Horse chestnut worth a try for varicose veins

VEINS form part of our circulatory system along with the arteries. The arteries are the strong, elastic vessels that take fresh oxygenated blood from the heart out to parts of the body to deliver oxygen.

Veins are the vessels that carry the old and used blood from all around the body back to the heart. They work hard to do this as they are working against gravity to do their job.

Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and twisted; they are usually associated with the veins in the legs. Varicose veins can cause achy legs, or cause the legs to feel heavy and tired, they can look unsightly with knotted veins sticking out through the skin.

People who stand a lot can be prone to having varicose veins but they can happen either way.

It’s to do with the strength of the veins themselves. As you get older, your veins can lose elasticity, causing them to stretch.

The valves in your veins may become weak, allowing blood that should be moving toward your heart to flow backward.

There are some things that you can do yourself to help, gentle exercise to keep the blood circulating to stop it pooling, lose any excess weight as this would put pressure on the veins. Look at your shoes, make sure that they are comfortable and don’t wear high heels for too long. Elevate your legs when you get the chance.

It’s impossible to tell someone who stands for their job not to stand for too long, but do aim to move about if your job is stationary. It was an old saying that we shouldn’t cross our legs, not sure if that is still true?

The most popular herbal remedy is probably Aesculus, Horse Chestnut, A Vogel Venaforce is a good example. This is an extract of freshly harvested Horse Chestnut seeds. It can treat the symptoms of varicose veins which include the aching and tiredness, it can also reduce the cosmetic appearance of them.

Don’t take Horse Chestnut if you have an allergy to peanuts. You can have relief from symptoms in as short a time as two weeks.

A.Vogel Venaforce can also help relieve the appearance of thread veins. Clair Whitty is a Bach Flower Practitioner, a Nutritional Health Coach accredited with Thought Leader Natural Health 2018 and a Vega Food Intolerance Tester at The Natural Health Store, 24 North Main Street, Wexford 053 9121613 | clairm1@eircom.net | www.naturalhealthstore.ie