21 Jun 2022 Can varicose veins be reversible? How can I reduce the pain and oedema using aromatherapy? What kind of measures shall I adopt to maintain the effectiveness of the therapy?
Varicose veins are induced by the defect of valves in veins. The blood in those veins becomes stagnant and accumulated at the affected regions causing the veins to swell and enlarge.
There are several stages of varicose veins:
Stage 1 - Telangiectasia varicose veins (Spider Veins)
Appears with spider-like capillaries under skin
Cosmetic problems rather than health problems
May induced pain
Should be treated at this stage to prevent severe venous disease
Stage 2 - Reticular varicose veins
Appears underneath skin and not protruding out
Usually blue or purple in colour
Commonly at the backs of our knees, on inner thighs, or near ankles
Induce pain or discomfort mostly
Stage 3 - Trunk varicose veins
Appears near skin surface
Long, thick and knobbly
Pain and swollen legs
Although there are some supplements, for example french maritime pine bark, were found to exert effect on improving ankle swelling, resting flux, transcutaneous pO2 and clinical symptom scores, it does not mean that the condition could be completely reversed.
In aromatherapy, Cypress and Lemon essential oils are frequently used for relieving the signs and symptoms of varicose veins. Both oils were found to have astringent effect in our blood vessels. However, there are no randomised controlled trial results supporting the phenomenon so far, which could be observed solely through clinical practice.
Other than these 2 essential oils, we could adopt Sweet Marjoram as anticoagulant for preventing blood clots at varicose veins from dislodging and leading to embolism. Arbutin in Sweet Marjoram is responsible for suppressing platelets adhesion on laminin-coated plate and inhibiting adenosine diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid, and thrombin induced platelets aggregation.
Apart from using the correct essential oil blend, proper massage technique is also of paramount importance. Follow the sequence below, you will find the oedematous condition improved drastically.
Massage popliteal area first, until the muscles turn soft
Massage from ankle to thigh to promote venous return
To make sure that the effects of massage therapy is sustainable, we encourage you to investigate into your tiny bits of habits. For example, walking / standing / sitting posture, the length of your bag strips (not just for varicose veins but also for knee osteoarthritis), lower limb exercises…and so on.
Walking posture
Abdominal muscles contracted
Land your foot with heel down first
Initiate steps using gluteal muscles and hamstrings
Standing posture
Abdominal muscles contracted
Gluteal muscles and hamstrings contracted
Relax knee‘s joints
Sitting posture
Abdominal muscles contracted
Make sure gluteal muscles are supporting your back
Keep a small gap at popliteal area and your back
Length of your bag strips
Crossbody bags / Messenger bags / Satchels: Keep the bag at waistline
Backpacks: Have the strips as short as they can, make the bag as close to your body as possible
Lower limb exercises
Train your gluteal and gastrocnemius muscles and hamstrings for better muscles strength to squeeze blood at lower limbs
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