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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffThe plaques that have damaged your arteries are often the result of unhealthy lifestyle habits. So a key component of treatment is stopping any unhealthy habits and adopting healthy ones.
If you have claudication or peripheral arterial disease, make sure you:
- Don't smoke. Smoking is the most significant risk factor for the development and worsening of peripheral arterial disease. Smoking increases the chance that you'll eventually require an amputation or even die of the disease. Also avoid secondhand smoke.
- Exercise. You may wonder how exercise can be helpful if that's what brings on the claudication pain. Actually, exercise helps condition your muscles so that they use oxygen more efficiently. So even if your muscles are getting less oxygen, they can use what they do get more effectively. That can mean less pain during exertion. In addition, exercise promotes the growth of new, healthy blood vessels. These new blood vessels provide an alternative path for blood to reach your extremities. Your health care team can help develop a supervised exercise program that will enable you to gradually increase the distance you're able to walk without pain and increase your overall mobility.
- Know and control your cholesterol levels. If your cholesterol levels aren't optimal, your doctor may recommend medications. Also, follow a meal plan that includes a variety of low-fat foods, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Combined with exercise, a healthy diet can help control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which can contribute to atherosclerosis.
