VeinDirectory - "The Know"

There is a great little article available online which profiles a small business which has managed to remain open despite changes in the economy over time. The business is a medical supply store which sells important items such as compression stockings. These are items that patients need but don't always know where to find them; doctors in the area can recommend that they go to this store which will fill all of their niche medical supply needs.

The article is interesting because it points to the fact that the business could have taken a different approach to running its store. It could have opted to also sell side items such as adult magazines in order to boost profits. It didn't, and the business believes that's been the key to its success.

People who are in need of medical equipment don't want to go to just any old place on the corner. Sure, they need to go to a nearby store but they want to retain the feeling that they are working with professionals who are knowledgeable about the medical field. This store has done that by staying true to its original focus as a business selling items like compression stockings.

Question of the Day: Do you think it is the niche focus of this store that allows it to remain in business throughout time?

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You're considering getting varicose veins removed but you're a little bit anxious about the procedure. That's to be expected. Going in for any type of medical work causes us some anxiety. To ease that anxiety, you should make sure that you have all of the information that you need to understand the vein treatment that is going to take place.

Some of the questions that you'll want to ask your vein treatment doctor include:

- What are your credentials?
- What is your professional background in treating varicose veins?
- What options are there for varicose vein treatment?
- Which of these options is best for me and why?
- What is your specific experience in performing this vein treatment procedure?
- What are the risks of the procedure?
- What are the risks of not undergoing the procedure?
- What will be the recovery time of the procedure?
- What side effects can be expected?
- What type of follow-up will you do?

By asking a lot of questions, you'll get the information that you need in order to feel comfortable moving forward with treatment. And you'll also get a good sense of whether or not you have a positive rapport with your doctor, something that's just as important to the treatment as the experience of the doctor may be.

Question of the Day: What other questions would you ask in a first visit to a vein treatment doctor?

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A press release out today highlights the medical skills of one of the doctors in our network, Dr. Mark Skellenger of Houston. The press release is designed to report on the skills that this doctor has in Endovenous Laser Treatment, a procedure that the majority of doctors in our network use regularly. As noted in the release, Dr. Skellenger is one of only a handful of doctors in the Houston area who is using this advanced new laser technology to treat varicose veins, soemthing that the people in Houston who suffer from this problem are no doubt glad to see!

This particular doctor has completed over seven hundred of these procedures which demonstrates that he has what it takes to successfully use this method of eliminating varicose veins. It also points to the effectiveness of the procedure itself, a procedure which is an increasingly popular alternative to more traditional methods of vein treatment such as sclerotherapy.

If you don't happen to live in the Houston area, you can check our network for another qualified doctor near you.

Question of the Day: Which doctor would you like to give some credit to for efforts in vein treatment?

People who are interested in learning more about vein treatment can access a variety of different informational sources to gain that education. You can read books, magazine articles, news reports about studies and scientific advances and blogs like this one to get different perspectives about modern vein treatment. One of the types of information that we often neglect, unfortunately, is the medium of the video.

For those people who would like to learn more about vein treatment through video presentations, a good resource to check out is our YouTube video page where there are more than forty different professional videos about vein treatment. Following you'll find three examples of the types of videos that you can find on this site.

Question of the Day: Which of the 40+ vein treatment videos on the site did you find to be most informative?

When we discuss varicose vein treatment, we are commonly talking about a procedure that is done primariyl for cosmetic reasons. However, there are many good medical reasons to get rid of varicose veins, not the least of which is the pain associated with their presence. One of the major medical concerns related to these veins is deep vein thrombosis, a health problem which can cause a fatal blood clot to form in the body.

This problem is exacerbated in elderly people who have had to get joint replacement surgery (such as hip surgery) and are forced to remain in bed as a result of the surgery. Although it is typical to use compression stockings to reduce the risk of developing varicose veins and greater problems like deep vein thrombosis, it is believed that there needs to be a more active approach to dealing with this ongoing problem.

One doctor has made the suggestion (and many agree) that there needs to be a more balanced and patient-centric approach to prevention and treatment of varicose veins and the use of prophylaxis measures for these types of patients. The idea is that you need to prevent the problems before they are present by reducing risks prior to the surgery. Learn more here.

Question of the Day: Does a preventive approach towards varicose vein treatment make sense?

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Last month we reported on a really interesting relationship between varicose vein treatment and an entirely different industry: the wool-gathering industry in Australia. To give a little bit of background on the issue, wool-gatherers have been locked in a battle with animal welfare experts because of a practice called mulesing in which strips of wool are removed from around the breach of the sheep.

Animal welfare experts say that the act of mulesing causes pain to the sheep due primarily to the fact that breach clips are used which cut off the sheep's circulation. As anyone with varicose veins knows, it can be really painful when there are circulatory problems going on in the body. People from groups like PETA say that there's no reason to continue this practice when there are alternatives that are not painful which could be implemented in the wool-gathering industry.

One of the alternatives that has been under consideration has been the use of varicose vein treatment procedures done on humans (like sclerotherapy). New reports indicate that PETA believes that this could be an agreeable alternative.

Question of the Day: Is it surprising that human varicose vein treatments are being used on animals?

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When VNUS Closure Fast was released into the varicose vein treatment market last year, it made headlines all across the United States. It is the most efficient method of treating varicose veins to date and is also a method which is highly effective. Because it reduces the pain and hassle for the patient, it rapidly gained popularity.

It appears from recent headlines that the same popularity is now being seen with the use of VNUS Closure Fast in England. A news report from Nottingham reports that the Queens Medical Centre is happy to be one of the first UK resources for obtaining this procedure.

As with news reports here in the United States (many of which involved doctors in our network), the news report from Nottingham indicates that patients are pleased with the new procedure. This means that it's likely to spread throughout the world with the same ferocity that it spread through the U.S.

Question of the Day: What country do you think will be writing headlines about VNUS Closure Fast next?

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One of the major health concerns that people have when they are going to be taking long airplane flights is the right of vein problems including the development of varicose veins and issues associated with deep vein thrombosis. However, those are not the only medical problems that you are at risk of when you are going to be taking long flights. Other medical concerns that you should be aware of include dehydration and muscle cramping.

The best thing that you can do to protect yourself from these problems is to be aware of them and proactive in making sure that they don't happen to you. You'll want to engage in varicose vein prevention including moving around the cabin of the plane and making sure to flex and relax your muscles during the flight. You'll also want to make sure to drink a lot of water and to reduce your intake of alcoholic and caffeinated drinks during any flights.

You may also want to ask your doctor about the appropriate use of compressions stockings on airplanes. Whether or not they are right for you depends on specific medical conditions so you shouldn't just wear them without getting advice. However, they can be a great method of protecting yourself from the varicose vein problems that are of primary concern during travel.

Question of the Day: What steps will you take to protect yourself during long flights this travel season?

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When we talk about varicose vein prevention, we're typically talking about the diet and exercise habits that you can engage in to improve your circulation and limit the likelihood that you'll suffer from vein problems. However, a new study shows that you may also want to take a closer look at the air you breathe if you're serious about protecting yourself from vein disease.

The study revealed that those people who were exposed to particulate air pollution for long periods of time were at higher risk of developing serious vein problems such as deep vein thrombosis. The pollution seems to have an impact on the circulatory system, causing unnatural clotting to occur. The risk seems to be high; the study suggests that there's a seventy percent greater chance of developing this disease after prolonged exposure to that type of air pollution.

The study showed that the impact of the disease was greater on men than on women. Women who were taking hormone replacement therapy were found to not be affected by the air pollution in the same way (and therefore had a decreased risk). There are no definitive suggestions for preventing vein disease by protecting yourself from air pollution but it's yet another reason to start engaging in actions that reduce the pollution here on earth.

Question of the Day: Would you consider moving to a place with less air pollution in order to protect yourself from vein disease and other related medical problems?

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Most people get their varicose veins treated because they don't like the way that the veins look. There's no shame in that; it's okay to want to wear shorts without having to be self-conscious about that striped blue look you're sporting. But some people have a more compelling reason to seek out treatment for their varicose veins; varicose veins can be really painful.

As noted in a recent advice column, here are some of the options that are available to you for reducing the pain of varicose veins:

- Exercise. Getting the blood moving may reduce the pain of varicose veins.

- Lose weight. If you're overweight, you're going to have more painful varicose veins.

- Wear compression stockings. Ask your doctor about getting the right kind.

- Get varicose vein treatment such as VNUS Closure Fast.

Most people don't want their legs to look unsightly but nobody wants them to hurt!

Question of the Day: Are you more concerned about the appearance or the pain of varicose veins?

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Last year we mentioned that there was a new varicose vein treatment procedure being used by Los Angeles doctors in which crochet hooks played an important role. We haven't heard a lot about that kind of treatment ever since then, probably because the VNUS Closure method of treating varicose veins was released to the market shortly thereafter and stole all of the headlines with its efficiency and effectiveness. However, a new report indicates that L.A. doctors are still implementing the crochet hook method of treating varicose veins.

The procedure is called light-assisted stab phlebectomy (LASP) and it's also considered to be an efficient and effective method of treating patients for varicose veins. Like VNUS Closure Fast, it doesn't require sutures or seriuos anesthesia and is an outpatient procedure which can be quickly performed. And like with VNUS Closure Fast, patients seem to be happy with the results.

It can be a little bit confusing that there are so many different types of varicose vein treatment available to patients today. However, that breadth of choice is a good thing. We should all be glad that there are different options to suit different medical needs. Make sure to work with your vein treatment doctor to determine which type of procedure is going to be most effective for you.

Question of the Day: How does LASP compare to VNUS Closure Fast for the treatment of varicose veins?

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