Welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm Dr. Nicole Sapphire, and this is your weekly rundown.

Well, yesterday the White House confirmed President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous

insufficiency. This condition occurs when the valve veins in the legs, they start to weaken,

causing blood to pool and leading to swelling, discoloration, and

varicose veins. The announcement came after reporters noticed swollen ankles and bruised hands

during recent outings like the FIFA World Cup. The White House was incredibly refreshingly

transparent about the diagnosis and provided all the pertinent negatives, including no evidence

of heart, kidney, and liver

disease, and no signs of venous thrombosis or blood clots in the lower extremity veins.

Now, chronic venous insufficiency, it's incredibly common, especially in older people,

affecting about 10 to 30% of all Americans, generally not life-threatening, but if untreated,

can lead to complications like skin ulcers or infection. So for treatment, doctors typically

recommend compression socks, leg elevation, exercise, and there are some minimally invasive

outpatient procedures if the symptoms worsen. What's the takeaway? Well, if you notice unexplained

swelling, varicose veins, or just leg heaviness, especially if you're over 50, don't dismiss it as just

aging. Early evaluation and simple changes can prevent progression. Also, the president had

bruising on his hands. As we age, we lose the subcutaneous fat, elastin, and collagen

in the skin of our hands. So when you knock your hands, you tend to get more bruising. The president is on

daily aspirin for cardiovascular prevention reasons. This increases his risk of that bruising.

It's possible they'll have conversations about cutting back on the aspirin if the

bruising is causing issues for him. Now moving on, another big announcement yesterday, the FDA

convened an expert panel to reassess the notorious black box warning on menopausal hormone

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