OCR Text |
Show comments lroblem of if?ose veins - l Vein: A Common ips t gj s the first in a series columns about your tie spared by the Heart f's Vn and published by "1. ,'spaper as a public J- e veins are probably . common of the circu-jj circu-jj disorders that affect and women. The 0l iricose" simply means He i. according to the Utah Usociation. '".erstand the why's and ' varicose veins you h should know something about the circulatory system which carries blood to every part of your body. The heart, of course, cour-se, is its center and dynamo. It sends blood out through the arteries and is the depot to which the blood returns through thr-ough the veins. On its way back from the legs to the heart, the blood has a long uphill climb. Three things help in this upward journey. Blood pressure, strong in the arteries, is much diminished di-minished in the veins but still gives some push to the blood. The movement of leg muscles during normal activity or exercise ex-ercise helps massage the blood upward through vein walls. The third aid is a very ingenious anti-gravity device: tiny cuplike cup-like valves which section off the veins and maintain oneway one-way traffic. These valves (open to let the blood travel upward, then close tightly so that blood will not fall back. Varicose veins develop when vein walls or valves become weakened. Some people may be born with weak vein walls. But disease, injury, 'overweight, tight clothing, pregnacy and other stresses can also damage or put greater pressure on the . veins. When walls of the veins are weak, they may give way under un-der the pressure of blood and sag outward at the site of the valves,' As a result, the valves cannot close tightly to regulate the flow of blood. This, in turn, further mprMRpn the pressure of blood against the vein walls, which may balloon out and welcome "vari-cosed." "vari-cosed." Standing or sitting for long periods is hard on people with varicose veins because blood accumulates in the lower legs and puts greater pressure on the veins. This is one reason why doctors recommend that such persons put their feet up at the office if they can get away with it, at home watching watch-ing television or doing sit-down sit-down chores. Even if you don't have varicose veins it is a good idea to walk around every ev-ery half hour or so during a long plane or train trip. Interrupt In-terrupt long motor trips to let the whole family get out and stretch their legs. Periodical medical check-ups are advisable for people with varicose veins, says the Utah Heart Association. Let Your doctor decide whether or not you need treatment. If your veins seem to be getting worse, your doctor can prevent serious ser-ious damage if you see him soon enough. A free booklet entitled "Varicose Veins" is available from the Heart Association, As-sociation, 250 East 1st South, Salt Lake City. Indians of the northwest coast of the U.S. used to make raincoats out of cedar bark . . . Rest experts say a normal person probably would die if he were forced to stay awake for 10 days . . .Only about 12 per cent of the visitors who come to Wasington, D. C. do so for business reasons . . . . Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood fame still is the most extensive woodland in England's Eng-land's industrial midlands . . . The first street to be illuminated illumin-ated by gaslight in America was Pelham Street in Newport, New-port, R.I., in 1806 . . . "If you can figure out a way to get- Khruschev to stop wearing hats and Kennedy Ken-nedy to start wearing them, the Hat Corporation will supply sup-ply you with hats for life." |