Treatments for Ice-Cold Hands, Feet

There are some people who especially feel cold in their hands and feet, despite being in the well-heated indoors during winter. If this is severe, they will wear socks and even gloves when they go to sleep. These are called “hand-feet coldness symptoms.”

Some parts of the body will feel cold, which are “coldness symptoms.” The most commonly afflicted parts of the body are the hands, feet, and back. These symptoms are commonly found among middle-aged women. However, strictly speaking, “coldness symptom” is not the name of a disease. People that feel coldness symptoms think that they are easily susceptible to menstrual disorders and abdominal pains. However, just as anemia and headaches are not diseases in and of themselves, but symptoms of a disorder, coldness symptoms are not disorders, they are parts of symptoms.

Drop in Ovary Hormones is Biggest Cause for Female Coldness in Hands and Feet—

Coldness in the hands and feet is experienced overwhelmingly by women. Due to childbirth and menstruation, hormone fluctuations affect the autonomic nervous system, causing them to become emotionally more sensitive. When the autonomic nervous system becomes more sensitive, the constriction of blood vessels in the skin decreases blood circulation, causing coldness symptoms.

This is the reason why many post-childbirth, menstrual disorder, and infertility patients complain about cold hands and feet.

In particular, it is common among ovary hormone-lacking women over 40 undergoing menopause, women after giving birth, women with heart and thyroid gland disorders, poorly-fed women, women with anemia, or women with pelvic inflammations.

When menstruating, the level of ovary hormones decreases, worsening hand and feet coldness. If hands and feet are cold due to hormonal influences, middle-aged women can verify this with an exam at a hospital and relieve the symptoms through hormone therapy.

Stress Constricts Blood Vessels and Chills the Hands and Feet—

When under stress, the blood vessels contract, decreasing blood circulation and making the body feel chilly. In addition, the ability of the nervous system to control the body is lost, and other symptoms such as stomach disorders, menstrual cramps, PMS, back pains, and fatigue might also surface.

Hand and feet coldness is often found in people who are psychologically sensitive and whose autonomic nerve system is easily stimulated. Hence, it is often found in people who are chronically worried, and suffer from anxiety and depression. If this is the case, after being psychologically stabilized, drug therapy is applied.

A diagnosis can be conducted through an infrared thermal machine that reads the infrared rays naturally emitted from the body and converts them to temperature. Besides this, other methods are gradually being used to see if it is a blood vessel problem or another gynecologic problem.

There are also other diverse causes for hand and feet coldness, such as low blood pressure that prevents blood circulation to the extremes of the body, a lack of oxygen supply due to anemia, and Raynaud’s Disease or Buerger’s Disease, caused by vessel contraction.

Take Iron Supplements and Increase Blood Circulation with Half-Baths—

People suffering from hand and feet coldness should endeavor to improve their habits and reduce their stress. First of all, it is suggested to steadily work out until one is lightly sweating. Regular exercise is also good for psychosocial health, and also because it improves blood circulation, which raises the body temperature.

It also helps to take vitamin products containing vitamins B1 and B12, which aid in vitalizing the nervous system

Ox bone stew, cow liver, beans, milk, and glutinous rice, all rich in iron and vitamin F, are also advised. Furthermore, since high blood pressure and arterial sclerosis are also causes of chilly hands and feet, one should avoid fatigue, excessive drinking, smoking, and eating salty foods. Another suggestion is to wear various layers of clothing and increase blood circulation with half-baths, or foot bathing in warm water.

Jin-Han Lee likeday@donga.com