VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2013
A SLICE OF ORANGE Refreshing Your Health
LOVE YOUR LEGS • Let the love flow • Healthy, beautiful legs
- Quit smoking
- Exercise
- Wear the right shoes
- Watch what you eat and drink
- Pop a pill
- Massage your feet and legs
- Raise your legs
- Visit a doctor
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Love your legs YOUR LEGS ARE THE MOST DOWN-TO-EARTH OF YOUR ORGANS. NOW IS THE TIME TO LIFT THEM UP.
E
very day, you go everywhere with two friends, your legs Mr. Leftie and Mr. Rightie. You take a stand with them; take romantic walks with them; jump for joy, run the extra mile, and dance on air with them.
But after a day of carrying you around and doing all of these things, your legs end up feeling painful, heavy, and tired, maybe even swollen and throbbing with varicose veins. Is this how you treat your best friends? How do you show love for your legs?
A SLICE OF ORANGE
VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2013
Let the love flow
and debilitating for some. In some people,
CVI. But those most at risk are:
Most of the symptoms described above are
varicose veins can inflame so much, even
• Those with diabetes or heart disease
caused by vein problems in your legs. Veins
standing feels like torture. If ignored, blood
• Elderly or overweight people
are the blood vessels that send blood back to
clots can form within the veins. The clots can
• Pregnant women or those who has been
your heart, and the veins in your legs are very
be carried by blood back to the heart, and
susceptible to long-term damage, aka chronic
then to the lungs, causing serious and pos-
• People with sedentary lifestyles
venous insufficiency (CVI).
sibly fatal damage.
• People who need to stand or sit for a
pregnant in the past
long time.
CVI is when your veins cannot sufficiently return blood to the heart. As a result,
Based on this last risk factor, almost ev-
the blood pools, causing the veins and
VARICOSE VEINS ARE PARTICULARLY
surrounding tissues to swell. When this
DISTRESSING FOR YOU AND YOUR
is one of the reasons why almost every
happens in the veins of your legs, inflam-
LEGS. THESE ARE DILATED VEINS
working man gets tired or painful legs at
mation ensues, causing the following symptoms: tired, heavy, swollen, pain-
ery office worker is at risk of CVI, and
the end of the day.
CAUSED BY THE POOLING OF
ful legs; tingling sensation; cramps; and
BLOOD WITHIN THE VEINS, AND
Healthy, beautiful legs
soon enough, spider veins and varicose
THE RESULTING INFLAMMATION.
How do you keep your legs and leg
veins. As CVI worsens, the skin of the
veins healthy? In fact, there are several
legs thickens and become discolored.
steps you can take to ensure your legs are strong, smooth, and varicose-free.
Varicose veins are particularly distressing for
Almost anyone can have CVI of the legs,
you and your legs. These are dilated veins
simply by the anatomy and function of the
Quit smoking. Smoking thickens blood,
caused by the pooling of blood within the
legs and its veins: the mere fact that your legs
which can hinder smooth blood flow in your
veins, and the resulting inflammation. Vari-
are closest to the ground means the pressure
legs.
cose veins are unsightly for most, and painful
within the leg veins are high, which leads to
A SLICE OF ORANGE
VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2013
Exercise. You may not want to exercise af-
Pop a pill. Health supplements containing
Raise your legs. Help the blood flow
ter a long day of sitting, walking, or standing.
red vine leaf extract help strengthen leg vein
back away from your legs by elevating your
But exercising your legs helps pump blood
walls; reduce leg swelling and inflammation;
legs several times a day. Ideally, you should
from the legs back to the heart. Walking,
and soothe varicose veins.
be elevating your legs 8 to 12 inches above
jogging, cycling, or swimming also help tone
your heart. At night, you can do this by prop-
your leg muscles, giving you a sexier shape.
ping your feet up several pillows. Do this for 20 minutes at a time. While elevating your
Wear the right shoes. As much as pos-
legs, you can exercise your leg muscles by
sible, keep your heels low (lower than two
slowly pointing your toes repeatedly. If you
inches). High heels put undue pressure on
cannot do this at work, you can simply prop
different parts of your feet, and increase the
your legs on a chair, and point your toes re-
pain of your already under-pressured feet and
peatedly. Avoiding crossing your legs, and
legs. However, flat shoes with no arch sup-
taking frequent walks helps keep the blood
port are also bad for your feet. Also, avoid
flowing.
wearing ill-fitting shoes. It is best to buy shoes at the end of the day, when your feet have
Massage your feet and legs. Take
Visit a doctor. For leg vein problems that
already swollen a size more.
time to stroke your legs five to six times a
don’t improve with these tips, you can visit
day. Start by stroking your feet, in a direction
a doctor, who can provide more advanced
Watch what you eat and drink.
towards your heart. After several seconds of
treatments for your leg veins. Treatments in-
Eat green leafy vegetables and brightly col-
doing this, move up to your legs. At the end
clude prescription medications that treat the
ored fruits. These foods are rich in vitamins
of the day, wash your feet with cool water,
pain, swelling, and inflammation; compres-
that protect your leg veins; and fiber, which
and then moisturize with lotion or petroleum
sion/support stockings and bandages; and
helps regulate the balance of water within
jelly. Slip on some socks so that your bed
surgical treatments such as vein stripping,
your body, which helps prevent leg swelling.
sheets don’t stain. (Note: it is a myth that cool
sclerotherapy, and laser treatments.
Avoiding salt and eating a low-salt (low so-
water is bad for your feet. Cool water helps
dium) diet also reduces the risk of leg swell-
lessen the swelling of your legs and leg veins.
All these may seem like a lot of work for feet,
ing. A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet helps keep
In contrast, warm water, hot baths and sau-
but with everything your feet do for you, they
your blood from clotting in the leg veins.
nas aggravate leg swelling.)
deserve all the love you can give.
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A Slice of Orange
is a newsletter designed to help clarify basic health information and offer juicy tips on uplifting your health.
Editorial team Alvin Delfin Christine Llenes-Delfin Ivan Olegario, MD