6 Things Vein Doctors Never, Ever Do

The human body is so remarkable it’s easy to take for granted all the things it does to keep us alive and healthy. At every moment, our arteries are delivering oxygen-rich blood to our organs and tissues while veins are carrying it back to the heart

Over time, however, this system does not always function as well as it used to. And there are certain behaviors that can inflict irreparable damage. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these harmful outcomes and promote overall health.

HuffPost asked vascular surgeons ― the experts on all things veins and arteries ― to share the things they never do in the interest of their blood vessel health.

They don’t sit or stand in one place for too long.

“As a vascular surgeon who specializes in venous disease, I try never to stand or sit in one place for too long,” Dr. Tikva Jacobs at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital told HuffPost.

She explained that the veins in our legs must work against gravity to return blood up to our heart.

“They have valves inside of them to prevent gravity from pulling the blood back down to our feet, but over time those valves can take longer to close, allowing some blood to go back down to our feet and lower legs,” Jacobs noted. “This extra volume of blood can cause heaviness, fatigue and swelling.”

To avoid that discomfort and keep our circulation running smoothly, make regular walking or toe-tapping part of your day. This helps activate an important process called the “calf muscle pump.”

“With every step we take we are contracting our calf muscles, and that contraction works like a pump to help push the blood back up to our hearts,” Jacobs explained. “I often tell my patients that if they are cooking in the kitchen, they should