list regularly, this is already varicose veins prevention. If you already have varicose veins, moderate leg exercises help relieve varicose veins and reduce the aching associated with them. The following exercises improve your leg strength and muscle tone, help promote circulation and, thus, help prevent and relieve varicose veins.

Exercise #1. Calf Stretching

You will need to use an aerobic step, or a low bench, or something stable, raised and firm. Stand on the step with both feet. Your heels should extend over the edge of the step. Raise yourself up on your toes and then lower your heels down below the step. Do this exercise close to a wall to hold on to balance. Make about 40 repetitions. This exercise stretches the back of your calf muscles.

Exercise #2. Pedaling

Lie on the floor on your back with hands out to the sides or beneath the buttocks. Lift your legs off the floor and pedal them, as if you were riding a bicycle. If you hold your legs low, you also work on your abdominals.

Exercise #3. Tip-toeing

Walk on tip-toes, when you are working around the house. This exercise also stretches the calves.

Exercise #4. Walk on Heels

This exercise is also simple and can be done at home while clearing up, but is effective for calve muscle strength. Just walk on your heels around the house.

Exercise #5. Leg Lifting

Lie down on the floor on your back with hands out to the sides or beneath the buttocks. Press your lower back and buttocks against the floor. Lift one straight leg and hold it elevated perpendicular to the floor. Hold this pose as long as you can and lay the leg down. Repeat this motion with the other leg. This exercise improves the circulation in your legs.

Exercise #6. Knee Bends

Lie on the floor on your back. Pull one knee into your chest. During this hold onto your leg behind the knee. While your leg is kept in this position, point and flex your foot. All the motions should be done slowly and forcefully. After several foot motions do the same with the opposite leg. This exercise makes the muscles of the entire leg work.
Resting after Leg Exercises

It is recommended to elevate the legs about 6 to 12 inches above the heart after doing these or any other leg exercises, especially exercises involving the large muscles of the lower body. Independent from if you have just done exercises, or walked a lot, or had to stand for a long time, do this to prevent and relieve varicose veins. You can also do the following: lie down on the floor with your buttocks almost touching a wall. Keep your legs in an elevated pose resting against the wall. This provides a good rest for your legs.

Source: geniusbeauty.com

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LAPTOPS LINKED TO MALE INFERTILITY
Loyola reproductive specialist offers tips to protect male fertility this Father’s Day

MAYWOOD – While fatherhood might be far from the minds of most young men, behavior patterns they establish early on may impact their ability to become a dad later in life. Excessive laptop use tops this list of liabilities, according to one reproductive specialist at Loyola University Health System (LUHS).

“Laptops are becoming increasingly common among young men wired into to the latest technology,” said Suzanne Kavic, MD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at LUHS and associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and department of medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. “However, the heat generated from laptops can impact sperm production and development making it difficult to conceive down the road.”

Kavic recommends placing laptops on desktops to prevent damaging sperm and decreasing counts and motility. Other tips to protect male fertility include:

* Avoiding hot tubs

* Using boxers over briefs

* Refraining from ejaculating too frequently (the recommendation is to only engage in sexual intercourse every other day around ovulation)

* Exercising moderately (one hour, three to five times per week)

* Avoiding exercise that can generate heat or trauma to the genital area

* Eating well

* Taking a daily multivitamin

* Getting eight hours of sleep per night

* Staying hydrated and limiting caffeine to no more than two cups per day

* Refraining from smoking

* Avoiding drugs and excessive alcohol use

* Minimizing exposure to toxins

* Avoiding excessive weight gain or weight loss

* Practicing stress reduction techniques

Forty percent of fertility issues are attributed to males. Other leading causes of male infertility include varicocoeles or enlarged varicose veins in the scrotum. This condition can raise the temperature in the testicles and damage or kill sperm. Other reasons include genital injuries or defects, certain sexually transmitted infections, prostatitis (an infection or inflammation of the prostate), immune and hormonal disorders and erectile dysfunction. Kavic also notes that underlying health issues and medications may be to blame for fertility issues.

“Medications for depression, blood pressure and certain heart conditions may lower libido or cause impotence,” said Kavic. “Men should talk with their physicians to see if medication is necessary or if they can switch to another with fewer side effects.”

Reproductive endocrinology services available for males at LUHS include consultations, medical history and physical examinations, semen analysis, intrauterine inseminations by husband donor, assessments for the need for assisted reproductive technology and referrals to support services and alternative medicine.

“With Father’s Day around the corner, males should be reminded to take care of their health,” said Kavic. “An annual physical exam combined with a healthy lifestyle may make it easier to become a dad when the time is right.”

Source: Loyola University Health System

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Interesting link about preventing varicose veins:

http://www.ehow.com/how_3354_prevent-varicose-veins.html

Varicose veins are twisted enlarged veins, especially in the lower legs. Many factors are in involved in development of the condition, including gender (women are more prone), age, pregnancy and heredity. There are lifestyle changes that can help prevent varicose veins.

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Superficial thrombophlebitis (superficial phlebitis) is inflammation and clotting in a superficial vein.

Superficial thrombophlebitis most often affects the superficial veins in the legs but may also affect superficial veins in the groin or in the arms. Superficial thrombophlebitis in the arms usually results from having an intravenous catheter. Often, thrombophlebitis occurs in people with varicose veins. However, most people with varicose veins do not develop thrombophlebitis.

Even a slight injury can cause a varicose vein to become inflamed. Unlike deep vein thrombosis, which causes very little inflammation, superficial thrombophlebitis involves a sudden (acute) inflammatory reaction that causes the thrombus (blood clot) to adhere firmly to the vein wall and lessens the likelihood that it will break loose. Unlike deep veins, superficial veins have no surrounding muscles to squeeze and dislodge a thrombus. For these reasons, superficial thrombophlebitis rarely causes embolism.

Thrombophlebitis that repeatedly occurs in normal veins is called migratory phlebitis or migratory thrombophlebitis. It may indicate a serious underlying disorder, such as cancer of an internal organ. When migratory phlebitis and cancer of an internal organ occur together, the disorder is called Trousseau’s syndrome.

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This article except discusses varicose vein issues and air travel. It recommends consulting a physician if you have severe varicose veins if you are doing extended air travel.
Varicose Vein Article: Air Travel and Venous Thrombosis
http://www.inate.org/en/1/2/6/20/default.aspx

condensed from full article:
Introduction
Venous thrombosis in airplane passengers, or ‘economy-class syndrome’ as it is sometimes known, has received a lot of attention in newspapers and on television. Should venous thrombosis be thought of as a serious health risk to travelers? Here, we help you to separate the facts about thrombosis and air travel from the myths.
Does air travel increase the risk of thrombosis?
A long journey may increase your risk of thrombosis, simply because you are sitting still for a long time. There are also certain conditions related to air travel that may play a part in the development of blood clots.

Experts do agree that the risk of developing thrombosis increases as the length of the flight increases. The risk seems to become most relevant for flights lasting longer than about 8 hours. If you already have several risk factors, you are more likely to develop thrombosis. You should consult your doctor before a long flight if:
– Among other issues cited: – you have severe varicose veins or swelling in your legs

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This rendering illustrates the valves in veins and how vein disease can impact their function.

Refer to UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO – SCHOOL OF MEDICINE : http://vascular.ucsd.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=72

Venous reflux disease develops when the valves that keep blood flowing out of the legs and back to the heart become damaged or diseased. This can cause blood to pool in your legs and lead to symptoms such as pain, swelling, swollen limbs, leg heaviness and fatigue, skin changes and skin ulcers, and varicose veins.

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Those looking for varicose vein and spider vein informational links should consider these. The last two have detailed vein structure information, including an animation of a vein operation.

Varicose veins –Mayo Clinic – http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/varicose-veins/DS00256/

Spider Veins & Varicose Veins – American College of Phlebology -: http://www.phlebology.org/

Varicose Veins – Vein Function Animated – University of California San Diego – School of Medicine – http://vascular.ucsd.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=72

Vein Structure – SDSU Blog – http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/class/bio590/pictures/lect5/artery-vein.jpeg

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Question:  Someone has been taking birth control pills for the past several years, and they see the formation of spider veins in their legs. The condition seems to be getting worse.  Are these spider veins caused by the pill and will they lead to a high risk for  varicosities?  The personal information and family history is not: overweight, exercise every day, only family history is a grandmother on my father’s side.  Is the pill causing this and will these minor spider veins disappear when the pill is stopped. 

Answer: The pill sometimes increases spider veins in about 10-20% of women. They likely will not vanish; but, you might do better with a lower estrogen formatted pill.

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