Laser treatment is the most effective for varicose veins
This is an interesting study. The problem with all these studies of various treatment modalities is that the rate of success is extremely dependent on the skills of the practitioner.
Here is a link to the study as discussed on Fox:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/25/laser-treatment-best-option-for-varicose-veins/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+foxnews/health+(Internal+-+Health+-+Text)
Medical aid to Nicaragua a huge success
Doctor Mowatt-Larssen of the Vein Specialists in Monterey was honored to be part of a humanitarian medical trip to treat 650 varicose vein patients in Nicaragua this month. The eight-doctor medical team was comprised of some of the world’s experts in vein disease, including Drs Tessari and Mosti, sclerotherapy and wound care specialists from Italy, and Dr. Morrison, the upcoming president of the International Union of Phlebologists (vein doctors). The team was hosted by the Fara Foundation, farafoundation.org, which provides medical care, education, and food assistance to the indigent poor in Nicaragua. The patients had severe vein disease, including ulcers that had reached the bone, and some of the patients had traveled two days by bus to reach the clinic. Dr. Larssen and the Vein Specialists thank our many donors who helped us to bring compression stockings, sclerosant medicine, medical supplies and equipment to Nicaragua. Dr. Larssen at the Vein Specialists of Monterey is the only vein doctor credentialed by the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine in the Monterey bay. He is also the editor and author of the specialty’s textbook Phlebology, Vein Surgery and Ultrasonography, published by Springer Publishers in a number of languages http://www.springer.com/medicine/surgery/book/978-3-319-01811-9.
Our bags are packed for the Fara Clinic
Our bags are packed for the Fara Clinic in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. We are taking compression stockings, medicine, gloves, needles and syringes, exam shorts, gauze and wipes, ultrasound machine, everything we need to treat vein patients. And candy for the kids who accompany their parents to the clinic. Now to just bone up on Spanish….
Treatment of symptomatic venous disease
Of the estimated 25 million people with symptomatic varicose veins[ii], only 1.7 million seek treatment annually[iii]. Over 23 million people go untreated! So why aren’t more people getting treatment? Most people go untreated because they are not aware an effective treatment solution is available for their symptoms. Most people don’t understand that the symptoms they’re experiencing are related to vein disease.
Treatment of symptomatic venous disease has been revolutionized over the last decade mostly due to innovations in technology. Experienced vein specialists now use ultrasound technology to pinpoint the root cause of the varicose veins, and then use a laser or radiofrequency device to close the veins causing the symptoms. If the vein flow is incorrect, closing these veins actually improves blood flow back to the heart. The state of the art in vein practice these days is to perform this procedure in the office under local anesthesia. This is safer, quicker and causes less down-time than having the procedure done in a surgical setting under general anesthesia.
[i] American Heart Association, SIR, Brand et al. “The Epidemiology of Varicose Veins: The Framingham Study”
[ii] American Heart Association, SIR, Brand et al. “The Epidemiology of Varicose Veins: The Framingham Study”
[iii] US Markets for Varicose Vein Treatment Devices 2006, Millennium Research Group 2005
You can get more information on our Monterey vein practice at http://www.veinspecialistsofmonterey.com
How to Choose a Vein Doctor
Whether it’s for a medical or a cosmetic procedure, the physician you choose is an important decision. Here are some considerations for making your choice:
Do you feel comfortable with the doctor and the facility?
You need to feel comfortable with your provider-do you like and trust the doctor? Is the practice state of the art and welcoming? Do you feel that the doctor is experienced and conservative, does the provider cover the risks with you and manage your expectations on your expected outcome?
Does the doctor specialize in vein medicine?
You will want someone who does this procedure or treatment all of the time, and has done it for many years.
Is the doctor certified?
Any doctor can perform vein procedures. However, it is best to trust your legs to one that has an additional rigorous training and certification. Visit the website for the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine to find out which doctors have passed their certification exam: https://www.abvlm.org/find_a_physician.asp
Medical aid to Nicaragua
Early in the morning before the vein doctors arrive, patients begin appearing at the Fara Clinic in Matagalpa Nicaragua in pairs and small groups, then in droves. Men, women, old and young, all share two things: They are extremely poor, and they’re in dire need of treatment for severe varicose vein disease, a common problem among laborers who stand for many hours a day on their feet, six and seven days a week. This type of venous disease also occurs frequently among women who’ve had multiple births. Over years, the untreated veins in their lower legs bulge from unrelieved pressure — creating small ulcerations at first, graduating to full-blown infections that can take over the entire lower leg, the veins swelling and twisting painfully.
In September 2014 the Vein Specialists of Monterey will travel to the Fara Clinic with a small team of certified vein doctors, ultrasonographers and nurses to help as many as 500 patients in a single week. The team will bring the laser equipment, portable ultrasound machines, compression stockings, injectable medicine, and everything that is needed to close failing veins and to help heal the leg ulcers. The team donates their vacation time, travel and lodging, and all medical supplies expenses necessary to provide free treatment to patients who desperately need it.
The Vein Specialists are grateful to receive any donations of compression stockings or new kids toothbrushes and stickers to hand out to children who arrive at the medical clinic in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. We thank our generous supporters Sigvaris for compression stockings and Angiodynamics for sclerosant to close the veins. Donations can be dropped off at our office at Veins Specialists of Monterey, 757 Pacific Street, Suite C-2, Monterey, CA 93940 anytime Monday through Thursday 9-12 or 1:30-4:30. For more information about our practice, go to http://www.veinspecialistsofmonterey.com