"The Know" is an informational resource concerning vein treatment options. It contains valuable information for prospective patients, physicians as well as those in the vein treatment industry. We will be regularly posting educational articles, video logs and other pertinent information. We encourage your feedback and welcome any suggestions that you feel may improve the blog.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009
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Vein Conferences Nationwide
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Varicose vein conferences are becoming a vital avenue to learn about and attempt to prevent and treat venous disease. All across US universities like Duke and Brigham Young vein health expos and conferences are highlighting how to maintain vein health and get rid of ropy unattractive and painful varicose veins. From spider veins to Deep Vein Thrombosis – venous disease effects millions of people each year – which is why research teams and physicians are putting so much effort into educating the public and one another.
"The course focused on the most current information needed by health care providers to understand, prevent and treat venous diseases including varicose veins. Venous experts from the most prestigious medical centers in the United States including the Mayo Clinic, Brigham and the University of California were in attendance sharing the latest information on treating varicose veins and venous diseases. International expert speakers from United Kingdom and Argentina were also in attendance."
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Friday, January 09, 2009
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Vein Health Seminars
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Leg and vein health seminars are gaining popularity around the states, and not just in uber cosmopolitan cities like Los Angeles and New York. Seminars highlight available treatments, symptoms and better vein care for varicose veins to thousands of eager people nationwide. In fact this months free seminar will be held in Michigan and is titled "The Secret to Beautiful Vein Free Legs." This seminar will be held by Allure Medical Spa.
"This seminar will review modern non-surgical treatments for varicose veins. Many people with varicose veins have leg cramps, heaviness, fatigue, and even Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), in addition to cosmetic concerns. These symptoms often cause people to become inactive which can lead to other more serious illnesses as well as obesity."
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Wednesday, January 07, 2009
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Radiofrequency Occlusion Gaining Popularity
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We all know varicose veins are unsightly and rather painful, but rather than using the old fashioned stripping techniques for removal, radio frequency occlusion has received much positive notoriety and popularity in recent months. Traditional methods are cumbersome and painful leaving marks and scars on the legs, however radio frequency occlusion is far less invasive. The procedure uses a small catheter into the vein and radio frequency waves are used to shut and close the veins fast. The process takes a mere few minutes, as opposed to large incisions in the ankles and stripping that is involved in the other methods.
The Baltimore Examiner highlighted a piece on such minimally invasive techniques and said, "The field of minimally invasive techniques to fix varicose veins has emerged in the past four years as technology has improved, said Dr. Sanjiv Lakhanpal, a cardiovascular surgeon at the Center for Vein Restoration, which has eight offices in Maryland. Lakhanpal's office uses radio frequency or laser treatments on the veins, depending on vein size and location. Vein stripping is effective, he said, but it's like "hitting a mosquito with a sledge hammer."
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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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DVT Awareness
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The NHS is beginning to take great strides in promoting awareness for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). After years of scrutiny against the NHS neglect towards venous disease, the NHS is making leaflets outlining symptoms, treatments and procedures available to treat DVT and venous disease. A British man who lost his young daughter to DVT is hoping to raise awareness so people know to treat DVT immediately.
""I still feel that there is an ignorance among the medical profession with regards to just how serious DVT really is," said Mr McPherson. "It is our wish to raise the awareness level."
In fact, the Herald wrote a feature article about Mr. McPherson who lost his daughter, and praised the NHS's recent actions to fight against DVT and promote vein health.
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Monday, January 05, 2009
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Nicotine and Varicose Veins
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For all you smokers trying to find another reason to quit puffing away, take this into consideration. Nicotine addiction may be a link to developing unwanted, ropy, painful and unattractive varicose veins. Though reports are still in preliminary stages, the side-effects can be taken into consideration for quitting. Varicose veins are a serious ailment that may develop into Deep Vein Thrombosis, an even more serious problem provoked by lack of vein health and proper treatment of varicose veins.
Alongside the obvious negative affects of smoking, leg and vein health is an important health issue to take seriously - as millions of people worldwide are suffering from painful venous diseases. So this new years, make your resolution to stop smoking and taking better care of your veins.
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
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Holiday Health
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This Christmas ask Santa to fill your stockings with more stockings. Millions of people suffer from unsightly and tormenting varicose veins, compression stalking is an affordable and easy treatment to tend to your aches, pains and unattractive veins. With the two most crazy air travel days coming up this next week, take into consdiration your vein and leg health. Long flights sitting in cattle class can not only cramp your style, but your legs too. Be aware of the risks associated with prolonged hours on a flight: walk around often, move your legs, stretch them and wear compression stalkings.
For those of you who are avid travelers or are visiting family for the Holidays, compression stalking aid in preventing varicose veins and Deep Vein Thrombosis. Air travel may provoke and promote poor blood flow in veins, which ultimately induces varicose veins. So before you jump on board that delayed flight, ask Santa for an early present in your stalking.
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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All in the Family
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Typically family history is taken into consideration when speaking about cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but varicose veins and venous disease are also all in the family. Chances are if your mother or father dealt with ropy, unattractive and painful veins, you may as well. Being aware of your family history is vital to your vein and leg health. If you know at a young age your parents have varicose vein issues, you can take the necessary precautions to prevent them: compression socks, not standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time and excerising daily.
Heredity is one of the main risk factors for developing varicose veins. And though they may not be visible right away, it is still important to keep a watchful eye for symptoms like: skin discoloration, itching, throbing and redness. So for those of you with parents plagued with such vein health issues, take an added aura of caution and be careful with your legs.
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Monday, December 15, 2008
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SIGVARIS Promoting Healthy Legs
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SIGVARIS is once again educating the population about the harms, causes, and treatments of venous disease and varicose veins. The company is promoting the use of compression socks via a program called Step-Up. The educational program will aid in advancing medical retailers and professionals about compression therapies and compression socks. The program will give consumers and patients an idea about cost-efficient vein health treatments.
"SIGVARIS offers the STEP UP program free of charge to all participants, with the goal of building awareness of compression therapy as a therapeutic treatment for venous disease and its' symptoms like spider veins, varicose veins and tired, achy legs"
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Monday, December 01, 2008
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Vein Health Awareness
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Venous disease and varicose veins just gained more notoriety today. For years the concept of vein health was thrown on the backburner, but as more people actively seek out treatment for their ropy unattractive and problematic veins, the industry makes strides in funding and awareness. The VNUS Medical Technologies Inc group gave Mercer University and doctors a number of ClosureFAST Catheters with hopes of adding better equipment and resources to treat venous disease issues.
Dr. Sinjae Hyun the associate professor of biomedical engineering at Mercer said, "We're very happy to have received this gift. It gave my students a great hands-on learning opportunity and a chance to work on true biomedical engineering project. In addition, it has helped Dr. Harper and I to advance our research in varicose vein treatment."
Hopefully such awareness and advances in the field will provide and boost the industry financially, academically and medically.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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Cancer Treatment Drug may cause Blood Clots
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The cancer-fighting drug Avastin may be linked to sparking risks of blood clots in legs and lungs by what is reported to be nearly 33%. The chances of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) increased significantly in the cancer patients taking Avastin. The report said that researchers found, "11.9 percent incidence of blood clots in patients treated with the drug, and 6.3 percent had more serious high-grade blood clots, said the study published in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)."
However the severity and placement of the blood clots varied patient-to-patient depending on the type of cancer they had.
The highest instance of blood clots was among patients with colorectal cancer and the lowest was those with breast cancer, 19.3% and 7.3% respectively. The research urged patients to study the repercussions of Avastin before using it, and for those already using it to take caution and seek out the advice of a physician.
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