Varicose Veins
Varicose Veins
25/10/08 07:00
I was asked what to do about varicose veins. I thought that this topic might be useful for others, so I am answering it here and forwarding it on to several friends.
Varicose veins occur when the walls of the veins are unable to stretch and return to their original size – when the veins are not elastic enough.
Vein walls are made mostly of collagen. Collagen gives strength and elasticity to all connective tissues. The body makes collagen from one thing: Vitamin C. If your wife is having problems with varicose veins, she needs much more vitamin C.
Getting enough for her needs from food would be practically impossible. However, vitamin C works much better in the presence of bioflavinoids and other plant chemicals found in natural sources of vitamin C. Actually collagen gives strength to connective tissues. Bioflavinoids are the precusors of elastin which gives the elasticity.
Bioflavinoids are found in abundance in citrus skins. However, the thin outermost skin (the colored part) is very bitter and is often sprayed with chemicals. I suggest to you what I do:
Peel the outermost skin off of oranges (lemons, limes, grapefruit), leaving all the white inner skin. Cut the fruit with white skin into chunks. Remove most of the seeds. Put it in a blender with some orange juice, a few ice cubes, and about a teaspoon of Vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid). Grind it up and drink it during the next 5-15 minutes while very fresh.
If there is a problem with over-acidity in the body, mix the vitamin C powder with an equal quantity of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Add a little water, stir and allow to fizz. Now you have sodium ascorbate, a neutral salt of ascorbic acid which delivers vitamin C but is not acidic. Do not mix these powders directly into the pulpy juices or the fizzing will overflow your container!
Buckwheat sprouts (planted in soil, sprouted into little plants, and eaten as salad greens) are the highest source of the bioflavinoid, rutin. If you are up to the sprouting endeavor, I recommend these as well.
Also, since vitamins C and B complex are synergistic, take a good B complex with the C drink. B vitamins are the precursors of the chemicals in the nerve synapses. When these are used up, one nerve firing will not cause the next nerve to fire. When you are low in B vitamins, you may notice that you tend to "lose the thought" (duh, what was I saying?). This nervous exhaustion is a symptom of B vitamin deficiency. If you have this problem, take this drink with vitamin B complex. About 20-30 minutes later, you will be able to think clearly again. Brewer's yeast is rich in several B vitamins and can be added to the drink. However, so many people have problems with excess yeast in their bodies (Candida albicans). In such cases, eating yeast is not a good idea.
Increasing your dosage of vitamin C and bioflavinoids will make your skin more elastic. This will help you to stay looking young. Your tendons and ligaments will strengthen as well. It will take some time to work, but this dietary addition will solve the varicose vein problem (and improve the health in many other ways). In my opinion, drinking more water, taking more vitamin C, and getting adequate exercise are the most important factors needed for improving health.
Since B and C vitamins are water soluble, your body cannot store them well. Thus you need to eat them daily. If you manage to take too much vitamin C, the overdose symptom is diarrhea. This is not a big problem. If you get loose stools, just reduce your vitamin C dosage a bit.
--Dr. Robert Frost