(0:40) Welcome
Welcome back to the Paleo View listeners!Episode 368!Not 369, even though episode 368 was already recorded, but with a tech glitchStacy and Sarah hope you enjoy the benefit of them already practicing this show one time throughSpecial thank you to this week's sponsor, JoovvA speaker reached out with a question about his Joovv:Lorenzo has the Quad Joovvand there is a little bit of a gap between where his Joovvpieces connect. Should he stand still or move side to side for max benefits?Sarah shared details on the design of the Quad Joovvand the way it is designed to be full-bodySarah has this model as well and what she does is move a little left to rightIdeally, you should be standing about one to two inches awaySarah does 10 minutes facing her Joovvand 10 minutes with her back to itStacy does a little bit longer with her back to the Joovvas she finds that it helps with her injury and joint painStacy and Sarah both love their Joovvsand you can learn all about them by visiting this link: https://joovv.com/paleoviewSarah shared information on a recent study that Joovvshared on how it impacts sleep hygieneSarah uses her Joovvbefore bed for these reasons, and it is a natural part of her evening routineStacy uses her Joovv first thing in the morningStacy is looking forward to being a student on this week's podcast recording, as she knows nothing about varicose veinsSarah is bringing both personal experience and science to this week's episode(15:05) Q & A
From Christine: Before I get to my question, I want to thank you for all that you do, Sarah and Stacy.I especially love your podcasts! I will admit, I am digging into your podcast archives, so don't judge me.I listen to them while I log core at work, enabling me to be doubly nerdy! As a fellow scientist, I appreciate your no-none-sense approach to tackling questions and information with science. Even my husband (who is a chemist) loves how informative and science-based your podcasts are! Ahem, I curate select episodes for him, as it has helped him immensely in understanding AIP and profoundly improved our marriage. The information and advice you provide, has empowered me to ask the right questions and find the right medical providers.Prior to finding your websites and podcasts, I sought medical treatment from a primary care physician. I remember the last time I saw him: I was sitting in his office, feeling horrible after eating lunch, asking him to test me for Celiac Disease. I started explaining my symptoms, then he proceeded to tell me that I didn't have Celiac Disease because I didn't have diarrhea (sorry Stacy). When I explained that another symptom, infertility, was an issue, as my husband and I had been trying to conceive for 4 years without any success whatsoever; he told me, "Sometimes, it's just not in God's plans." I swallowed my tears and persisted. Finally, he conceded after I told him that my family has a history of Celiac Disease. The two of you have made me feel empowered enough so that I moved on from that physician and found the right one for me. I feel like I can intelligently speak to my provider and be my own advocate. I am so deeply grateful.Now for my question... I have been making leaps and bounds on AIP over the last couple of months, after being treated for SIBO and supplementing my meals with HCl. I noticed for the first time in my life that my skin became soft and my nails also soft and lustrous... but, what really surprised me the most was that my varicose veins have almost disappeared. I've had them on both of my calves for about 15 years and thought that I was stuck with them for life. I was so self-conscious of them, that I rarely wore shorts or shorter dresses in public, or if I did, I wore tights or pantyhose. This has led me to wonder... What causes varicose veins?How are they autoimmune-related? Are they specific to certain autoimmune diseases? What can I do (from a diet standpoint) to keep promoting the elimination of the varicose veins? I love that AIP has opened so many doors to good health for me and so many others. AIP has helped me feel confident and beautiful again...something I thought never possible. I am so deeply grateful for what you have given me.Stacy wants to pause to say how mad she is at that doctor and how proud she is of ChristineShe is so proud that Christine was empowered and is giving her long-distance fist bumpsSarah is sending all the high fivesStacy wants to be friends with ChristineVaricose veins affect about 24% of Americans and there are estimates that upwards of 40% of adults will get them at some point in their livesUnless you are one of these adults, you don't typically hear about varicose veins in the national health conversationsThis is because they are considered relatively benignVaricose veins are a vein where the walls have gotten weak and essentially collapsed on itselfBecause it collapsed it gets twistyIt creates spots where blood can either backflow or poolVeins have valves in them that stop blood from flowing backward in between heartbeatsBecause of the weakening of the wall in the vein, the vein will kind of expandThis then pulls the valves apart and the valves end up failing which is how you get this backflow or blood poolingMost of the time they are asymptomaticThey have this characteristic dark blue or purple appearance and they can bulge outThey don't often feel like anything - they are typically just thereThey can be very uncomfortableThey can ache, feel heavy, cause muscle cramps, itchy, burning, throbbing sensation, the skin around them can be irritatedOverall they are benign, but there is this extreme symptom version of themWhen people start feeling these symptoms, this is typically when they will get varicose veins treatedHaving varicose veins does slightly increase the risk of blood clottingIt is called thrombophlebitisThese are big problems and require immediate medical interventionIt is a small fraction of the people with varicose veins that have this complicationCauses of varicose veinsIt is not super well understoodThere is a fair amount of research being done of them, but it is from the angle of how to treat varicose veinsThere are little bits and pieces to the puzzle that have been figured out:The weakening of the vein wall might be due to changes in collagen or elastinThere is some kind of chronic inflammation type part of the recipe for making varicose veinsThere are other possible scenarios:Ex: the blood clot coming first that then causes the varicose veinPhysical trauma can also cause themThere is also a familial linkHowever, no genes have been identified, but it does tend to run in familiesOther risk factors are:agebeing a womanbeing obesesitting or standing for too longhaving high blood pressurepregnancySarah first developed varicose veins during her pregnancyIt all boils down to things that are more likely to make the vein varicose(26:01) The Role That Diet & Lifestyle Plays
There is no known link between varicose veins and autoimmune diseaseThere are a couple of autoimmune diseases that affect connective tissue, which has an increased risk of varicose veinsBut they are not linked to autoimmune disease in generalIt is such a high-frequency condition that it is really hard to make a link to other chronic diseasesThe statistics show that basically varicose veins are its own vascular diseaseInflammation may be part of it, but there is no autoimmune component to itIt is interesting to Stacy that varicose veins do have an inflammation component to it, and that going to an autoimmune protocol reduces inflammationSarah noted that the autoimmune protocol is designed to help the immune system regulate itselfIt means that it's applicable in more than just autoimmune disease conditionsThere are some diet links, but the science is still very preliminaryThe best understood dietary link with varicose veins is dietary fiberSarah shared more on these studies and the reasoning behind their findingsA squatty potty would be a great way to help with this scenarioHowever, if you are following an AIP you are already getting a high fiber intake from your vegetable consumptionThe other nutrients linked to varicose veins:Vitamin D deficiencySupplementation seems to help themFolate deficiencyFlavinoids in generalPlant extracts have also been tested in clinical trials and have been linked to reducing varicose veinsThere are other nutrient deficiencies links that have been found, but it isn't known if supplementation helps in these scenariosNot getting enough proteinVitamin COmega 3'sZincIt doesn't surprise Sarah that the autoimmune protocol would benefit varicose veinsOr at least make them shrinkThere are going to be times where the damage is enough that there is no amount of good diet and awesome flavinoids that are going to reverse thatFrom a stopping the progression perspective and from helping veins that still have enough structure to return to normal, that makes a lot of senseThe other link to the autoimmune protocol that makes sense for varicose veins is to add in exerciseThere are a lot of studies showing that the more active you are the lower your risk for varicose veinsThere have been a few intervention studies that have taken people with really bad varicose veins and put them on some kind of exercise regimenIt seems like exercises that are specifically geared at increasing leg muscle strength are particularly helpfulSarah explained the explanation behind this link in greater detailStacy asked Sarah is collagen supplementation could help with varicose veinsSarah tried to be as thorough as possible in her research, and couldn't find a study where collagen supplementation was actually testedFrom an intellectual perspective, it makes sense to Sarah that supplementing with collagen and making sure that you are hitting all those other nutrients that are really important for collagen formation will helpHowever, she can't point to a scientific study that says that is the case, or how much to takeIf varicose veins are the only thing you are dealing with, you probably don't need to go full board AIPYou can look at the nutrient density of your dietAddress things like long periods of sedentary timeThere is very little data comparing the different types of medical interventions for varicose veinsThey are all thought to be good for a while, but the chances of another vein blowing are really highThe treatments are not treating the root causeCompression stockings can help varicose veins but are working to simply keep things where they areVeins can still continue to varicose if you have a lot of these other risk factorsIf your legs are starting to ache your doctors will tell you to eat more fiberSarah's translation to that is to focus on the nutrient density of your diet by increasing your vegetable intakeShe would also suggest exercise and compression stalkingsThis will help some people, but will not be sufficient for othersThe medical treatments that are available right now are surgery, laser therapy, and SclerotherapyThere are a lot of options for treatmentSarah recommends doing your research about all the available optionsHowever, Christine is a wonderful testament to the power of diet and lifestyleSarah definitely recommends trying some tweaks to diet and lifestyle and compression stalkings first(47:04) Closing Thoughts
Stacy learned a lot today and thanked Sarah for her researchThank you, Christine, for your wonderful question!Please feel free to submit YOUR questions through the forms on Stacy and Sarah's websitesA special thank you again to this week's sponsor, JoovvCheck out this awesome resource by visiting this link here: https://joovv.com/paleoviewIf you enjoyed the show and know someone who can benefit from it, leave reviews and share with those you knowLeave comments on social media as well to help Stacy and Sarah broaden their reach to get this information to as many people as possible who are looking for healthy living resources
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