In today’s world of science and technology, sometimes the most wise thing to do is turn to the old and ancient wisdom to seek the cures for today’s illnesses, such as hypertension.  Ayurvedic medicine, or ancient Indian science of healing has long known that there are certain simple lifestyle changes which can be made to tackle high blood pressure without medicine.  For example, regular exercise is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and a good exercise program, particularly endurance exercises such as jogging or athletics, will cause the peripheral resistance to decrease and help to eliminate body fat, lower total cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol that prevents fatty - cholesterol deposits.

But lets go even simpler.  The simple effect of nurturing, love and affection can significantly drop your blood pressure.  Ayurveda cautions us to always speak the truth as lying has been found to boost blood pressure, because it require a lot of mental exercise. Speak gently and try not to get annoyed, speaking loudly and rapidly can significantly raise your blood pressure during conversation. In addition, chronic anger produces elevation in blood pressure and it can be a serious risk factor for coronary - heart - disease. So be cool, speak softly and even in event of extreme displeasure.  As we have long known, Ayurveda says that laughter is the best medicine and is as good as relaxation therapy, exercise or other methods used to overcome stress. Study shows that laughter decreases adrenaline and cortisol production. Laughter can help you if you are having high blood pressure. If you are frustrated, unhappy, angry, just laugh and find yourself away from rage–it is of the effective medicine and it is free.

Finally, for complete tranquility of mind, meditate.  Concentrate on the incoming and outgoing breath, focusing on the temperature of the breath as it flows in and out. You may notice the exhaled air is slightly warmer than the inhaled air. If you focus the mind on the breath for 10 minutes, mental disturbance gets diminished and blood pressure normalizes.  Many will find that by implementing these simple changes, medication is not necessary at all.

Varicose veins are the result of a simple malfunction in the valves of the vein (which plays such an important role of carrying blood from the body to the heart for re-circulation). It can become a major hindrance to leading a normal day-to-day life and can be a rather painful ailment both physically and emotionally.

Varicose veins can occur due to a number of reasons like family history, work related, pregnancy induced or can even occur due to obesity.

Do not neglect the classic symptoms like- Burning or throbbing or heavy feeling in the legs. Aching legs or feet, dark blue or bulging veins may also be due to varicose veins. These symptoms must not be ignored and one must consult the doctor at the earliest, as he is the best judge.
There is a common misconception that varicose veins would heal with time. On the contrary varicose veins do not heal on their own and if left untreated can lead to further complications. With the right treatment and care it will not be a cause of trouble at all.

In the bygone era the painful procedure of “Vein Stripping” was used to treat these varicose veins. This procedure involved a lot of pain as well as required a number of days for recovery. Modern technology has made it very simple, introducing procedures that cause minimum pain and ensuring quick recovery to the patient. The actual area of problem can be diagnosed through physical examination and ultrasound tests and then the varicose veins can be treated through minimally invasive procedures which would not cause much pain A tiny incision or puncture of the skin under local anaesthesia is all it takes to get back those lovely legs and drive away the terrible nagging pain that was a dominant part of the patient’s life for so long. With the help of modern technology varicose vein treatment and getting on with a new phase of life minus the pain and embarrassment is only a matter of a few days.

Southwest Vein Institute is dedicated towards the treatment of varicose veins. The doctors were featured among the “Best Doctors Chosen by their Peers” in D magazine and “Texas Super Doctors” by Texas Monthly. The doctors and staff aim at not only treating the medical problem of the varicose veins but also at the post operative care that is so very important to get the patient back to a normal life. The team of doctors also work on returning the self-confidence that most of the varicose veins patients lose due to the embarrassment that accompanies the pain. Medically well equipped and the expertise of the doctors together make it one of the best available in terms of medical facilities and care.

While doctors hand out Coumadin like candy, apparently because they have no idea how to get someone’s sticky blood to flow normally, patient’s livers were apparently not briefed on the strategy – an oversight that is likely to injure and speed the onset of age-associated disease.  A new article in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals just how vital vitamin K function is to your health.

The Coumadin vs. vitamin K issue is one pitting the mental midgets of Western medicine against the innate wisdom of the human body. 

There are 16 known vitamin K dependent proteins.  The researchers used knockout mice (mice lacking one or another of these proteins) to determine which vitamin K proteins were most important to survival.

They found that the 5 vitamin K proteins relating to clotting were the most important, as knocking them out caused death to the mice while still in the embryonic phase of development. 

Their research showed that the liver regulates the distribution of vitamin K to any of the 16 proteins, and does so on a basis of priority, giving clotting function top priority.

When Coumadin is taken it creates a vitamin K deficiency and the liver responds by channeling available vitamin K to clotting protein function, at the expense of other vitamin K dependent proteins. 

The net result is that other functions in the body that require vitamin K are left without enough to function properly.  This causes bone loss, arterial calcification, and increased cancer risk.  Vitamin K proteins are also an integral part of the overall antioxidant network.

Therefore, long-term Coumadin use is not worth the “benefit” for just about anyone.

Doctors need to get their heads out of the sand.  Much of Coumadin prescribing is “cover-your-rear-end” medicine – giving it out because if a person should have a stroke and they weren’t prescribed Coumadin then the doctor is in a situation of legal liability (which is utter nonsense and should not be the case).  Coumadin also causes regular repeat office visits to check clotting times via a blood draw, which is a nice cash flow for the doctor as the office visit requires little or no intelligence or time.

I have pointed out in an earlier article that sticky blood may even be protective and that Coumadin actually increases the amount of unstable plaque which actually would increase the risk for a stroke (the opposite of why it is given).  I have also pointed out that Coumadin in the short term is the number one drug causing serious injury requiring an emergency room visit or more serious problem (see article FDA Sleeps While Common Medications Poison the Elderly).

The use of Coumadin in general practice is an example of why the general population is rapidly losing confidence in Western medicine.  In the current health care debate it is generally agreed that we need to reduce the cost of health care so that more people can be covered with truly needed care.  This issue of the inept practice of medicine, based on widely over-prescribing expensive and dangerous medications, is a driving force at the source of the problem of runaway health care costs.  Doctor ineptitude is being given a free pass in the current debate so as not to have doctor groups torpedo proposed changes.