# Varicose Veins

Category: Conditions

Also known as: spider veins, venous insufficiency

Varicose veins and their smaller counterparts, spider veins, are not merely cosmetic or genetically predetermined anatomical defects; Ray Peat framed them as a dynamic, hormonally-driven condition reflecting a systemic loss of vascular tone and tissue integrity. He argued that…

10 passages · 1 author · 2006–2022 · Most-cited: [Ray Peat](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/ray-peat/index.md)

Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/varicose-veins

## Synthesis

**Varicose veins** and their smaller counterparts, **spider veins**, are not merely cosmetic or genetically predetermined anatomical defects; Ray Peat framed them as a dynamic, hormonally-driven condition reflecting a systemic loss of vascular tone and tissue integrity. [Source 5] He argued that these bulging vessels are *low-pressure analogs of arterial aneurysms*, developing under specific physiological strains such as pregnancy, malnutrition, and, most critically, a state of **estrogen dominance** unopposed by progesterone. [Source 5] This hormonal imbalance causes the smooth muscle in the walls of veins, including the large vena cava, to go limp, allowing blood to pool rather than being efficiently returned to the heart, which in turn weakens the heartbeat. [Source 7] The appearance of spider veins is traditionally linked to chronic, unopposed estrogen and an underlying *oxygen delivery problem* in the affected tissue. [Source 1]

The mechanistic basis for this vascular deterioration involves a complex interplay of stress hormones, metabolic rate, and nutritional deficiencies. Peat explained that hypothyroidism damages the liver's ability to excrete estrogen through glucuronidation, allowing the hormone to recirculate and exert its damaging effects on vessel walls. [Source 1] Furthermore, stress-induced hyperventilation causes a loss of carbon dioxide, prompting platelets to release serotonin indiscriminately into the bloodstream, which triggers capillary constriction, edema, and leakiness. [Source 3] This systemic stress reaction, characterized by high cortisol and estrogen, directly weakens the capillaries. [Source 4] Peat noted that an excess of estrogen is associated with varicose veins in both men and women, and that the condition slightly increases the risk of clots. [Source 2, 10]

Restoring vascular integrity requires a multi-pronged approach centered on opposing estrogen and supporting energy metabolism. Peat observed that a large dose of **progesterone** could normalize bulging veins within an hour, and he recommended it along with **vitamin K** as superior topical agents for restoring the ability of venous smooth muscle to contract. [Source 2, 9] He also emphasized the importance of thyroid hormone, vitamin A, and cholesterol for producing protective steroids like pregnenolone and DHEA, which have a natural, mild digitalis-like action that strengthens the heartbeat and vascular tone. [Source 4, 7] Dietary interventions include consuming adequate high-quality protein, lots of carbohydrates from sources like fruit and potatoes, and maintaining a favorable ratio of calcium to phosphate to help stabilize the hormones that regulate blood vessels. [Source 4, 6] Vitamins E and aspirin can help address the localized inflammation often present around the affected veins. [Source 2]

Additional supportive measures target the broader physiological context. Peat pointed out that fibrous foods like raw carrots, cooked mushrooms, and bamboo shoots can sometimes correct the problem, likely by reducing the endotoxin and estrogen load from the intestine, and that thyroid hormone is crucial for maintaining the function of both the colon and the veins. [Source 8] He also cautioned that anything with a detectable smell, such as chemical residues from cigarette smoke, could have biological activity that contributes to the condition. [Source 6] Georgi Dinkov added a crucial distinction, noting that it is important to differentiate between true varicose veins and veins that simply become more visible because *subcutaneous edema has decreased*, which is a sign of improved, not worsened, health. [Source 9]

## People also ask

### How does estrogen dominance cause varicose veins according to Peat?

Peat argued that unopposed estrogen causes the smooth muscle in vein walls to go limp, preventing efficient blood return to the heart and allowing vessels to bulge, much like a low-pressure aneurysm.

### What did Peat recommend for quickly shrinking bulging veins?

Peat observed that a large dose of progesterone could normalize bulging veins within an hour, and he recommended topical progesterone and vitamin K to restore the contractile ability of venous smooth muscle.

### Why might a vein become more visible even if health is improving?

Georgi Dinkov noted that veins can become more visible when subcutaneous edema decreases, which is a sign of improved health, and this should be distinguished from true varicose veins.

## Related concepts

- [Estrogen dominance](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/estrogen-dominance/index.md)
- [Selenium](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/selenium/index.md)
- [Constipation](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/constipation/index.md)
- [Copper](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/copper/index.md)
- [Diabetes](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/diabetes/index.md)
- [Edema](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/edema/index.md)

## Cited passages

Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above.

### Source 1 — Iodine, Spider Veins, Oxalates, Fat Loss

Ray Peat · Interview · Aug 4, 2020 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTJLfQUJOs

> **Ray Peat:** Oh, deodorant. But if there's a bacteria growing there or a fungus, a safe antiseptic like sulfur soap, one bath using 10% sulfur soap will sometimes permanently eliminate an underarm odor problem by destroying the microorganism that's causing it. the fat material to break down. Spider veins traditionally have been associated with chronic unopposed that what they're apparently developing in response to is some kind of an oxygen delivery problem in that area of tissue and things that improve oxygenation vitamin k has I don't know how effective, but progesterone, systemically or topically, and especially thyroid to help you excrete estrogen. Those are things that have traditionally worked.
>
> **Jodelle Fitzwater:** So yeah, it is more of an estrogen-dominant thing that she would be having, the spider veins? Okay. All right. Jesse asks, what is the best way to reduce bowel inflammation in cases where one is already addressing thyroid issues and using dietary therapies such as eating carrot salads, bamboo shoots, eggshell powder, and OJ? So reducing bowel inflammation.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Some people find that they... size of eggshell powder to be a problem. So you might experiment using maybe a coffee grinder that can reduce it to the fineness of a talcum powder and then take it with food. And trying a different brand of orange juice I found that some brands that I had used, for example, a frozen orange juice concentrate, I had used for years, pulp-free so-called. I noticed that it started causing intense intestinal inflammation and it also started leaving a residue of a gummy material on the glass after I had drunk it. So I changed brands and found one that was truly pulp free. And sometimes a supplement is a villain. A vitamin B supplement, ascorbic acid, tablets. Many of the most popular supplements cause horrible inflammation to the intestines.

### Source 2 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 699

Ray Peat · Email · Aug 8, 2021

> **Question:** Hello Mr. Peat, Is a varicose vein dangerous from your point of you or just an expression that something else is going wrong in the body ?
>
> **Ray Peat:** It probably slightly increases the risk of clots.
>
> **Question:** So would too much vitamin K be harmful since it increases the thickness of the blood ?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Vitamin K shouldn’t affect the blood’s viscosity.
>
> **Question:** Do you think the structural damage of a varicose vein can be reversed ? I'm applying pregnenolone cream on it from time to time ,but I'm not really sure if it's even possible to heal it.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Progesterone and vitamin K are better absorbed topically than pregnenolone is. Oral pregnenolone is helpful. Restoring the ability of venous smooth muscle to contract will correct the balooned vein.
>
> **Question:** Thank you ! The skin area above my varicose vein is a lot warmer then the surrounding area . Does that mean it's inflamed ?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Do you take any vitamin E? That and aspirin should help the inflammation.

### Source 3 — Iodine, Spider Veins, Oxalates, Fat Loss

Ray Peat · Interview · Aug 4, 2020 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTJLfQUJOs

> **Ray Peat:** if a person if you're monitoring their capillaries you can see the size of the capillary and whether it's being obstructed if a person hyperventilates and loses too much carbon dioxide all through the body. The platelets become unable to hang on to the carbon dioxide until it reaches the lungs. unable to hang on to the serotonin until they reach the lungs. So they release the serotonin indiscriminately in the bloodstream and that causes the capillaries wherever the It causes constriction of the capillaries combined with edema, swelling of the wall of the capillary and surrounding tissues, and leakiness of the capillary. to lower the CO2 and interrupt the platelets function of getting rid of the serotonin. And anything that makes you tend to not produce enough carbon dioxide, hypothyroidism for example, leads to what amounts to being produced so the lactic acid comes up throughout your system and so that can cause the equivalent of serotonin poisoning everywhere. And the parasympathetic nervous overactivity is known to cause excessive salivation. but something like a systemic imbalance of the regulation of both the platelets and the mast cells could contribute to it. Okay, very good. Okay, final question here. DPS0404 is the name, and they ask, any helpful suggestions for reversing, dissolving the very beginning stages of cataracts?

### Source 4 — One Radio Network: Ray Peat with Patrick Timpone — May 16, 2022

Ray Peat · Interview · May 16, 2022

> **Ray Peat:** Especially keeping your cortisol and estrogen levels low and under control. And Pregnenolone and progesterone and a small amount of DHEA are the direct ways to toughen your capillaries.
>
> **Patrick Timpone:** Oh, that's where you talked about those two combo, pregnenolone and DHEA, and that toughens them up a bit.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, and progesterone.
>
> **Patrick Timpone:** Oh, and the progesterone. Here's someone, Dr. Peat, who has an unusually high number of varicose veins, spider veins, young man, early 30s, doesn't eat any grains or processed food. What supplements or things could we do for this?
>
> **Ray Peat:** To start with... lots of carbohydrates, adequate amount of protein of high quality, milk, and other vitamin A rich foods or supplement vitamin A.
>
> **Patrick Timpone:** So when you say lots of carbohydrates, that would be, what is that, fruit and either grains? Yeah.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Okay.
>
> **Patrick Timpone:** Potatoes? That's a starch, right?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, it's a good carbohydrate.
>
> **Patrick Timpone:** But it's good, huh? Mm-hmm. Hi, Dr. Peat. What are your thoughts on the polyphenols in foods like blueberries? You speak highly of antioxidants and orange juice, but are the blueberries polyphenols also protecting or can be problematic?

### Source 5 — Bleeding, Clotting, Cancer

Ray Peat · Newsletter · 2006

> Instead of finding pseudo-reasons for the bleeding abnormalities caused by stress, it would be good to look freshly at the nature of blood and its circulation. It might turn out that it's a way to expand our understanding of the stress reaction.
>
> Most people are aware of some of the variations of bleeding and clotting that occur commonly. Bleeding gums, nose-bleeds, menstruation and its variations, and the spontaneous bruising (especially on the thighs) that many women have premenstrually, are familiar events that don't seem to mean much to the medical world. Sometimes nose-bleeds are clearly stress-related, but the usual “explanation” for that association is that high blood pressure simply blows out weak blood vessels. Bleeding gums are sometimes stress related, but high blood pressure is seldom invoked to explain that problem.
>
> The whole issue of blood vessel fragility is usually disposed of as a “genetic trait,” or a result of old age. This is part of a general tendency to think of the blood vessels as an anatomically fixed, “congenital,” and genetically determined system. At least until recently, nearly all physicians have called aneurysms “congenital defects.” But varicose veins are merely low-pressure analogs of arterial aneurysms, and they obviously develop under specific conditions, such as pregnancy and malnutrition. Spider veins are another anatomical variation that commonly appears under the influence of estrogen. Subarachnoid hemorrhages, which can put pressure on the brain, are usually considered to result from a ruptured aneurysm, and these hemorrhages are twice as common in women as in men, and probably result from a hormone imbalance.
>
> Menstrual bleeding is a good place to start the investigation of bleeding problems, since its relatively harmless abnormalities are physiologically related to some very serious health problems, such as pregnancy bleeding, abruptio placentae, and eclampsia. Women who die from eclampsia have been found to have massively clotted blood vessels in their brains, but the variety of names for the pregnancy disorders have prevented most people from thinking of pregnancy as a time when there is a high risk of the “thrombohemorrhagic disorders,” a time when the clotting system is under stress. (For about fifteen years after Selye coined the term, only he and some Russians were publishing research on it, and Americans still don't show much interest in the subject.)

### Source 6 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 774

Ray Peat · Email · Feb 23, 2022

> **Question:** Over the last 8 months I have developed ,what I believe to be, several spider and one cherry angioma. Im less worried about the angiona itself, more that there could be something wrong with my metabolism. What do you think that could be ?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Traditionally, high estrogen, low thyroid are thought to be involved. Vitamins K and D, and the ratio of calcium to phosphate in the diet, help to stabilize the hormones that regulate blood vessels.
>
> **Question:** I actually found that applying topical vitamin D on the spider angioma totally reversed them after 1-2 months , so that's good. These angiomas started surfacing a couple months after I moved into a new apartment in which the former owner was a heavy smoker. The walls smelled like smoke a lot and I woke up with read eyes, coughing and mucus in my throat everyday. Do you think this could be related to some of the chemicals in cigarettes that I inhaled from the walls ?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Anything you can smell could have biological activity.

### Source 7 — One Radio Network: Ray Peat with Patrick Timpone — May 17, 2021

Ray Peat · Passage · May 17, 2021

> **Patrick Timpone:** so would this give some real even more a little bit of credence to more of cowan's idea that the heart is not necessarily the thing that's pumping everything around the body that it's all the blood vessels and the and the what's the guy's name pollard you know and the fourth phase of water and it's the blood vessels and they're happy and they're they're moving things around the body
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, all of the veins converge back to the torso and the vena cava. For example, if it goes limp, a large part of the returned blood pools in this big vein in your body before it gets to the heart. And so the heart isn't receiving a fair share of the returning blood. And so it has a weak heartbeat. That's one of the effects of a shift towards estrogen away from DHEA and progesterone. And the tone of the vena cava goes limp, blood pools, and doesn't get to the heart. And so you have a rapid, weak heartbeat. And what you need to do is tighten up your vein wall muscles so that the veins don't simply hold the idle blood, but they squeeze it back into the heart. And when the vena cava pours its blood into the heart, then the heart can have a strong, full beat.

### Source 8 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 501

Ray Peat · Email · Jun 18, 2018

> **Ray Peat:** It was once a commonly recognized explanation for the leg varicose veins that developed in pregnant women. Thyroid hormone is important for maintaining function of the colon as well as veins, and fibrous foods (raw carrots, cooked mushrooms and bamboo shoots, bran, for example) will sometimes correct the problem. Avoiding starchy foods is important. Well aged cascara sagrada along with the other things has corrected some enlarged colons.

### Source 9 — #61: Bodybuilding and Steroids  |  Progesterone for Men?  |  Basic Bioenergetic Therapies with Ray Peat

Ray Peat (with Georgi Dinkov) · Interview · Jun 27, 2021

> ## Varicose Veins
>
> **Danny Roddy:** A listener heard that pregnenolone/progesterone causes varicose veins.
>
> **Ray Peat:** I would question the quality of the supplement. Their biological function is the opposite. I've seen bulging veins normalize in an hour with a big dose of progesterone.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** It's important to distinguish between varicose veins and veins becoming visible because edema has decreased.

### Source 10 — Heart and hormones

Ray Peat · Article · 2015 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/heart-hormones.shtml

> The reduced blood volume reaching the brain can cause fainting. When it becomes chronic, it can lead to the progressive distortion of the veins. An excess of estrogen is associated with varicose veins in men, as well as women. (Raj, 2006; Ciardullo, et al., 2000; Kendler, et al., 2009; Asciutto, et al., 2010; Raffetto, et al., 2010).
>
> The simplicity of things such as supplementing thyroid, progesterone, and sugar, avoiding an excess of phosphate in relation to calcium, and avoiding polyunsaturated fats, makes it possible for people to take action themselves, without having to depend on the medical system. Most physicians still warn their patients of the dangers of thyroid supplements, especially the active T3 hormone, for their heart, but in at least one specialty, its value is recognized. Heart transplant surgeons have discovered that administering T3 to the brain-dead heart donor before removing the heart improves its viability and function in the recipient (Novitzky, 1996). Around this time, the manufacturers of Cytomel conceived the idea of marketing it as a "heart drug," which would make it much more profitable.
>
> Another technique that is easy to use to lower blood pressure and improve heart rhythm is to breathe into a paper bag for a minute or two at a time, to increase the carbon dioxide content of the blood. This has a vasodilating effect, reducing the force required to circulate the blood, and reduces anxiety. Rhubarb and emodin (a chemical found in rhubarb and cascara) have been found to have heart protective actions. A considerable amount of research showed that vitamin K is effective for treating hypertension, but again, most doctors warn against its use, because of its reputation as a clot forming vitamin. Recently, the value of the "blood thinner" warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, has been questioned for people with heart failure (An, et al., 2013; Lee, et al., 2013). There have been several recent warnings about the production of arrhythmia by drugs that increase serotonin's effects (e.g., Stillman, et al., 2013).
>
> Measuring the speed of relaxation of the Achilles tendon reflex twitch is a traditional method for judging thyroid function, because in hypothyroidism the relaxation is visibly delayed.

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