Do you notice if your hands and feet are colder than the rest of you? Although their core body temperature is slightly higher than that of men, women tend to have cold hands and feet than men, who have more muscles and fats to keep them warm. Poor circulation, if left unchecked, can lead to many disorders associated with ageing. Adopt some of these habits to get your blood moving.

Causes of Cold Feet and Hands

Disconnection Between Yin and Yang Energy
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cold feet, hands and limbs happen when yin and yang energies cannot connect in the body. Yang energy moves energy to the limbs, while yin conveys energy to the organs. These two energies link up inside the human body, but when they do not, cold extremities happen.

Poor Circulation, Poor Heart Condition

Persistently cold extremities is caused by poor blood circulation, which can be caused by a heart condition. This happens because the body is circulating most of the available blood to the brain and other vital organs to make up for the failing heart’s inability to pump enough blood to the entire body.

Long Term Problems of Cold Extremities

Common Ageing Disorders
Besides cold extremities, pins and needles are also another sign of poor circulation. Mild circulation problems mean less oxygen gets to your tissues and your body is less efficient in moving waste products out of your body. If you do not start taking care and improve your lifestyle habits, these can turn into disorders such as hypertension, hardening of arteries, varicose veins and pain in your joints.

Failing Heart

If you have cold feet, hands and limbs, paired with any of these less common symptoms such as cough, abdominal bloating and light-headedness, you may have a heart that is failing. These are due to the backup of blood into the lungs, digestive system and poor circulation to the brain. Should you experience any of these symptoms in combination with cold extremities, you should consult a doctor immediately.  

Things You Can Do to Improve Your Circulation

Warm Foot Baths
Soaking your feet and calves at 40 degrees Celsius for twenty minutes before your bedtime helps to improve microcirculation. Dry your feet and put on socks to bed to keep your feet warm. Add some essential oils such as ginger, cinnamon, and Meditrina QiActiv®️ Pelvic Care Essential Oil to help further improve circulation in your lower limbs.

Regular Exercise

Any exercise that gets your heart pumping is good. Jogging, brisk walking, HIIT or a sport can help improve circulation and relieve cold limps. Heavy exercises should be avoided as heavy sweating results in the ‘leaking’ of yang energy and may aggravate the problem of cold feet and hands.

 Massages

Massages help to move blood and ease congested areas. When new blood flows to congested areas of your body, waste materials are also better removed from your body. Bring along Meditrina QiActiv®️ Essential Oils for your massages to improve the health effects of your massages. Alternatively, you can add Meditrina Ageless Herbal Cream to your massage to upgrade your massage experience to a hormone balancing massage. Most massages use paraffin or mineral oil, not only do they do not have any health benefits, such ingredients cause your skin to become dry in the long term.

Eating Well

Eat black food to boost yang energy. They include black chicken, black beans, black sesame and black fungus. TCM herbal teas and soups containing ingredients such as dang gui (angelica root), dan shen (red sage root) and ginseng can balance your energy.