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Dear Dr. Stoll,
I have been thinking about taking the herbs fenugreek, fennel, wild yam, and saw pelmetto for hormone balancing and breast enhancement. Sometimes, my legs feel achy and I have some veins on my legs that are visible. Sometimes, the ones on my feet bulge. So do the ones on my hands. I have always been like this it seems. Recently, I added some leg exercises to my routine. Will these be okay for my legs? The exercises have helped with muscle tone and cellulite and some fat loss. I do not want to do anything that will over-stress my legs, however. Is it better to walk and swim than to do the leg lifts?
Will the herbs mentioned above cause any problems with veins? I know that women with vein problems should not take birth control pills. Is this also true for herbs that have en estrogenic effect on the body?
I have been taking some herbs for my veins (horse chestnut, hawthorn, gotu kola, butcher's broom, bromelin, etc.)
I was wearing support hose some of the time, but have read on the discussion board here that they are not beneficial.
Please help me! I am trying to do everything I can to help my body stay healthy and also to help my veins become stronger.
Thank you!!!
In Reply to: varicose veins and herbs posted by melissa on July 19, 2001 at 11:05:38:
Hi, melissa.
I am not a good enough herbologist to advise you there.
Of all that you have mentioned in this note, my best suggestion would be to look into the gentle use of a minitrampopline for a few minutes several times a day.
Proper use of properly fitted support hose, TO the knee, are helpful for the large ones.
Swimming is the best exercice for this (other than the minitramp).
BC pills are a risk with the large veins but I have seen no research saying that herbs with an estrogenic effect have the same problem.
Hope this helps.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: varicose veins and herbs posted by Walt Stoll on July 21, 2001 at 09:00:41:
I stopped the breast herbs and have decided not to start them again. Maybe I will try a cream someday!
I am going to continue with herbs for my veins, though. How do I find proper fitting support hose? I know it must be somewhere on this board! Also, where do I find more information about the use of a minitrampoline for varicose veins?
Can veins get better? I'm hoping that if I take care of myself, and use the herbs, etc., that maybe they will.
What herbs do you suggest? I have herd of using horse chestnut, hawthorn, gingko, butcher's broom, among others.
I think I also read on this board that vitamin E is good.
Would it be okay to take evening primrose oil?
Thank you for answering my questions, I know I have tons of them!
Melissa
In Reply to: Re: varicose veins and herbs posted by Melissa on July 21, 2001 at 14:50:09:
Hey, Melissa.
I am not a good enough herbologist to advise you. There is a good one on our links page.
The proper way to fit support hose is: Make an early morning appointment at the medical appliance store. Arrange for someone to drive you to the store at that time. When you get up that morning, go directly to the back seat of the car and put your legs up. Go directly to your appointment and insist, when you get there that you be fitted at once--after all you made an appointment for exactly this purpose. Keep your legs up until they ARE fitted. Then get stockings that go only to below your knees.
You can take them off when you get into bed at night but have to put them back on before you get up for the day.
Large veins are not likely to go away but this will at least keep them from getting worse. I think the reference for a minitramp is in the varicose vein archives and the emphysema archives.
Hope this helps.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: varicose veins and herbs posted by Melissa on July 21, 2001 at 14:50:09:
If you look up Reboundair, rebounder, or mini-trampoline on the net, you will find lots of material. I have several books that are about 10 years old. Rebounding is good for EVERYTHING, and it is easy to adjust the amount/intensity to suit your needs. For instance after a very serious illness my knees would not work right, and my balance was very precarious. A chiropractor helped somewhat with the knee/shuffling problem, but specialists told me I'd have to learn to live with the balance problem. I remembered reading that rebounding improved balance.
I moved my rebounder by a secure shelf where I could hold on, and began by just gently bouncing (without actually lifting my feet from the rebounder surface) to the count of 15 while holding on for dear life. Daily I increased the amount and time spent, and gradually was able to lift my feet off the mat. My balance improved daily, and eventually I could jog in place without holding on. My balance was completely restored, and my stamina increases with regular use of the rebounder. I do 100-200 jogs in place most days. And, yes, it has reduced my varicose veins noticeably. Using the rebounder twice a day mornings and evenings) would yield even better, faster results. I used to do jumping jacks on the rebounder - which gets everything working better, and plan to resume that practice as my health continues to improve.
Best wishes!
In Reply to: Re: varicose veins and herbs posted by Gma on July 24, 2001 at 09:28:43:
Hi, Melissa - What an encouraging post! My experience with jumping on the trampoline did not have as good an outcome as yours. I did get about two more varicose veins, but they could have been just ready to appear and I just hastened it. And they did almost disappear soon after I got them.
As I have said before, jumping gently improved the circulation in my legs, which caused the tingling and aching to stop. I don't use the trampoline as much as I should, but I'll have more time now and plan to use it twice a day as you do. Knowing that your varicosities disappeared is really good news! I 'm very happy for you.
I agree with you that the trampoline is very helpful for almost every kind of problem. Raisa
In Reply to: Re: varicose veins and herbs posted by Raisa on July 24, 2001 at 13:16:25:
Sorry, my previous post was meant for you instead of Melissa. And, I also read your post wrong about your varicose veins disappearing. In his book, "Jumping for Health", Morton Walker says that Johnny Weismuller's varicose veins disappeared when he used the trampoline. But I wouldn't count on that happening to mine or even suggest that it could happen, so I think I won't do jumping jacks on my mini-trampoline. I'm just happy that I have no more aching in my legs. Raisa
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