CONDITIONS

Varicose & Spider Veins

Spider and Varicose Veins

Varicose veins affect one of every fifteen men and one of every five women. Typical symptoms are sensations of leg heaviness, burning, aching, muscle cramps, restlessness and night discomfort.

Varicose veins are a progressive condition, which can lead to such complications as phlebitis, hemorrhage, bruising, eczema, or skin ulcers.

Causes of Varicose Veins

90% are inherited and 10% are acquired by injury or phlebitis. Contributing conditions are pregnancy, trauma, obesity, aging, excessive heat (including sunburn), prolonged standing, constricting garments (girdles), and disorders of the lower limbs and feet.

Factors in Prevention of Varicose Veins

1. Walking briskly.

2. Elevate legs higher than your heart for 15 minutes.

3. When sitting or standing, move your feet up and down in a pumping motion.

4. Avoid obesity by eating healthy foods and exercising.

5. Wear support hose. Support hose (or compression stockings) exert pressure from the outside to assist your muscles in pumping the blood out of your legs back to your heart.

Your First Visit

1. Your first visit to the office is covered by Alberta Health Care (AHC). A Registered Nurse or Medical Assistant will record your medical history. Your chief complaints and/or concerns will be addressed.

2. The physician will then review your medical history and assess your legs to determine the right course of action for you and your legs.

3. Some people are excellent candidates for sclerotherapy, in which the procedure, costs and treatments will be discussed. However, other people may require a duplex ultrasound to further investigate their varicose veins. The ultrasound is performed in the office and is covered by AHC. Following the ultrasound the Interventional Radiologist will review the findings and form a definitive treatment plan.

For more information pleas refer to our Sclerotherapy and Echo-Sclerotherapy pages.

Hyperhidrosis

The Facts About Excessive Sweating

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that defines individuals who sweat more than the body would normally need to in order to maintain optimal temperature. Hyperhidrosis affects approximately 3% of the population – some 950,000 Canadians. It has been previously disregarded as a natural body reaction that most sufferers learn to live with and compensate for in lifestyle, but it has also been shown to seriously affect quality of life. Many sufferers must be conscious of their sweating when making decisions about daily activities. It can have an emotional, social, and physical impact on sufferes.

What Causes Hyperhidrosis?

There are two types of hyperhidrosis:

1. Focal Hyperhidrosis: also known as primary hyperhidrosis, has an unknown cause. Although this type of hyperhidrosis has an unknown cause, the way it affects sufferers appears to be related to over-activity of the central nervous system thereby causing an overactive stimulation of local sweat glands.

2. Generalized Hyperhidrosis: also known as secondary hyperhidrosis is actually caused by another underlying condition (e.g. endocrine disorders, menopause, obesity, nerve damage, and rarely, some types of drugs). This type of hyperhidrosis generally occurs over the whole body and is usually treated by addressing the underlying condition.

First Step: Making An Appointment

Visit our office to discuss your treatment options. Similar to any medical consultation, you should bring your provincial health card and your private insurance plan information if you have a private health care plan. The doctor will want a background of your medical history to help you find the treatment that’s best for you.