Research states that sixty percent of American women and men suffer from some form of aging veins. These numbers indicate that women are more prone to poor vein health than men constituting nearly fifty percent of the total. Studies also show that by the time women reach their 50s, forty-one percent complain of abnormal leg veins.
Normal strong veins have valves that prevent blood from flowing backwards. When veins weaken, gravity brings the blood down to the feet and the walls of the veins may bulge, due to little bluish pools of blood. This happens mostly in the lower legs and may cause heaviness and ache in the legs along with swollen ankles.
If you have enlarged bluish veins close to the skin, it could be a sign of poor venal health. Poor venal health could be because of a number of many reasons. Major causes include heredity or being predisposed to weak vein valves from birth. Aging is another contributing factor to poor venal health. Ailing, unhealthy and bulging veins usually affect people between the ages of thirty and seventy. As you grow older, you lose tissue tone, muscle mass and elasticity. Vein walls begin to weaken and valves which help push the blood forward may not work as well. Aging also affects the ability to absorb and digest the nutrients needed for sustaining vein health.
Hormones, too, play an important role in venal health which is why it has been shown that women are more likely to suffer from venal insufficiency than men. During puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, women experience significant hormonal changes. During pregnancy, along with an increase in hormones, there is also an overall increase in the blood volume. This naturally causes veins to enlarge. As the uterus grows, more pressure is added to these overworked veins in the legs and abnormalities are likely to develop and remain even in post pregnancy.
Gravity, body weight and the task of pumping blood from the lower body up to the heart make legs the main location for ailing veins. Legs endure the most pressure and this pressure can be stronger than the one way valves in the veins. Other factors that weaken vein valves include smoking, injuries to the legs, being overweight, straining on the toilet, lifting heavy weights regularly and standing for long hours on the job. Sun exposure may also aggravate the situation.
How to Support Venal Health
There are many ways to support normal functions of the veins. The simplest and most effective is to follow a daily exercise routine. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging and cycling all help push stagnant blood from the legs back up to the heart. Working out your calf muscles is especially important as the more you move them, the more they act as a pump helping veins to push circulation upwards. Many women find that exercising on a regular basis helps to ease the pain and discomfort associated with aging veins. Easy exercises like laying on your back with your feet up against the wall helps you work with gravity to pump blood to your heart. This pose can also reduce the discomfort of swollen ankles caused by weak veins.
Include foods in your diet that provide vein support. An adequate fiber intake is essential. This reduces constipation and straining during bowel movements (one of the main reasons for swollen veins around the anus). Up your intake of vitamin C and other nutrients. Eat fruits like blackberries and cherries that contain bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids have been known to help support capillary strength. Herbs such as gingko, butcher's broom and horse chestnut extract also help to strengthen veins and the proper circulation of blood in the body. Aescin, an active compound in horse chestnut, has been traditionally used to support and promote venal health. Don't forget that veins also need nutritional support. This is where nutritional and health supplements can play a vital role.
If you are concerned about your veins, speak to your doctor about taking Vein Matrix. This is a targeted blend of vitamins, herbs and antioxidants that support the body's ability for production of collagen and elastin, which assist the body to support healthy veins.
