Have You Tried These Alternative Circulation Boosters?
If you’ve ever been sidelined by injury, hospital stay, advanced age, or perhaps have a job that requires you to sit for prolonged periods, your circulatory system takes a hit. Because when you’re not moving, your circulatory system puts itself in low gear too, which can lead to an array of health problems from vein disease, noticeable vein disease symptoms, to very serious complications like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms.
At Hamilton Vein, we highly encourage our patients to exercise regularly — even telling them to get out and walk directly after a vein treatment. Healthy circulation aids healing, leads to quicker recovery and maintains vital vein health in the present and the future.
But we do know it’s often hard to get that daily 30 of blood-pumping exercise in, so here are some “alternative” circulation-boosting techniques that are out there and available. Now we’re not saying you should try these – you should always speak with your healthcare professional or vein specialist first before embarking on anything new – but we just want to make you aware of other options.
Dry Brushing
Our skin is our largest organ with a vast superhighway of superficial veins directly underneath it. What interests us about dry brushing is that it stimulates the superficial veins – the veins where vein disease wreaks havoc. By paying attention to these veins and incorporating daily circulation boosting techniques, blood is freshened with rich oxygen, which helps ward off vein disease and ease the symptoms of vein disease. Not to mention a whole host of more amazing benefits – like busting cellulite. Ah, now we have your attention!
Benefits of dry brushing include:
Increasing blood flow
Releasing toxins
Improved skin tone / breaking down cellulite
Improved muscle tone
For more information about dry brushing, we found a couple of nice sources:
Australian Natural Health Magazine and an article from the Huffington Post with some nice benefit info
And here’s a “how to video”
CV2 machine
The CV2 is an ingenious device that allows people with limited mobility, jobs that require them to sit for extended periods or who are endurance athletes recovering from races to “treadle” in the comfort of a chair. Treadling is a unique combo of — you guessed it, treading and pedaling — for 15 minutes/day to rev the all important “calf pump” – the physical, muscular component that helps pump blood back up from the legs towards the heart. The CV2 looks like a great, non-impact way to boost circulation.
Acupuncture
Now we know a lot of folks are not into needles. But talk to most anyone who has turned to this ancient Chinese healing treatment for the relief from a variety of ills, including migraines, muscular pains, and imbalances in the body — and you just might be able to put that phobia aside and try it.
At the core of acupuncture is the theory that a life force called “qi” (“chee”) flows through our bodies via energy pathways (medians). When these pathways are blocked or imbalanced, disease occurs. Acupuncture “unlocks” the blockages, releasing the flow which leads to rejuvenated health and well-being.
Many people have found relief from their varicose veins and other vein disease symptoms via acupuncture. We are happy to hear that — for we are all for treatments that help you temporarily feel better when suffering with vein disease. However, because vein disease is a progressive medical condition, true relief can only come from a vein treatment – where the diseased vein is permanently closed and blood is redirected to deeper, healthier veins.
Have you tried acupuncture? Did you like it? Let us know in the comment box below.
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy combines gentle pressure and hot / cold water to ease muscle pain and increase circulation – which will help ease varicose vein pain. According to a study published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, people with varicose veins exhibited noticeable relief from their vein pain with hydrotherapy.
Many spas and wellness centers offer hydrotherapy treatments, if you’re curious about trying this out! And it is easy to try at home as well.
Here are some nice sources to learn more about hydrotherapy:
Smart Living Network and Livestrong
We’d love to hear from you about your experiences with alternative vein pain relief techniques. Please comment below or on our Facebook page!
The only true relief from varicose vein pain and other vein disease conditions comes from a minimally invasive vein treatment. To schedule a consultation, please call 281.565.0033 (Houston), 512.551.1403 (Austin), or 210.504.4304 (San Antonio).
