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What are Varicose Veins?

A Varicose Vein is a common type of Varicosity that usually affects surface veins rather than deep veins. Usually a non-serious condition, they are localised, visible, irregular bulging veins that are most frequently found in the calves and legs, because standing and walking puts extra pressure on the veins in the lower body, although they can be found elsewhere in the body. They can be quite long and are usually dark blue or purple in colour which causes them to stand out against the surrounding skin.

Who is likely to suffer from them?

A swollen vein can often be a painful and debilitating complaint. This is a medical problem that is suffered by millions of (usually) older people worldwide.

Women tend to be more affected than men, with approximately 30% of women developing varicose veins in their lifetime, compared to 15% of men, and they can cause particular embarrassment to women due their often unsightly appearance.

What causes Varicose Veins?

Veins are used to carry blood on it’s return journey to the heart after it has been pumped around the body. Blood pressure is high in the arteries, but very low in the veins as the force of the heartbeat is almost spent by the time it reaches the extremities of the body. Consequently blood flow through the veins is slow, and also has to work against gravity, from the lower legs back to the heart. In order to accomplish this, the veins are equipped with a series of one-way valves that prevent blood from leaking downwards through gravity, as the natural flow of blood continues upwards, under slight pressure. When these valves become faulty it can cause the stagnation of the blood flow and lead to the condition developing. There are also additional factors that may affect the formation and extent of varicose vein appearance :-

• Low oxygen content in the blood
• Low blood glucose levels
• Poor bodily nutrition
• Accumulation of metabolic toxins normally cleared by strong blood flow
• Genetic susceptibility
• Obesity

What are the symptoms of Varicose veins?

The symptoms of varicosity can be both visible, and sensory – accompanied by fatigue and pain – usually in the form of an ache. Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins which are usually a blue or dark purple. They may also be lumpy, bulging or twisted in appearance. 

What Treatments are available?

There are four main treatments that are currently available for varicose veins treatment. These are :-

• Conservative therapy through support stockings
• A clotting injection to close off the affected veins
• Surgical treatment known as ’stripping’
• Laser Vein Treatment, or Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT™)

The simplest treatment is to wear support stockings that assist with blood flow, and diversion of blood into deep veins where blood flow is improved. This can produce very effective results.

Where the use of a support stocking has not been effective, a localised injection of a special blood clotting compound may be used to seal off the affected veins to prevent any worsening of the condition.

Surgical removal of varicose veins may be recommended where previous treatments have proved to be ineffective. This procedure involves an operation carried out under a general anaesthetic to tie of both ends of the affected vein, via surgical incisions at either end, and physically remove it. This process is known as ’stripping’.

The latest treatment is known as Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT™), and is a less invasive method of treating varicose veins, involving a simple laser vein treatment procedure that can be carried out in less than an hour and under local anaesthetic.

Is it possible to die from a broken heart?

Well, apparently it is.

When a relationship breaks down, especially a long term relationship, the resulting pain and anguish experienced by the rejected person is often described as ‘a broken heart’. More often than not, this is accompanied by a period of misery and depression, that may last for many years, or until a new relationship is found to replace the feelings of loss and grief that frequently follow the breakup.

But what if the relationship is terminated suddenly and unexpectedly by the death of one of the partners?

Research conducted by the University of Glasgow has shown that losing a partner may significantly increase your risk of dying yourself, and this may be due literally to a broken heart – where the surviving spouse is unable to live without the person to whom they have been married to for many years.

There are some high profile examples of this phenomenon as well as potentially countless unrecorded instances :-

• The ex British Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan died in 1995 aged 92, just over a week after his wife died. They had been married for nearly 70 years.

• The parents of the Kemp brothers from the famous 80’s pop group Spandau Ballet, died within a short time at the same hospital after the husband – Frank Kemp – suffered a heart attack and died. When his wife learned of his death, she herself passed away within a short time.

But the most amazing story of all must surely be of the couple from the UK – Stewart and Olga Whitfield, aged 56 and 61 respectively, who both died from heart attacks literally within minutes of each other – whilst the paramedics were on their way.

Mr. Whitfield had called for emergency help after his wife had suffered from a cardiac arrest. When the paramedics arrived they were unable to gain access to the house, so they were forced to break a window to enter the property. What they found inside must surely have amazed them, as they discovered that both Mr and Mrs Whitfield were dead, and both had died from a heart attack within a few minutes of each other.

According to their neighbours the couple were completely dedicated to one another, and this may be the clue to the unusual circumstances of their deaths, although backed up by the Glasgow University study conclusions.

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What is visceral Fat ?

Visceral fat (or ‘hidden fat’ as it is often referred to), is a different type of fat from other body fat. Also known as intra-abdominal fat, this fat lies deeper beneath the skin, and surrounds the body’s internal organs. It is also more difficult to lose than surface or subcutaneous fat that lies just beneath the epidermis.

Visceral fat cells are deep, active, fat storage cells. They release inflammatory agents knwon as ‘cytokines’, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), that contribute to chronic non-infectious systemic inflammation. Visceral fat also produces angiotensin, a chemical messenger that can elevate blood pressure by causing the constriction of blood vessels. Even small increases in visceral fat can result in damage to the endothelium, which is a thin protective layer of tissue within the blood vessels that separates the blood from the wall of the vessel.

Visceral fat is more dangerous than normal body fat

The soft surface fat that shows in ripples and cellulite on your thighs, buttocks, and hips (the pear shape) may make you look bad in your swimsuit or shorts, but it is actually a lot less dangerous than deep visceral fat. Because visceral fat wraps itself around the vital organs of the body, it can cause compression and inflammation of these organs.

This type of inflammation can lead to premature hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, and risk of acute coronary syndrome. It is also a contributory factor in developing metabolic syndrome – a group of risk factors linked to obesity and weight gain that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Visceral fat also causes concern because it is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol. However the biggest danger related to Visceral fat is that it can go undetected as in many cases it is not visible from the outside of the body. Also this type of fat cannot be removed by liposuction.

How is visceral fat detected ?

The only way for doctors to determine how much visceral fat a patient is carrying is by a magnetic resonance imaging (mri) scan. This uses magnetic waves to form a three dimensional image of the interior of the abdomen, and allows the doctors to accurately determine the extent of visceral fat within the persons body and around the organs.

What causes visceral fat (and how to avoid it) ?

One of the prime causes is excessive body weight gain, so maintaining an optimal body weight by calorie restriction, and exercise, is key to preventing the build up of visceral fat.

Keep in mind that this type of fat is more difficult to eliminate from the body, and cannot be removed by liposuction, so prevention is much better than attempting to cure.

Other risk factors are aging, diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excesive alcohol consumption and hormonal factors. The good news is that even modest reductions in visceral fat can help to reverse its adverse effects.