What is DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis is a kind of vascular disorder. It happens when a thrombus (blood clot) forms in the deep vein anywhere in the body. It especially develops in the legs. This is a grave ailment and can actually be fatal for you unless you seek treatment right away.

What are the symptoms of DVT?

A worrying feature of deep vein thrombosis is that in most cases it shows no symptoms in the earlier phases. Moreover, what makes diagnosis hard is that even when symptoms manifest, they are very similar to those of other disorders like tissue or muscle inflammation or arthritis.

Here are some typical deep vein thrombosis symptoms:

  One or both of your legs become swollen
  Your legs feel tender and hurt a lot in all postures
  The skin of your legs always feel hot to the touch
  Your skin looks blotchy or discoloured
  You bleed when you cough
  Wheezing and breathing problems
  Dizziness
  Frequent and sharp chest pain

Who is susceptible to DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis usually happens when you sit or lie in one position for long stretches of time especially when you are recuperating after an illness or surgery. It can also happen to you for other reasons-

  Injury: An injury to your legs can narrow the blood vessels and that reduces the blood flow through the veins. That is why blood clots can develop there.
  Pregnancy: The additional weight that woman has to carry in the course of her pregnancy exerts extra pressure on the veins of the legs and pelvis and thus clots may form in the veins.
  Contraceptive pills: Birth control pills raise the chances of a woman getting deep vein thrombosis by four times.
  Obesity: Obesity means forcing extra pressure onto your veins.
  Smoking: Smoking interferes with the flow of blood through your veins and raises the possibility of getting blood clots.
  The family history of deep vein thrombosis: if anyone in your family has deep vein thrombosis, you might contract it too because it is hereditary.

Complications:

DVT becomes lethal if the blood clot becomes dislodged and travels from the legs to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism. This can lead to blockage of the artery of the lung and in that case, a person may die.

Treatment for deep vein thrombosis:

Treatment for DVT includes both invasive and non-invasive vascular techniques.

  Blood-thinning medicines: They prevent blood platelets from clumping together and reduce the size of the existing clots.
  Thrombolytic drugs: If medicines are not effective, work, these drugs will be injected into your veins. They travel down the veins to where the blockage is and disintegrate the clots so that blood can once again flow through the vein uninterrupted.
  Compression stockings: They exert pressure on the vein containing the clot, prevent it from moving, and do not allow new clots to develop. You have to wear them throughout the day.
  Surgery: In very rare cases, when non-invasive methods have no effect, you may have to undergo a kind of vascular surgery called venous thrombectomy. The surgeon will make a minute incision in the vein where the clot is lodged, siphon it out and then repair the damaged vein.

Deep vein thrombosis is easily curable with treatment. Do not delay it, as DVT has the potential to kill you.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) - All You Should Know About It!

What are varicose veins? 
Varicose veins are enlarged veins that typically develop in the legs and the feet. This condition is triggered when there is something wrong with the valves of the veins. When the valves do not function properly, blood flow to all parts of the body is disrupted. Since the legs are the farthest part of the body from the heart, gravity makes it difficult for blood to flow up to the heart. It is a common affliction and affects nearly 25% of the adult population all across the world and 10 million people in India are diagnosed with it every year. The raised veins just under the top layer of the skin appear to be purplish-blue.

Varicose veins are common in people who are -
  Above 50 years of age
  Long stretch sitting
  Pregnant
  Menopausal
  Obese
If someone in your family has a history of varicose veins, you are quite likely to get it too.

What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
Varicose veins are characterized by the following symptoms -
  The most obvious symptom is the large twisty veins
  Pain all down the length of your legs
  Discoloration of the skin of the legs and feet

Diagnosis of varicose veins -
The doctor usually diagnoses varicose veins by a physical examination. An ultrasound may determine if your flow of blood is affected. It is a non-invasive procedure and is done with the help of high-frequency sound waves.
You may even have to undergo a venogram. The doctor injects a colored dye into your veins and X-rays them. The dye gives an indication of how well your blood is flowing through the veins.

Treatment of varicose veins -
There are several treatment options for varicose veins-

Vascular surgery - When the other methods do not work, doctors prescribe vascular surgery.
Ligation and stripping - through this surgery, the surgeon ties up the vein to prevent pooling of blood in the veins and sometimes the vein itself is removed.
Sclerotherapy - the doctor injects a chemical right into the varicose vein which closes it.
Radiofrequency ablation - the doctor uses radiofrequency to heat the varicose vein up, which makes the walls collapse
Varicose veins are a painful condition that can be avoided if you implemented a few changes to how you live your life and even if you do get them, there are ways to cure them.

In Detail About Varicose Vein & Its Treatment!

Varicose Veins is a condition in which an individual s veins become swollen and warped or twisted, which is visible on the skin. This condition most often is prevalent in the legs but can occur in any part of the body. Varicose Veins is a common medical condition with a few symptoms and signs. It affects the skin tone and texture for which some people undergo a treatment.  

These symptoms might not affect the person seriously, but they can get severe depending upon different conditions. Usually, Varicose Veins does not require medical treatment, but if it gets severe, then one needs to see the doctor or undergo surgery, which happens rarely. This condition can be easily diagnosed through physical examinations, but one might need to undergo some medical tests depending upon the severity of the condition.

Problems Related to Varicose Veins:

Some of the most common problems related to Varicose Veins are:

Telangiectasias: In this condition, blood vessels form a cluster, mostly on the upper body and face. They appear red and can be caused by many reasons such as genetic disarray, liver problems, pregnancy, or viral diseases. Although this is not something to worry about, one should consult the doctor if other symptoms accompany it too.

Spider Veins: This condition of Spider Veins is concerned with the smallest blood vessels called Capillaries. They are called spider veins because they develop mostly on legs and face and appear like a spider web. They are a moderate form of telangiectasias and hence does not really need medical treatment.

Varicoceles: Varicoceles appears in the scrotum region of the male body or over the testicle skin. This condition might result in infertility in males. A doctor should be immediately consulted if such a condition is seen.

Symptoms:

The Varicose Veins is not a serious medical problem unless the patient is going through severe pain and significantly manifested symptoms. There are many symptoms to identify the condition.

A visible cluster of blue or purple looking veins.

Frequent leg cramps.

Shrinking of skin of the ankle as a result of Lipodermatosclerosis (hardening of fat under the ankle skin).

Veins become tumefy or swollen and warped or twisted.

Ankles become swollen.

Throbbing legs.

Blood clots.

An unusual amount of bleeding in the affected part with a small injury.

Restless leg syndrome.

Scars like white, irregular patches on the ankle (Atrophie Blanche).

Redness, itchiness, and dryness on the affected area (stasis dermatitis or venous eczema).

Skin Discoloration.

Skin ulcers.

Precautions:

There are some precautions that one can take to relieve the pain caused by Varicose Veins.

Avoid standing for a longer period of time.

Maintain a healthy and balanced weight.

Sitting with legs straight and uncrossed.

Exercising.

Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes.

Elevating legs while relaxing.

Take away:

Varicose Veins is a condition in which blood vessels get clustered in a part of the body under the skin. The veins appear blue or purple and become swollen and twisted. This condition is often not a serious medical problem, but in some cases, it might need surgery to avoid any serious issue. This can be treated by precautions and medications, but one can undergo surgery to get rid of the texture and view of the clustered veins. The recovery of Varicose Veins is quicker.

Varicose Veins - What You Must Be Aware About?

Varicose veins are known to be a very common problem, which result in the inflammation of veins in the body. Veins are the blood vessels, which are responsible for the transfer of deoxygenated blood from the different parts of the body to the heart. Because the blood does not contain oxygen, it has a bluish tinge. As a result varicose veins are most likely to appear bluish when swollen. 
This condition is quite common in old people and some are even likely to develop slight ulcers in the vein. 
Homeopathic treatment for varicose veins
Certain homeopathic drugs are said to work wonders for this condition, as they not only offer pain relief, but also make the veins more elastic. This helps with effective circulation and thus, the swelling reduces. The following is a list of some homeopathic medicines that work best to cure varicose veins.
1. Hamamelis
It is known to be the best cure for varicose veins. It effectively stops any sort of bleeding from the veins. It also offers relief from pain and from a sensation of heaviness of the legs. 

2. Pulsatilla
This medicine is greatly recommended for women who develop varicose veins during the course of their pregnancy. It immediately does away with the pain. The medicine especially works well for swollen veins of the legs and the hands. Application of a cold pack also helps relieve the pain and reduce swelling. 

3. Calcarea
It is generally recommended to patients who have varicose veins, but do not suffer from any pain. In case the patient feels chilly and suffers from various other symptoms like some sort of burning sensation in the veins or cold hand and feet, calcarea is a good cure. 

4. Graphites
It is known to be a great cure for varicose veins that is accompanied with some amount of itching and cramping. 

5. Arnica
This homeopathic medicine effectively deals with varicose veins accompanied with symptoms like soreness and bruising.

5 Best Homeopathic Remedies for Varicose Veins Ulcers

Coronary artery disease or CAD is the name given to the heart condition in which the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients, also called coronary arteries, get blocked, damaged or diseased.

Blockages usually happen when cholesterol-containing deposits called plaque deposit in your arteries. Plaque narrows the lumen of your coronary artery which means your heart gets lesser and lesser oxygen and nutrients to function properly.
Inflammation is also to blame for coronary artery disease.
Common symptoms of CAD include

Angina or pain in the chest
Shortness of breath
If the blockage is complete, you can get a heart attack.
Common Diagnostic tests
When you go to a heart specialist, she will ask questions about your medical history and follow it up with a physical exam and order routine blood and diagnostic tests to confirm CAD like:

Electrocardiogram (ECG): An ECG records electrical signals as they travel through your heart revealing evidence of a previous heart attack or one that s happening. Holter monitoring is a type of ECG where you wear a portable monitor for 24 hours as you go about your normal daily activities. Abnormalities in the results suggest reduced blood flow to the heart signaling CAD.
Echocardiogram: This test uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. It helps your doctor determine whether all parts of your heart wall are contributing to your heart's pumping activity. If certain parts are moving weakly it can mean damage to muscle due to a heart attack or because of receiving too little oxygen- again signaling CAD.
Exercise Stress test: This test is done by making you do exercises like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike during an ECG. Sometimes, medication to stimulate your heart may be used instead of exercise.
This again detects areas in your heart that receive less blood flow.

Cardiac catheterization or angiogram. A special dye is injected into your coronary arteries to observe blood flow through your heart in a test known as an angiogram.
The dye is sometimes also injected into the arteries through a long, thin, flexible tube called catheter that is threaded through an artery in your leg to the arteries in your heart. This procedure is called cardiac catheterization. This test is very good in diagnosing CAD as the dye outlines narrow spots and blockages on the X-ray images of your heart.
Heart scans. Computerized tomography or CT can help your doctor actually see calcium deposits in your arteries that can be narrowing your arteries. If a substantial amount of calcium deposits are found, coronary artery disease could be the reason.
MRI scans are also done to diagnose CAD.

Common Tests For Coronary Artery Disease!

Your heart is the most important and vital organ of all and regulates the flow of heart to all parts of the body. Thus, the valves and the arteries which take the blood to your heart are also an important component in ensuring that the circulation is constant. Thus, any hindrance to this process will put a lot of pressure on your heart and lead to more serious problems in the long run. Coronary artery disease is one such problem and can seriously put the health of your heart at risk.

What is coronary heart disease?
Coronary arteries are very important blood vessels, which carry nutrients, blood and oxygen to your heart. If the level of bad cholesterol is high in your blood, it will start leaving deposits on the walls of the arteries which are commonly known as plaque. This plaque will start building up over time causing blockage of the arteries and disrupting proper blood flow. Excessive build up of the plaque may then rupture the lining of the plaque. This will then induce blood clotting and further prevent the normal flow of blood.

Symptoms
Primary symptoms may include

Shortness of breath: This may occur while you are exercising or performing activities which are mildly exerting.
Heart beats very hard and fast: Your heart may beat very hard and fast, especially when doing everyday activities such as climbing stairs or walking for a prolonged distance.
Angina or chest pain: You may experience pain in your chest as if someone was pressing against it with a lot of force. Angina is also triggered due to stressful activities or even emotional stress. It usually occurs on the left or the middle of the chest and may even be felt in the back, arms, and neck.
Heart attack: Heart attacks are the most common and the most serious complications of coronary heart disease. You would feel extreme pain, akin to crushing on your chest, shoulder, or arm. It may even be accompanied by jaw pain, and sweatiness.
Treatment
Non invasive forms of treatment are always preferable rather than invasive surgeries or procedures to treat coronary heart disease, especially where the risk of serious complications such as heart attack are still on the lower side. Some of the treatments used for coronary heart disease are as follows:

Making lifestyle changes: Quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption along with consumption of regulated diet will automatically start cleaning plaque that has built up within the arteries. Losing weight also tends to help.
Medications: Special medications can take care of cases wherein the deposits are still lesser and the plaque buildup can be removed without the requirement of extensive surgery. Anti-cholesterol medications are one example of this.
Surgical procedures: These are usually employed when the blockage is severe and cannot be corrected by the conventional methods mentioned above. Some of the procedures are angioplasty, stent replacement, as well as coronary artery bypass surgery.

Coronary Artery Disease -  Know the Primary Signs!

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