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| Cold Hands and Feet |
Last updated: Jul 22, 2008 |
Contributing risk factors | Recommendations
 Risk factors for Cold Hands and Feet:
Recommendations for Cold Hands and Feet: | |  | | | | Botanical |  Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) | In cold climates, cayenne powder can be used topically as well as internally. One-eighth of a teaspoon sprinkled into each shoe and/or glove acts to help the body generate heat. Water-soluble components in cayenne dilate capillaries in the skin surface, producing an immediate sensation of heat. Within 15 minutes, oil-soluble compounds reach deeper tissues, generating warmth for hours. |
 Gingko Biloba| | Gingko has an documented reputation for improving circulation, and is sometimes of help for cold hands and feet. |
Ginger Root (Zingiber officinalis)| | A warming herb sometimes helpful in improving circulation. |
Cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum)| | Cinnamon is warming and improves circulation, so is good to take if you suffer cold hands and feet. |
Ginseng, Korean - Chinese / Asian (Panax ginseng) |
Detoxification |
 Chelation Therapy |
Diet |
Spicy Foods| | Please see the links between Cold Hands and Feet and Cayenne, Ginger and Cinnamon. |
High Fat Diet| | For some people, especially fast oxidizers, needing a high fat / protein diet, increasing healthy fat in the diet may improve cold hands and feet. |
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Drug |
Not recommended:
 Conventional Drugs / Information| | Atenolol, a beta-blocker, is one of any number of drugs that can have the side effect of producing cold hands and feet. The most serious side-effects include heart failure, heart block and bronchospasm. Other side-effects include fatigue and coldness of the extremities. |
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Habits |
Aerobic Exercise |
Vitamins |
Vitamin Inositol Hexaniacinate |
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KEY | | Weak or unproven link |  | | Strong or generally accepted link | | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended | | | May have adverse consequences |
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A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin
GLOSSARY
Estrogen: One of the female sex hormones produced by the ovaries.
Fibromyalgia: (FMS): Originally named fibrositis, it is a mysteriously debilitating syndrome that attacks women more often than men. It is not physically damaging to the body in any way, but is characterized by the constant presence of widespread pain that often moves about the body. Fibromyalgia can be so severe that it is often incapacitating.
Raynaud's Phenomenon: Raynaud's disease or syndrome is a disorder of blood circulation, mainly in the fingers and toes. It is of unknown cause and characterized by changes of the skin that are aggravated by exposure to cold: first, becoming white with numbness and pain as a result of inadequate oxygenation of the blood, then red/purple with a burning sensation. The sudden constriction of blood vessels causes decreased blood flow to the extremities and can, in extreme cases, lead to gangrene. Also called "white finger", "wax finger" or "dead finger".
Thyroid: Thyroid Gland: An organ with many veins. It is at the front of the neck. It is essential to normal body growth in infancy and childhood. It releases thyroid hormones - iodine-containing compounds that increase the rate of metabolism, affect body temperature, regulate protein, fat, and carbohydrate catabolism in all cells. They keep up growth hormone release, skeletal maturation, and heart rate, force, and output. They promote central nervous system growth, stimulate the making of many enzymes, and are necessary for muscle tone and vigor.
