Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins that look blue and are close to the surface of the skin. They are unsightly and uncomfortable. Veins bulge, throb, and feel heavy. The lower legs suffer the most, and sometimes your ankles may swell.

To relieve varicose veins:

Don't cross your legs when sitting.

Keep your weight down.

Avoid standing for prolonged periods of time. If your job requires you to stand, alternate your weight from one leg to the other every few minutes.

Wear elastic support stockings.

Don't wear clothing or undergarments that are tight or constrict your waist, groin, or legs.

Eat high-fiber foods like bran cereals, whole grain breads, beans, fruits, and vegetables to promote regularity. (Constipation contributes to varicose veins.)

To prevent swelling, cut your salt intake.

Exercise regularly. Walking is a good choice.

Exercise your legs when you are sitting too. Rotate your feet at the ankles, turning them first clockwise, then counterclockwise, using a circular motion. Next, extend your legs forward and point your toes to the ceiling, then the floor. Then, lift your feet off the floor and gently bend your legs back and forth at the knees.

Whenever possible, keep your legs propped up on a footstool or a chair in front of you.

Varicose veins aren't usually serious. If a rash or sores develop on the leg, contact your doctor.

Backaches

Most backaches come from strained muscles in the lower back. Other causes include back injuries such as a slipped or herniated disc, arthritis, osteoporosis, and urinary tract infections. The goals of treatment are to treat the cause of the backache, relieve the pain, promote healing and avoid re-injury.

Improper lifting causes a lot of backaches. Here are some lifting "dos and don'ts" to help you avoid straining your back.

Do's

• Wear good shoes with low heels, not sandals or high heels.
• Stand close to the thing you want to lift.
• Plant your feet squarely, shoulder width apart.
• Bend at the knees, not at the waist. Keep your knees bent as you lift.
• Pull in your stomach and rear-end. Keep your back as straight as you can.
• Hold the object close to your body.
• Lift slowly. Let your legs carry the weight.
• Get help or use a dolly to move something that is too big or very heavy.

Don'ts

• Don't lift if your back hurts.
• Don't lift if you have a history of back trouble.
• Don't lift something that's too heavy.
• Don't lift heavy things over your head. Don't lift anything heavy if you're not steady on your feet.
• Don't bend at the waist to pick something up. Don't arch your back when you lift or carry.
• Don't lift too fast or with a jerk.
• Don't twist your back when you are holding something. Turn your whole body, from head to toe.
• Don't lift something heavy with one hand and something light with the other. Balance the load.
• Don't try to lift one thing while you hold something else. For example, don't try to pick up a child while you are holding a grocery bag. Put the bag down, or lift the bag and the child at the same time.

Self-Care Tips

Rest

Resting the back can help treat the pain and avoid re-injury. Resting doesn't have to be in bed, but lying down takes pressure off your back so it can heal faster. Up to two or three days of rest is usually best. Your back muscles can get weak if you don't use them or if you stay in bed longer than that. To make the most of rest:

• Get comfortable when you are lying, standing, and sitting. For example, when you lie on your back, keep your upper back flat, but your hips and knees bent. Keep your feet flat on the bed. Tip your hips down and up until you find the best spot.
• Put a pillow under your knees or lie on your side with your knees bent. This will take pressure off your lower back.
• When you get up from bed, move slowly, roll on your side, and swing your legs to the floor. Push off the bed with your arms.

Cold Treatment
Cold helps with bruises and swelling. You can make a cold pack by wrapping ice in a towel. Use the cold pack for 20 minutes, then take it off for 20 minutes. Do this over and over for 2 to 3 hours a day. Lie on your back with your knees bent, and put the ice pack under your lower back. Start as soon as you hurt your back. Keep doing it for 3 to 4 days.

Heat Treatment
Heat makes blood flow, which helps healing. But don't use heat on a back strain until 3 to 4 days after you get hurt. Any sooner and it can make the pain and swelling worse. Use a moist heating pad, a hot-water bottle, hot compresses, a hot tub, hot baths, or hot showers. Use heat for 20 minutes, then take the heat off for 20 minutes. Do this up to 3 hours a day. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Massage
Massage won't cure a backache, but it can loosen tight muscles.

Braces or Corsets
Braces and corsets support your back and keep you from moving it too much. They do what strong back muscles do, but they won't make your back stronger.

Relieve the Pain
Take aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium for pain. [Note: Do not give aspirin or any medication containing salicylates to anyone 19 years of age or younger, unless directed by a physician, due to its association with Reye's Syndrome, a potentially fatal condition.] Acetaminophen will help with pain, but not swelling.

Don't "overdo it" after taking a pain killer. You can hurt your back more, and then it will take longer to heal.

More Tips

• After 2-3 days of resting your back, try some mild stretching exercises (in the morning and afternoon) to make your stomach and back muscles stronger. (Always ask your doctor before starting an exercise program).
• Don't sit in one place longer than you need to. It strains your lower back.
• Sleep on a firm mattress.
• Never sleep on your stomach. Sleep on your back or side, with your knees bent.
• If your back pain is chronic or doesn't get better on its own, see your doctor. He or she can evaluate your needs. A referral may be given to a physical therapist, a physiatrist (a physical therapy doctor), or a chiropractor.

First Aid for Fainting

Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness. Someone who faints may pass out for several seconds or up to ´ hour.

There are many reasons people faint. Medical reasons include:

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) which is common in early pregnancy.
• Anemia.
• Any condition in which there is a rapid loss of blood. This can be from internal bleeding such as with a peptic ulcer or a tubule a pregnancy or ruptured ovarian cyst in females.
• Heart and circulatory problems such as abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack or stroke.
• Heat stroke or heat exhaustion
• Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia.
• Toxic shock syndrome.

Other things that can lead to feeling faint or fainting include:

• A sudden change in body position like standing up too quickly (postural hypotension).
• Extreme pain.
• Any procedure in women that stretches the cervix such as having an IUD inserted, especially in women who have never been pregnant.
• Sudden emotional stress or fright.
• Anxiety
• Taking some prescription medicines. Examples are: some that lower high blood pressure, tranquilizers, antidepressants, or even some over-the-counter medicines when taken in excessive amounts.

Know, also, that the risk for fainting increases if you are in hot, humid weather, are in a stuffy room or have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol.

Just before fainting, a person may:

• Feel a sense of dread
• Feel dizzy
• See spots before his or her eyes
• Have nausea

Here are some dos and don'ts to remember if someone is about to faint or faints:

Dos:

• Catch the person before he or she falls.
• Have the person lie down with the head below the level of the heart. Raise the legs 8 to 12 inches. This promotes blood flow to the brain. If a victim who is about to faint can lie down right away, he or she may not lose consciousness.
• Turn the victim's head to the side so the tongue doesn't fall back into the throat.
• Loosen any tight clothing.

• Apply moist towels to the person's face and neck.
• Keep the victim warm, especially if the surroundings are chilly.

Don'ts:

• Don't slap or shake anyone who's just fainted.
• Don't try to give the person anything to eat or drink, not even water, until they are fully conscious.

Don't allow the person who's fainted to get up until the sense of physical weakness passes. Then be watchful for a few minutes to be sure he or she doesn't faint again.