Prevention is always best but not practical given our sedentary lifestyle and underlying risk factor for venous disease. You can't change your family history because you are born with that and genetic predisposition.
You can help yourslef by using your calf muscles, which are the leg pumps that pump blood out of your legs. Walk regularly and exercise. If you can't and have a desk job, move your ankles (flex and extend) 15 times every 30 minutes as a minimum to pump blood out of your legs or get up and walk every 15 minutes, like walking to the water fountain or to the xerox machine and back. This will prevnet blood pooling in the legs, which over the years can cause damage to your vein valves and cause venous reflus disease.
Also, wear support stockings. They should be fitted properly for maximum benefit. Finally, take horse chestnut extract, 200 mg twice daily. This has been shown in the Cochrane study to be as effective as wearing compression stockings in alleviating symptoms related to venous reflux disease.
