Of all the veins in your body, leg veins have the hardest time carrying blood back to the heart. When the valves weakened, blood can become clogged and cause veins to swell abnormally. To ward off varicose veins, get a leg up with this advice from our trio of health experts.

Yoga Therapist

Yoga is an effective protocol for preventing and treating varicose veins. The posture that is known to be clinically most effective in both cases is sarvangasana, the shoulder stand (shown), where the legs are inverted and the pressure of gravity is reversed. In this pose, the blood and the lymph drain from the lower extremities back to the heart, thereby reducing the pressure of the pooled blood in the veins. Do this pose once daily. with a recommended holding time of about three to five minutes. When you stand up, movement of these fluids in the legs is greatly improved.

People with limited range of motion or high blood pressure should do the modified version of the shoulder stand: Lie on the floor and place your legs in an inverted position on the flat surface of a wall. If necessary, a small pillow or rolled towel can be placed under your neck for comfort and support.

–Nirmala Heriza, cardiac yoga therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, Calif., and author of Dr. Yoga

Naturopath

Varicose veins can only form if there’s weakness in blood-vessel walls, or if there’s significant pressure within the vein to overwhelm healthy vessels. By strengthening the vessel walls, which are made of smooth muscle and connective tissue, you decrease the likelihood they will dilate or distend. Build up connective tissue and shrink existing varicose veins by taking 2 to 3 grams of vitamin C and 400 to 800 IU of vitamin E daily (if you have a clotting disorder or take blood thinners, check with a doctor about vitamin E dosage). Botanicals such as horse chestnut, bilberry, butcher’s broom, and grape-seed extract fortify connective tissue, while fruits like blueberries, elderberries, and cherries contain antioxidants that strengthen vein walls.