"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.
April 2008 Blog Archive
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Words the Describe Varicose Veins
We all know what varicose veins are (more or less anyway). Given a lineup, we could pick out the legs that were suffering from varicose veins. But that doesn't mean that we completely understand what it's like to have varicose veins. Following are some of the words that can be used to describe varicose veins and give us a better understanding of what they are like:
UGLY. One of the main things that people dislike about their varicose veins is that they make them feel ugly. They don't wear shorts or skirts because the don't want to show off their veins. They feel self-conscious as a direct results of their varicose veins.
UNSIGHTLY. This is another word that is frequently used to describe how distasteful people feel about the look of their varicose veins.
ROPY. This is a word that describes not only the way that the veins appear but also the way that they feel. Who wants to caress a leg that feels ropy?
PAINFUL. Varicose veins can be painful in many different ways which is something important to recognize if you don't have them yourself.
THROBBING. This is the most common kind of pain that people will describe when discussing what it's like to have varicose veins.
UNCOMFORTABLE: This word pretty much sums up what it's like to live with varicose veins. Both the emotional and physical response that you'll have to them are uncomfortable.
People who don't suffer from varicose veins often don't realize that they can cause so much discomfort. If you're lucky enough to fall into this category, make sure that you engage in good
varicose vein prevention in order to avoid ever having to describe your legs this way.
Question of the Day: What other words would accurately describe varicose veins?photo link
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Our Doctors in the News: New Diode Laser Achieving Great Results
As mentioned yesterday, we're always happy to see the doctors in our network gain attention in the local news. Of course, that means we're really happy to see a report about a great new diode laser vein treatment that is associated with tests done by two different doctors in our network.
The report in
BioOptics World discusses a new vein treatment called the biolitec ELVeS PL diode laser which uses an intense laser that has significantly greater absorption by water than lasers currently being used for vein treatment. The short story for patients is that this results in a more efficient, more comfortable experience for the patient who is getting treated for varicose veins.
The article announced that two differe "prominent" doctors in America had reported successful results in testing out the treatment (which has been used in Europe for the last two years). The first doctor is
Lowell S. Kabnick who was the founder of the Vein Institute of New Jersey and is now the Director of the New York University Vein Center. The second doctor is
Edward Mackay, a vein specialist working in Florida.
Both of these doctors have contributed greatly to vein treatment development over the years. This new procedure could well be the next big thing in venous care and these are the vein surgeons that are leading the way.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that this new laser will replace or supplement the ery popular VNUS Closure Fast procedure?photo link
Monday, April 28, 2008
Our Doctors in the News: Peter Jensen
We're always happy to see when one of the doctors in our network gets profiled in the local news for the work he's accomplishing. These folks don't do vein treatment in order to get recognition in the community but they're certainly worthy of that recognition when it does come around.
The most recent profile that's cropped up was an article in the
Deseret News about Salt Lake City vein treatment doctor
Peter Jensen. The article profiles his VNUS Closure work on a particular patient.
The patient was suffering from the pain associated with varicose veins. Jensen used the popular treatment to heal the veins so that she would no longer feel that pain. As a bonus, she also doesn't have to deal with the unsightly appearance of the veins now that they're gone. It's just another simple case of success in the daily work of a vascular surgeon.
Question of the Day: Have you seen any of the doctors in our network profiled in your local news?
Friday, April 25, 2008
UK Uses Sugar Pills Instead of Compression Stockings
The most common time that you are going to see a doctor recommend that you wear compression stockings is after you've just had surgery. At least, that's the case if you're living in America. If you're living in the UK, your doctor may fail to tell you that
compression stockings are an important tool used to prevent vein problems such as deep vein thrombosis.
Britain has been notorious in the medical community for its failure to protect patients against post-surgery vein disease. However, they're working to change that image. And they're not doing it by stocking up on compression socks. Instead, they're implementing the use of sugar pills to thin the blood and reduce clotting related to surgery and the sedentary period post-surgery.
This is a much-needed solution since UK hospitals see 25,000 deaths per year caused by deep vein thrombosis. It is believed that this solution could save thousands of those lives. Learn more
here.
Question of the Day: What causes the disparity in surgery-related vein treatment between the U.S. and Britain?photo link
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Gaming Industry Takes on Reality of Varicose Veins
There's a funny thing happening in society today. People in real life are getting ever-closer to being able to achieve their dream appearance through the cosmetic treatments that are available to them. At the same time, fictional characters such as those in the world of computer gaming are becoming ever more realistic by incorporating those same human flaws that individuals are interested in getting rid of.
Take, for example, the issue of varicose veins. Many people today are getting rid of their varicose and spider veins through the use of different types of treatments. They may use a new procedure such as VNUS Closure Fast or a more time-tested procedure but they achieve the goals of a vein-free appearance through treatments.
And yet, one of the features that a
new online game is using to make characters more realistic is the incorporation of varicose veins into the composition of the character. This is being seen in the new avatar characters that are being developed for EVE Online, a game that's gained a lot of attention with Mac users. What an interesting shift this blending of real and ideal features is turning out to be!
Question of the Day: What do you make of this trend towards making humans more ideal and characters more human?photo link
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Varicose Veins Require Medical Attention not a Nutritionist
There was an article published online recently that discussed the natural methods that can be used to treat varicose veins (see
here). The suggestions from this article included eating certain foods rich in specific vitamins, exposing your legs to the sun each morning and getting proper exercise.
Some of these suggestions make sense (a good diet and exercise routine is always going to help your body stay in tip top shape). However, they aren't necessarily the best forms of advice for treating varicose veins. The reality of this medical condition is that you need to work with a doctor to take care of the problem.
There are certain natural things that you can do to
prevent and limit the spread of varicose veins. The right diet can be useful so a nutritionist may be able to provide you with helpful information for treatment. However, the actual treatment of varicose veins requires attention from a professional (usually in the form of laser treatments that seal off the vein and allow them to heal).
Make sure that you act smart about the places where you get your information for treating medical conditions. While there's nothing wrong with trying to seek out natural cures, you'll want to at least get the second opinion of a qualified medical professional.
Question of the Day: Do you think natural cures should be used in the treatment of conditions like varicose veins?photo link
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
VNUS Revenue Predictions are High Despite Decrease in Stock Value
Many of the people who are interested in vein treatment are also interested in investing in vein treatment stocks. Those are some smart people because stocks of certain treatment makers have risen considerably in the last year. Specifically, people have been
investing in VNUS Medical Technologies, a company with stock values that unexpectedly soared late last year after the successful release of the VNUS Closure Fast system of varicose vein treatment.
Those people may have had some concerns this week after VNUS
reported on its 2008 first quarter earnings. There was a decline in their stock value at that time. However, analysts who are talking about the business say that VNUS is expected to meet - if not exceed - their revenue projections for the 2008 and 2009 years. In other words, it's probably wise to keep hanging on to those stocks.
In terms of the medical community, this points to continued big plans by VNUS for providing quality varicse vein treatment over the course of the next few years. You're likely to see your own vein treatment doctor investing in the technology put out by this business (if he / she hasn't already). VNUS remains the company to watch.
Question of the Day: If you haven't already invested in VNUS stocks, are you thinking about doing so now or do you feel like they've peaked?photo link
Monday, April 21, 2008
We'll Be Hearing More About VNUS
We have heard a whole lot about VNUS Medical Technologies in the past year. We have heard extensively about the release and success of their
VNUS Closure Fast method of treating varicose veins. We have heard about the rise of their stocks resulting directly from the success of their new treatments. And we have heard about
new patents that are likely to keep them in the news if other vein treatment product developers dare to infringe on those patents.
But believe it or not, we're probably going to be hearing even more about VNUS Medical Technologies in the upcoming months than we have in the months preceding this one.
That's because VNUS has
just announced that the company has hired a new VP of marketing. With over twenty years of marketing experience, Don Todd is likely to be skilled in further spreading the word about the efforts VNUS has been making in vein treatment. More importantly, the news reflects the fact that VNUS is as committed to marketing and branding itself as it is to developing good products.
It'll be interesting to see what news and information the company releases in the next few months!
Question of the Day: Do you think that the attention to marketing is a good thing for VNUS or should the company stick to making good vein treatment products?photo link
Friday, April 18, 2008
VNUS Allowed New Patent
In some ways, the flood of vein treatment patent infringement lawsuits is coming to a close. After all, Diomed has resolved its major cases with AngioDynamics and others who infringed on their technology patents before the company went bankrupt. However, there's another major player in vein treatment who is following up on perceived infringements in the industry.
That player is VNUS, a company that has gained a significant amount of attention in the last six months because of the efficiency of its
Closure Fast product. The company
filed patent infringement lawsuits at the beginning of this year which have been pending.
The issue is now moving forward with an interesting twist since the U.S. Patent Office
has approved a new patent related to one of those patents which is part of the pending lawsuit. This means that VNUS now potentially has more right to control the equipment in the vein treatment market. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out and who ends up on top when all of these lawsuits are said and done.
Question of the Day: How do you think this new patent will impact the ongoing story of vein treatment litigation in the United States?photo link
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Bioflavonoids and Varicose Veins
Anti-oxidants are the new black. In other words, everyone is taking an interest in anti-oxidants and what they can do to better their bodies and health. One specific type of anti-oxidants that have drawn attention is
flavanoids (also known as bioflavanoids). Found in citrus, tea, wine and dark chocolate, these anti-oxidants are reported to have a diverse range of health benefits. And many have suggested that they may provide a cure for varicose veins.
What
research seems to indicate is that they don't cure varicose veins. In order to treat your varicose veins, you really do need to see a vein treatment doctor who will use a procedure such as VNUS Closure Fast or sclerotherapy to actually heal your varicose veins. But that doesn't mean that bioflavanoids are bad.
In fact, it is believed that these natural antioxidants have the potential to treat some of the symptoms of varicose veins. If you want to reduce the pain of your varicose veins during the time that you're awaiting vein treatment, these could be a natural way to do that. You'll want to talk to your doctor about the specifics.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that ati-oxidants are the cure-all many people think they may be?photo link
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Vein Treatment Used for Surgery on Sheep?!
If you've never heard of the act called "
mulesing" then you probably don't work in the wool business. The term refers to a surgical procedure which is done on sheep to remove "strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the breach". It's a controversial practice that is done primarily in Australia and is currently being phased out because of opposition by animal welfare experts.
As a result, the people who work in this industry are on the search for alternatives that will let them achieve the same effects as mulesing without engaging in the practice. Interestingly, the technology that is used on humans for treatment of varicose veins just might be the answer that these wool growers are seeking.
The Australian Wool Innovation group
is researching the possibility of using a just-below-the-skin injection composed of the same chemicals used to in vein treatment injections (such as
sclerotherapy).
Question of the Day: Do you believe that the same kindness used in treating humans for varicose vein problems should be used by woolgatherers in Australia?photo link
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Vein Treatment Litigation Coming to a Close
Varicose vein treatment, especially with the new
VNUS Closure Fast, is designed to be efficient and effective. You go in to the leg, seal the vein off with a laser and you're done. But the business of working in vein treatment hasn't been nearly so simple in the past year or so as a result of a series of patent infringement
lawsuits between multiple parties.
It looks like the problems should be coming to a close. In a recent complicated situation, Diomed had sued (and won the suit against) AngioDynamics. AngioDynamics needed to pay out $7 million to Diomed as a result. In the meantime, Diomed file for bankruptcy and then decided to sell their business to AngioDynamics.
The transactions were complicated with all of the back-and-forth between the businesses but it appears that things are now resolved. A bankruptcy court has gone ahead and
given their approval to allow the sale to take place. AngioDynamics will get the business, the bankruptcy court will get their payment in full and Diomed will be out of the business. Perhaps the business of
vein treatment will go as smoothly as the treatments in the year to come.
Question of the Day: Are medical advances in vein treatment more or less likely to occur if the business and finance side of the industry balances out?photo link
Monday, April 14, 2008
VNUS Takes Midwest By Surprise
Varicose veins are a problem that plague people all across the nation. It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a small one, a Southern state or one up north. If you've got legs then you're at risk of developing varicose veins (especially if you don't engage in proper varicose vein prevention efforts).
Unfortunately, treatment is often not the same from one place to another. After all, certain areas of the country have more funding to provide better medical care to the residents in their area. As with any other type of problem, there are going to be more doctors treating vein problems in some regions than in others due to a variety of different industry factors.
However, that doesn't mean that people have to go a long way for good vein treatment care. The most popular vein treatment method right now is
VNUS Closure Fast and it's a treatment that is sweeping the whole nation with no discrimination. A recent example from the Midwest comes from an
Iowa newspaper report about a woman who had suffered from varicose veins for years until VNUS Closure Fast became available to her.
Doctors everywhere are rapidly adopting this popular new treatment. Use
our network to find a doctor near you.
Question of the Day: Which part of the country do you believe has the best access to good varicose vein treatment?photo link
Friday, April 11, 2008
The Murky Financial Waters of Vein Treatment Manufacturing
We have seen a lot of ups and down for vein treatment manufacturers in the past year due primarily to a series of patent infringement lawsuits that were filed amongst makers of some of the leading technology for the industry. And now there's an interesting new twist on the financial news coming out of the industry.
One of the main plaintiffs in these patent infringement lawsuits was Diomed. The company has recently won and / or settled its lawsuits and gained several million dollars as a result. One of the defendants that paid out on these claims was
AngioDynamics.
However, after all of their claims of patent infringement, Diomed is now
going to be selling their technology. And AngioDynamics is the buyer. They will be spending $11 million to purchase the assets assuming that the court approves the sale.
Question of the Day: Who do you think will be left standing in varicose vein treatment once all is said and done?photo link
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Varicose Veins vs. Vascular Disease
Many people think that the terms "
varicose veins" and "vascular disease" are interchangeable. However, that's not the case. As a
recent article summarizing vascular disease points out, the most common disease of the veins is varicose veins but there are many other types of vascular disease as well. In fact, when doctors talk about vascular disease, they are typically referring to diseases of the arteries that may be unrelated to varicose veins.
The two types of vascular disease that are of most concern are atherosclerosis and peripheral arterial disease. These are typically associated with clogs and clots of specific arteries. The relationship that these diseases have with varicose veins is that varicose veins may be a symptom of a larger problem such as one of these vascular diseases. However, the presence of varicose veins does not immediately imply that a patient has one of these more serious problems. In other words, the two terms are related to one another but are not interchangeable nor are they affiliated in a cause-and-effect manner. Your
vein treatment doctor can provide you with more information.
Question of the Day: Would you be concerned that your varicose veins could be a symptom of a bigger vascular problem?photo link
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Diomed Settles Patent Lawsuit with Bankrupt Manufacturer
Vein treatment manufacturer Diomed has been working hard to rake in the cash with a series of patent infringement lawsuits naming just about every other vein treatment provider in the country. They received a nice chunk of change from AngioDynamics as a result of the lawsuits (although that company seems to be
doing just fine despite the loss.)
They've now agreed to a
settlement of more than three and a half million from Vascular Solutions Inc. The company had filed for bankruptcy as a result of this litigation. However, the courts required them to pay just over four million dollars to Diomed as a result of the violations. Due to complications in the way that agreements were reached, the payment has been pending. The settlement is now worked out and Diomed should see its money soon.
It'll be interesting to see what forward motion Diomed makes with vein treatment as a result of the influx of cash received from these patent infringement lawsuits!
Question of the Day: How many major leaders do you see standing out as manufacturers of vein treatment equipment?photo link
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
VNUS Announces Financial Webcast
There are two big reasons that you might be interested in VNUS Medical Technologies. On the one hand, you might be someone who has a vested interest in their most recent vein treatment technology, VNUS Closure Fast, either as a patient or as a care provider. On the other hand, you might be someone with a medical stock investment who knows that VNUS stocks have soared since they released this new technology. In either case, you might be curious about what kind of money VNUS Medical Technologies is making. That's something that's going to be revealed towards the end of the month when the company holds a first quarter earnings webcast that was
recently announced.
VNUS Closure Fast took the market by surprise with its immediate success rate as a varicose vein treatment method. It turned out to be surprisingly efficient in comparison with the vein treatment options that had previously been available. It also turned out to be relatively affordable which meant that both doctors and patients were drawn towards trying it out. They've been happy with the results and the company is doing well because of it. Just how well will be revealed on April 21st!
Question of the Day: Are you interested in the profits of a company like VNUS?photo link
Monday, April 07, 2008
Seniors Reminded to Remember Varicose Veins when Traveling
U.S. News & World Report recently ran and important (and timely) article on health travel tips for the elderly. They point out that many seniors start doing some major traveling around this time of year, when holiday travel is done and summer travel hasn't picked up yet. Seniors are in a great position to take advantage of the lower travel rates at this time of year. However, they're reminded that they should take some general health precautions if they're going to indulge in this travel.
Among many other great tips, the report reminds seniors that they need to pay particular attention to the impact of air travel on their veins. Deep vein thrombosis has been linked with prolonged air travel and seniors are particularly susceptible to this problem. The most common method of preventing this travel ailment is to wear
compression stockings on the airplane. Although they can be bought online or over the counter, it is recommended that seniors work with their doctor to get the right kind of stockings for their trip.
Learn more from the report
here.
Question of the Day: Are compression stockings an item that you regularly take on airplane trips?photo link
Friday, April 04, 2008
New Sclerotherapy Foam Causes Microembolisms
The hottest new treatment in resolving varicose veins is VNUS Closure Fast, an efficient laser method of sealing off the problematic veins. Despite its popularity, it is not the only new vein treatment method that's been getting a lot of attention lately. A new method of scleroptherapy, which uses foam injections, is also being carefully examined by people interested in the forward motion of vein treatment medicine.
The foam was declared safe for use in the past month or so. However, since it's a new treatment, people remain interested in new studies associated with its use. One such study was recently reported by the The New England Journal of Medicine. It showed that people who use this treatment method are risking the chance of developing a microembolism. However, patients shouldn't go on high alert as these microembolisms are said to be mostly harmless.
You can learn more about this issue
here.
Question of the Day: Does foam sclerotherapy or VNUS Closure Fast appeal to you more as a treatment for your varicose veins?photo link
Thursday, April 03, 2008
AngioDynamics Doing Well Despite Patent Infringement
There have been a series of patent infringement litigations cases in the vein treatment world in the past year. Although there are various defendants and plaintiffs in these lawsuits, the bulk of what's going on is that Diomed has sued several other companies for infringing on patents in the use of certain vein treatment technologies.
Diomed has seen mixed results from these lawsuits. For example, they were expected to win their case against Total Vein Solutions when the organization
filed for bankruptcy. More recently, they settled with AngioDynamics in a situation which caused them to get less out of the lawsuit than the paying company expected to owe.
Diomed isn't doing too bad in that situation; they'll be getting $7 million out of the settlement. But the amount is low enough that AngioDynamics isn't taking a big loss. In fact, things are looking up in the vein treatment world and the company has reported a
profit gain in spite of the loss from the lawsuit.
Question of the Day: Which do you think will come out on top of vein treatment manufacturing in the end - Diomed or AngioDynamics?photo link
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Treating Spider Veins vs. Varicose Veins
You probably have a good idea of how you would go about treating varicose veins. There are a few different methods but the one that is making headlines right now is VNUS Closure Fast. This relatively new treatment is an outpatient procedure which uses laser to seal off and heal the varicose veins in parts of the body such as your legs. This procedure has replaced sclerotherapy as the most popular form of vein treatment at the current time.
There has been a lot of news about VNUS Closure Fast lately and that's resulted in the general population basically knowing how to deal with varicose veins. But the same can not be said of
spider veins. Ask the average person how to treat these smaller veins in the face and extremities and you'll find that most people don't have a clue.
Spider veins are also able to be treated using the procedures that are used for varicose veins. Both sclerotherapy and laser treatment have been used in the past as a way to get rid of these small veins for the purpose of enhancing the patient's cosmetic appeal. However, there are also other forms of treatment that may be less invasive and can be done in a cosmetic doctor's office rather than by a vein treatment doctor. If you're trying to deal with spider veins, you will want to review all of the treatment options available to you prior to making a decision.
Question of the Day: What do you think is the best method of treating spider veins?photo link
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Would Pregnant Man Have to Worry About Varicose Veins?
If you've been following the news lately then you know that there's a man out there
who claims that he is pregnant. No one is sure yet whether he's telling the truth or it's all a
hoax but the basic reality is that the situation that he is describing could be medically possible - although rare. The short version of the story is that this man was originally a woman who got sex reassignment surgery to become a man but didn't complete the process before getting pregnant.
Whether or not the story is true isn't really the point; what's the point is the significant questions that this raises in society. For example, the man claims to have gotten pregnant via
fertility treatments and you'd have to ask what fertility specialist in his right mind would take the risks of impregnating someone who was in the process of transitioning from female to male. And you might also want to ask the question of whether there's anything wrong with a man having a baby?
But rather than dealing with these big moral questions, many people might be most interested in the really basic details of what it would be like to be a pregnant man. For example, would you develop varicose veins? Varicose veins are a common side effect of pregnancy for women and are related to the weight gain and the stress that is placed on the body. Presumably, this same stress would be placed on the male body but perhaps the male body is different enough that the weight would be carried differently and there wouldn't be problems with
varicose veins.
Of course, if you're a pregnant man, you probably have bigger things to worry about then whether or not the pregnancy is going to cause you to have varicose veins but these things are interesting to think about nonetheless!
Question of the Day: Do you think that a pregnant male would experience the same types of pregnancy side effects as are experienced by a pregnant woman?photo link
