Alternative medicine

A number of gentle medicine methods are available for self-treatment

• Acupressure
  massage the painful legs at the corresponding acupressure points
• Homeopathy
  use arnica and witch hazel to successfully treat vein problems
• Phytotherapy
  use the healing powers of plants in the form of tea or cream, e.g. arnica, witch hazel, honey clover, horse chestnut, marigold or hawthorn
• Good old home remedies
  varicose veins and phlebitis can be relieved with clay and curd compresses

These gentle methods are very well suited to alleviating and eliminating complaints such as a feeling of heaviness, tension and heat, as well as a tendency to swell and tiredness in the legs. Please note, however, that any skin changes or varicose veins that have occurred cannot be reversed by alternative medicine.

You should therefore visit a vein specialist for a thorough diagnosis before starting any self-treatment so as not to miss out on any necessary measures.

Acupressure

For thousands of years, Chinese doctors have been using acupuncture and acupressure, a simple and low-risk healing method. It makes it possible to heal diseased internal organs via very specific points on the surface of the body. To do this, these points on the skin must be stimulated. This can be done with the help of a needle, known as acupuncture. However, massaging these points using gentle finger pressure, known as acupressure, is similar.

Four acupressure points are particularly effective for vein problems:

1. Kneecap
The first point is located near the knee. To find it, bend it at a right angle and place the center of the palm of your hand (on the same side) on the upper end of the kneecap. The point you are looking for is then exactly below the ring finger. It is massaged upwards.

2. Inner ankle of the foot
The next point is just 1cm below and 2cm in front of the inner ankle on the foot. Massage direction: upwards.

3. Outer ankle
The third point is located between the outer ankle and the Achilles tendon. It is massaged downwards.

4. Forefoot
The last, highly effective acupressure point is located on the forefoot, approx. 2-3cm in front of the space between the first and second toes. The direction of the massage points upwards.

All the above-mentioned localizations are generally acupressured on both legs 1-2 times a day, or more often if the symptoms are particularly severe. The massage itself is performed in such a way that the localization is massaged with the finger (thumb or index finger) at a frequency of 50-60 times per minute in the indicated direction over several minutes.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is an independent natural healing method that promotes the body's own self-healing process. This gives the patient's body an essential, targeted impulse to heal itself. In contrast to so-called conventional medicine, homeopathic medicines work better the more diluted they are. In some cases, such high dilutions are given that even the most sensitive detection methods can hardly detect any active ingredients in the remedy. Nevertheless, the remedies are extremely effective without causing side effects.

Globules for vein problems
Homeopathic medicines can be bought under the Latin name, as used below, in any pharmacy without a prescription. They are available as alcoholized drops, sugar globules or tablets. Globules in a dilution of D4 (1:10,000) or D6 (1:1 million) are suitable for the treatment of venous complaints. Take approx. 4-6 globules 2-4 times a day between meals, which should slowly dissolve in the mouth.

Fluorspar for prevention
If there is an inherited predisposition to connective tissue weakness, the remedy Calcium Fluoratum (fluorspar) is recommended for the prevention of varicose veins and should be taken when the first symptoms appear. Treatment must be carried out over a longer period of time (weeks to months).

Horse chestnut against swelling of the veins
If the first varicose veins become visible and the veins dilate and swell, e.g., during pregnancy, Aesculus Hippocastanum, the horse chestnut, is a good antidote.

Arnica and witch hazel against inflammation
If the first signs of inflammation appear with painful, red, hot legs that are sensitive to touch, e.g. the onset of phlebitis, arnica and/or witch hazel are recommended. Both remedies, possibly taken alternately every 1.5 hours, can almost always achieve healing in the early stages.

• Arnica is particularly suitable if the veins/varicose veins are very sensitive to touch (as if they were bruised or smashed) and lead to red, hot legs.
• Witch hazel also helps if the leg veins are sensitive to touch, although its effect is particularly noticeable in the case of stinging soreness. It is also particularly useful if the symptoms worsen in hot and humid weather or during pregnancy.

When nothing helps – Bushmaster
If the veins have become inflamed, i.e., they are sensitive to touch, blue-red and cause such pronounced pressure pain that nothing tight can be worn (not even a bandage), then Lachesis, the bushmaster, often works wonders.

The combination works in acute situations
The healing effect of bushmaster can be enhanced in very acute situations by taking it alternately with witch hazel.

Phytotherapy

Phytotherapy is the treatment of diseases using plants. Solid components such as flowers, stems, leaves, bark and roots or extracts from these, known as tinctures, are used.

The following medicinal plants are particularly suitable for venous complaints:

• arnica
• witch hazel
• honey clover
• butcher's broom
• calendula
• horse chestnut
• hawthorn

They can be taken in the form of a tea or applied directly to the painful areas of the leg as an emulsion mixture .

Teas for venous disorders
Soothing vein teas are easy to mix yourself. The following mixture, which is best made up at the pharmacy, has proven to be a good tea:

Ingredients (all amounts in grams per 100 grams of tea mixture)

• 10g arnica flowers
• 20g honey clover herb
• 30g horse chestnut blossoms
• 20g of pennywort
• 20g hawthorn herb

Preparation: Take 1 teaspoon per cup of this mixture and pour hot (no longer boiling) water over it. Allow the tea to infuse for approx. 5 minutes.

Use: It is best to take the tea over a longer period of time – approx. 2-3 months – for 2-3 times a day after meals. If required, you can also sweeten it slightly.

Emulsions against venous diseases
Some patients prefer to emulsify their legs because they find the massaging effect soothing. In these cases, the following emulsion is suitable, which you can easily have prepared by your pharmacist.
Ingredients (all figures in milliliters per 100 milliliters of cream)

• 5ml arnica tincture
• 5ml witch hazel tincture
• 10ml butcher's broom tincture
• 5ml marigold tincture
• 10ml Horse chestnut tincture

Application: This emulsion should be applied to the painful areas 2-3 times a day (especially in the evening).

Home remedy

Acute complaints such as varicose veins or inflammation of the veins can be treated very well with wraps and compresses made from clay or curd. The method is inexpensive and can be used by anyone. Clay, i.e. healing clay, which is available aseptically in any drugstore or pharmacy, has an anti-inflammatory, cooling, wound-cleansing and pain-relieving effect and reduces the formation of oedema. Quark has the same effects.

For clay applications: Mix the healing clay with water to form a thick, pasty paste, which is either applied directly to the leg as a layer approx. 3 mm thick or indirectly, first on a cloth and then on the lower leg. A second cloth made of air-permeable linen or cotton on top helps to prevent soiling. Instead of the paste, you can also prepare a thin paste, soak a cloth in it and then place it on the leg. Curd is also applied with the help of a cloth or directly to the skin.

The compresses should be applied 1-2 times a day, in acute cases also several times a day for 20-30 minutes, i.e. until the cooling effect wears off. Any remaining clay or curd residue can be easily rinsed off with water after removing the compress.