Cold hands, warm heart...cold feet, neglected thyroid?
A quick rundown of things to support your circulation!
I’ve always loved winter, probably because I’m happiest in a polo neck and thick leggings. However, my hands and feet did not love the cold.
They would get chilly and numb in an instant, even with gloves on! My fingertips would go white and then finally cause me intense pain!
Ooough I remember crying in the snow with the agony, it was not fun!
That was back in the day, and I can say that my circulation has improved over the past 4 years of doing thyroid work!
I am writing this in the late summer, so right now it may only be a winter affliction for you or perhaps you just need to keep your feet warm in bed.
However, I thought I would do a quick overview of things that could help warm up those extremities:
Symptomatic Treatment:
Cayenne 🌶:
I used to use cayenne to keep myself warm.
You can have a shot of cayenne tincture or a pinch of cayenne powder before leaving the house and that can be enough to keep your hands and feet toasty.
You can also put cayenne powder in your socks and gloves and that really keeps you warm.
I love that cayenne pepper is very accessible as a herb so don’t just keep it on the spice rack, it has many therapeutic uses!
Other warming herbs that could help include: cinnamon, ginger, garlic, mustard and horseradish.
Eat them, drink them, rub them on your body.
Natural vasodilators (things to relax those uptight blood vessels)
Raynaud’s diseases is the pathological form of cold hands and feet and it seems to be related to a narrowing of the arteries in hands and feet.
Arterial disease is a big topic but we do have tips and tricks up our sleeve for this too:
Beetroot juice.
Beetroot juice was found in people with Raynaud's to increase blood flow to thumbs, lower inflammation, lower blood pressure and improve the way cells responsible for veins contract and expand. Beetroot juice also can lower high blood pressure and reduce inflammation in the blood vessels.
Beetroots are rich in nitrates which can convert to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide which dilates the blood vessels and increases blood flow. Arginine is an amino acid which is used in a similar way.
Niacin (vitamin B3)
Niacin also dilates the blood vessels and stimulates circulation. If you take too much niacin, it can cause a prickly-red heat known as a niacin flush so you can quite literally see how quickly it can work. Dr Andrew Weil recommends 100mg twice a day.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo has been studied to reduce the number of attacks in Raynaud’s disease and is a popular remedy for tinnitus and supporting memory. It promotes blood flow, inhibits clots and is often not recommended to take if you are on blood pressure medications as the combo of meds and ginkgo can lower blood pressure too much.
If circulation is your issue then these could be very helpful, you could also try Vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, Vitamin E and pycnogenol.
Other techniques:
Hand or foot baths - these can be curative too- Bartram suggests using chamomile.
Light therapy- infrared light promotes circulation and reduces pain and inflammation.
Massage-another one to get the blood moving and clear blockages.
Cold therapy- yes exposure to even more cold could be the answer and build your resilience. If you cannot bear the thought of a cold shower then just splash your face with cold water each morning. It is lovely and homeopathic too- like cures like.
Potential Causes:
I didn’t want to focus solely on Raynaud’s as there are many other reasons why you could have cold hands and feet such as:
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