The circulatory system is an extremely complex mechanism that strives to maintain stable conditions in the body. Vessels are capable of contracting and expanding, depending on external and internal factors. For example, when the body cools, the peripheral vessels narrow in order to spend less heat on warming the extremities and, thereby, saving it for the internal organs. Nicotine, which enters the blood after smoking a cigarette, also constricts blood vessels. Any stress causes vasospasm to adapt the body to danger.
Vessels and their functions
The vessels of the circulatory system: veins, arteries and capillaries - deliver blood to all organs and tissues of the human body. Together they represent a closed system where everything is interconnected. Arteries deliver blood enriched with oxygen and necessary substances to the organs, capillaries ensure their delivery to the organs, and veins drain oxygenated blood. Organs and tissues suffer when vascular diseases occur. As a result of certain diseases, poor lifestyle and other factors, the flexibility and elasticity of blood vessels is lost, occlusions and stenoses occur in them.
Vasodilation methods
In order to improve your own condition, you can use a combination of the following methods:
- consume vasodilating foods;
- take special medications;
- use folk remedies to dilate blood vessels in the brain;
- change your lifestyle.
Medicinal solution to the problem
You can dilate blood vessels (after appropriate consultation with a specialist) using the following medications:
- Nitroglycerin: the most affordable remedy that is at hand for every person suffering from angina attacks. Just one pill allows you to quickly relieve pain, spasms and other unpleasant phenomena. Unfortunately, the medicine will not give the desired effect if a stroke or heart attack begins. It is important to take it with extreme caution, because nitroglycerin can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure that can worsen a person’s condition.
- Spasmalgon: not intended for continuous use, but works well for short-term relief of spasms. This remedy is the best medicine to take when you have a headache.
- Papaverine: this drug is aimed at relieving spasms. Its use is indicated only after consultation with a specialist. Eufillin has a similar effect.
- A group of drugs belonging to calcium channel blockers: used in the treatment of cardiac problems associated with high blood pressure. The action of the drug is based on blocking receptors that constrict blood vessels, as a result of which the latter do not change their volume.
- Gingko Biloba: used to eliminate spasm of blood vessels in the brain. This drug is often used as part of a set of measures to combat age-related changes in blood vessels.
- Drugs used to treat atherosclerosis (they also dilate narrowed blood vessels): Lipoford, Mefacor, Clofibrate, Atromid, Cerebrolysin.
- Complex vitamin preparations with a mandatory content of vitamin C.
Nutrition as a way of treatment
Nutrition is the basis of human health, so the question of which foods dilate the blood vessels of the brain does not lose its relevance. To normalize the condition, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Reducing the daily diet containing animal fats: butter, sausages, pig and lamb meat.
- Fermented milk products are allowed only with a minimum amount of fat.
- Among the meat products, you should only leave turkey, chicken and calves that are not too fatty.
- It is important to eat fish every day. It contains fat, which eliminates cholesterol plaques and cleanses the circulatory system as a whole. You should not frequently fry this product or eat canned fish, but stewing, baking and boiling is not prohibited.
- Be sure to eat fruits, greens and vegetables every day. You need to consume at least a kilogram of such products per day, divided into 5 doses.
- You should not drink alcoholic beverages, which provide only a short-term effect of relieving spasms with subsequent worsening of the condition.
Folk recipes
Vasodilation with folk remedies has a right to exist, especially if carried out as part of complex therapy. There are many home recipes that help solve this problem, the most valuable are the following:
- Garlic oil: a universal remedy that is highly effective. It is prepared quite simply: mash 1 head and pour a glass of vegetable oil over it. Place the mixture in a glass container for a day, placing it in the refrigerator. Then take this remedy 3 times a day, mixing a teaspoon of the remedy with the same amount of juice squeezed from lemon. Follow this regimen for 3 months.
- Hawthorn: perfectly strengthens vascular walls and eliminates their spasms. The infusion is prepared by boiling 20 g for 5 minutes. fruits in a glass of water. After straining, this drink is stored in the refrigerator and taken before meals, a tablespoon at a time. Instead of fruits, you can use inflorescences, of which you will need 1 tbsp. l. This infusion should be taken for three months.
- Valerian roots can soothe and relieve muscle spasms. Dry roots in the amount of 2 tbsp. l. boil in a glass of water for half an hour, then infuse the broth until it cools completely and take 1 tbsp three times a day. l.
- Collections that include yarrow, fireweed, mistletoe and motherwort have proven themselves well.
- You can grind hazel bark and brew it in a glass of boiling water. This decoction is drunk three times a day, one tablespoon at a time.
- To remove cholesterol plaques outside the body, you can prepare a decoction of birch buds, immortelle, St. John's wort, chamomile and yarrow. These herbs need to be mixed, take a tablespoon of the resulting composition and brew 500 ml of water. After infusion, the mixture is ready for use, which should be done in the mornings and evenings, before meals.
Lifestyle change
The blood vessels will narrow much less often, and your overall health will only improve if you adhere to the following recommendations for a healthy lifestyle:
- Daily night sleep of at least 9 hours (if necessary, the use of sedatives is allowed);
- The massage is both general strengthening and aimed at the neck area. It will have a stimulating effect on tissues and restore their lost tone;
- Regular contrast showers are an excellent workout. In the process of this effect on the vessels, they actively narrow and return to their previous state. An important condition: such an effect must be gradual, without an abrupt onset, with mandatory preparation of the body;
- Especially to dilate blood vessels, you should visit a sauna or bathhouse. When heated, they will expand, which will increase their tone and prevent future spasms. After the bath, you are allowed to dive into the snow, which will only strengthen vascular balance;
- Everyday walking is not only an opportunity to breathe fresh air, but also a great way to get your blood vessels in order and maintain good health.
Dilated veins
A common problem that indicates vascular dysfunction is varicose veins. It occurs in any part of the venous system, but the vessels in the legs are most often affected. Varicose veins are not only an aesthetic problem. Varicose veins are often accompanied by pain and heaviness in the legs, swelling and cramps - characteristic symptoms of vascular disease of the extremities. As a result of complications of the disease, there is a threat of thrombosis and the appearance of trophic ulcers. If you have the above symptoms, contact a specialized vascular center or make an appointment with a phlebologist.
Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
The main component is rabeprazole. The active substance belongs to the group of proton pump inhibitors.
The principle of action of the drug is based on blocking the final stage of hydrochloric acid production in the stomach, reducing the content of stimulated, basal HCl secretion, regardless of the nature of the current stimulus.
Geerdin easily penetrates the parietal cells of the gastric wall, has high lipophilicity, increases the secretion and production of bicarbonate, and has a cytoprotective effect.
After oral administration of the drug, the antisecretory effect is registered within an hour.
The drug has no effect on the respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous systems.
Diagnosis of varicose veins:
- Examination and history taking;
- Duplex scanning of veins;
- Ultrasonography;
- Phlebography of the veins of the extremities;
- Phlebomanometry.
After examining the patient, the doctor determines the need for one or another type of vascular diagnostics. When the disease is diagnosed, the patient is offered the following treatment methods for varicose veins:
- Removal of affected veins (phlebectomy)
- Laser photocoagulation;
- Sclerotherapy (with the help of a special substance, damaged veins seem to stick together and disappear);
- Radiofrequency coagulation of veins.
Symptoms
Signs of the chronic form usually develop gradually, so a person has time to get used to their appearance, adapts to the disease, and therefore does not pay the necessary attention to treatment.
Chronic vasoconstriction has three stages of development, and without appropriate treatment they can take several years to develop.
First stage
The following symptoms are characteristic of this stage:
- frequent mood swings, irritability;
- subtle decrease in performance and concentration;
- fast fatiguability;
- periodic headaches.
Second stage
Signs of the disease are increasing. Tinnitus is added to those previously mentioned. There is also memory impairment, prolonged migraines, decreased concentration, and sometimes short-term fainting.
Third stage
The appearance of disturbances in coordination of movements is noticed. Symptoms of dementia appear, and in some cases uncontrolled urination and bowel movements may occur.
At this stage of the disease, a person loses his ability to work, he does not control his actions and therefore needs the help of relatives. Often, poor circulation is fraught with the development of complete immobility.
Causes
The causes of vasodilation are hypertension, severe injuries, the last stages of syphilis, atherosclerosis. Moreover, atherosclerosis is the most common of them. The deposition of cholesterol with the formation of plaques in the walls of the arteries causes the causes of vascular atherosclerosis. Because of this, the elasticity of the blood vessels decreases, the walls become weakened. Under the influence of blood pressure, they stratify and aneurysms form. They not only interfere with the normal blood supply to organs: rupture of an aneurysm is extremely dangerous due to the threat of hemorrhage.
How to dilate blood vessels?
In order to eliminate blockage or vascular spasm, it is necessary to know the cause of its development. The main effect of treatment should be aimed at the leading factors: increased blood cholesterol, increased thrombus formation, dysregulation of vascular tone .
Without examination, vasodilators (vasodilators) are not prescribed. There are also treatment features for narrowing of the bloodstream in different anatomical areas.
Medicines
According to the mechanism of action, all vasodilators are divided into the following groups:
- neurotropic: block impulses from the sympathetic nervous system. They are represented by alpha-adrenergic blockers ("Ebrantil"), beta-adrenergic receptor blockers ("Anaprilin"), combined ones ("Carvedilol"), ganglion blockers ("Benzohexonium"), as well as drugs acting on the vasomotor);
- myotropic: relax vascular smooth muscles. These are nitrates (“Nitroglycerin”), purines (“Eufillin”), as well as “No-shpa”, “Dibazol”, nicotinic acid and “Xanthinol nicotinate”, “Magnesium sulfate”, “Curantil”;
- calcium antagonists: prevents the movement of calcium ions into the muscles of blood vessels, relaxing their walls. These include “Isoptin” and “Corinfar”.
Most antihypertensive drugs and some combination painkillers also have vasodilating properties.
Folk remedies
Medicinal plants also have antispasmodic activity. Moreover, most often the same herbal medicine has several properties that help dilate blood vessels. For example, motherwort herb has a hypotensive and sedative effect, and mint has a relaxing effect and relieves spasms of smooth muscles. According to the predominant effect, plants are divided into groups:
- sedatives: hop cones, valerian, motherwort, berries and hawthorn flowers;
- antispasmodic: mint, lemon balm, calendula, mistletoe, oregano, fennel;
- improving the elasticity of blood vessels: rue, periwinkle, ginkgo biloba, clover, fireweed, sophora.
At home without drugs
To restore normal vascular tone, lifestyle changes are required. Medicines are only effective if they are taken in conjunction with non-drug methods. In the initial stage, only such measures are sufficient to dilate blood vessels. The most important are:
- quitting smoking and alcohol abuse;
- daily physical activity of at least 30 minutes. To improve the condition of blood vessels, the following are especially useful: swimming, walking, light running, yoga, Pilates, therapeutic and breathing exercises;
- training vascular tone using a contrast shower;
- duration of night sleep is at least 8 hours;
- a diet excluding fatty and sweet foods, including magnesium-rich foods in the diet: bran, nuts, seeds, cocoa, wheat germ;
- reflexology, at home it is carried out using Lyapko or Kuznetsov needle mats;
- relaxing massage.
Watch the video about the causes of vasoconstriction:
Treatment
Based on the characteristics of the disease, one or another method of treating the aneurysm is selected. In cases where there is no threat to life and health, the patient is recommended only regular observation in combination with the prevention of vascular diseases: first of all, in such cases it is recommended to adhere to a strict diet, lead an active lifestyle with moderate physical activity and completely stop smoking.
If the risk of complications is high, dilated, thinned arteries are treated surgically. The indications for the operation are determined by the doctor. In some cases, open surgery is performed to remove the aneurysm and replace the removed portion of the vessel with an endoprosthesis. Endovascular surgery offers modern and safe ways of surgical treatment. To treat aneurysms, an intravascular type of intervention is used - stenting. The essence of the method is to install a stent graft. A special design excludes the dilated section of the vessel from the general blood flow and prevents further growth of the aneurysm and its rupture. The advantage of stenting is that the intervention is performed without incisions under local anesthesia. Find out about the cost of the operation to install a stent by clicking on the link.
Drugs that correct microcirculation
These drugs affect regional blood circulation (circulation directly in the organ locally), in this case the brain: they actively contribute to the improvement of various parameters - blood flow speed, pressure and tone in the capillaries, arteries, veins, and maintain a sufficient volume of blood in the brain even under increased stress. This group of drugs effectively relieves migraines and common headaches, treats encephalopathy (including post-alcohol damage to the brain centers), ataxia (impaired coordination), and dizziness. Preparations with betahistine as an active ingredient help to achieve a significant improvement in blood microcirculation and influence the quality of cerebral circulation.
Quick help with blood pressure
For the fastest possible help, it is of course better to use medications. No folk remedy can replace treatment with pills if the disease is severe. For therapy are used:
- ACE inhibitors. Among them, one can highlight the drug Enalapril and its analogues, which are taken 2 times a day, 2.5 mg. The effect is observed after an hour and lasts for a day. Captopril or Capoten are also effective; the tablet should be taken twice a day, the dosage is selected individually from 12.5 mg to 50 mg. The effect will occur 15-40 minutes after administration and lasts up to 12 hours.
- Diuretics. Among the effective ones are Indapamide or Ravel and other analogues. It is recommended to drink the product in the morning once a day. The result lasts throughout the day, but frequent urination is possible.
- Beta blockers. This group of drugs includes Metoprolol and Bisoprolol. You need to take the tablets once a day. The effect occurs quite quickly and lasts for 6 hours, depending on the drug. Full normalization will occur after a couple of weeks of continuous use.
- Calcium channel blockers. Doctors use Nifedipine, Cordipine and analogues. The tablets should be used 3-4 times. The effect begins after half an hour and lasts up to 6 hours.
In addition to the measures described, during the treatment of hypertension it is important to adhere to preventive rules, because without them the result will be slow or the pressure will not decrease at all