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Poor leg circulation is a common medical issue. There are a number of health issues that can cause leg circulation issues. Improving leg circulation is important to your health. Blood needs to be efficiently circulated throughout your body: to keep your heart pumping, your brain functioning, and your body working.

The causes of poor leg circulation can be numerous and varied. Smoking is one of the potential causes. Smoking constricts arteries, which in turn can cause leg circulation issues. Poor blood circulation can also be a symptom of peripheral vascular disease (PAD). LDL or high cholesterol can be a cause of plaque build up in the arteries. PAD is a build-up of plaque in the arteries and can also be a result of hardening of the arteries. Blood circulation is impeded by the build-up with the result being high blood pressure, along with poor circulation.

People with diabetes also have circulation issues, particularly in their extremities (hands and feet). Other poor circulation causes are obesity; pregnancy; thyroid disease; poor nutrition; and lack of exercise, sitting for long periods of time without movement, or even sitting in cramped locations such as a car on a long drive or a plane on a long flight.

The symptoms of leg circulation problems are often obvious: a tingling sensation in your feet or legs (also known as feeling as if your legs have ‘fallen asleep’); cramping in your calves or sometimes even in your feet; throbbing of the veins; swollen ankles, toes, and calves; and cold feet. The feet and legs may also look pale, white and bluish. Slow healing of cuts, bruises, blisters, and even ingrown toe nails is a result of poor leg circulation.

Poor circulation symptoms need to be treated; ignoring the symptoms can mean that more serious issues may go untreated. For example, a dangerous condition called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, can create blockage through clotting blood in a vein. If not properly diagnosed, DVT can lead to serious health issues. All poor leg circulation problems require a consultation with your medical doctor.

Improving your leg circulation means taking specific actions.

 1. Increase your activity - exercise daily (if possible twice a day for 15 minutes minimum). The exercise can range from a brisk walk to a strong work out. The idea is to get moving and to get your blood flowing.

2. Make sure that your body is well hydrated; drink lots of water.

3. Eat a healthy and nutritious diet that provides a good balance of lean proteins, high fiber, low fat and low salt foods.

Make sure to visit your doctor regularly and have a full medical check. Also have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly checked; poor leg circulation can often be an indicator of other medical issues.

Other poor leg circulation home remedies include:

* Cayenne Pepper. Make yourself a daily pepper drink to stimulate your circulation. Take 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 2 tsps of apple cider vinegar, up to 2 tsps of honey and 8 ounces of water. Mix well and drink (quickly). Additionally, you can mix about a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper into hand cream or lotion and rub onto your legs and feet. This peppery lotion will stimulate the skin cells and make your skin feel tingly.

* Garlic. Many people use garlic to help maintain good blood pressure and to improve and stimulate the body’s circulation system. While cooking with garlic does improve the flavor of food, it often has minimal health benefit because many people cook out the beneficial properties (much like overcooking vegetables you can overcook garlic). Therefore the best source of garlic is in concentrated supplemental pill form.

* Ginkgo Biloba is also used by many to improve blood flow and circulation. However it may react with other herbs or medications so do discuss this natural old home remedy with your medical doctor before taking as a supplement.

Visit a doctor if you have poor leg circulation as it could be an indicator of other health issues. Do not ignore leg circulation problems; discuss exercise, diet, hydration and other natural old home remedies with your doctor before starting any remedies.

Circulatory System Health is essential for your well being. Often overlooked, slow circulation symptoms are sometimes indicators of more serious Circulatory System Diseases. Find out more about herbal, holistic simple treatments on the herbal Old Home Remedies website.