Poor circulation is rarely anything to worry about and if you have a mild case of bad circulation, it is more than likely that the doctor will simply advise you to wear gloves or an extra pair of socks to keep warm. You can even buy warm pouches such as ‘Stay Warm Hand Warmers’. These are little pouches that warm up when they are opened. They last 10+ hours and are packaged in pairs so they are ideal to place inside your gloves, mittens, pockets or shoes. Stay Warm hand warmers are soft, lightweight pouches containing a biodegradable mixture of iron powder, charcoal, salt, sawdust and vermiculite. When exposed to the air, an oxidation process takes place that generates heat to keep your hands and feet warm and toasty.
An extreme case of cold hands and feet could be caused by Raynaud's or vasospasm, which means your arteries go into spasm in response to cold. Typically, your fingers go bright white then turn scarlet when they warm up. Vasospasm is rarely harmful, but if you're in pain you could ask your GP for a referral to a vascular surgeon. Raynaud's can be treated with vasodilators which boost circulation. Wine is one of the best natural vasodilators so a daily small glass of red won't do any harm.
A lack of certain nutrients should not cause cold hands and feet. But a few tweaks to your diet could improve your symptoms. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid which helps blood flow and you get it from oily fish. In one study, people with Raynaud's were given fish oil supplements or a dummy tablet for 12 weeks. They then put their hands in different temperature water to see what effect it had on blood flow. In the group who took fish oil supplements the symptoms were much better. If you eat fish, have two portions a week, one of which should be oily (fresh tuna, sardines, mackerel, herrings or trout). You can also buy Omega-3 enriched eggs. The veggie equivalent of Omega-3 is called alpha linolenic acid and good sources are walnuts, soya, tofu and green leafy vegetables.
An extreme case of cold hands and feet could be caused by Raynaud's or vasospasm, which means your arteries go into spasm in response to cold. Typically, your fingers go bright white then turn scarlet when they warm up. Vasospasm is rarely harmful, but if you're in pain you could ask your GP for a referral to a vascular surgeon. Raynaud's can be treated with vasodilators which boost circulation. Wine is one of the best natural vasodilators so a daily small glass of red won't do any harm.
A lack of certain nutrients should not cause cold hands and feet. But a few tweaks to your diet could improve your symptoms. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid which helps blood flow and you get it from oily fish. In one study, people with Raynaud's were given fish oil supplements or a dummy tablet for 12 weeks. They then put their hands in different temperature water to see what effect it had on blood flow. In the group who took fish oil supplements the symptoms were much better. If you eat fish, have two portions a week, one of which should be oily (fresh tuna, sardines, mackerel, herrings or trout). You can also buy Omega-3 enriched eggs. The veggie equivalent of Omega-3 is called alpha linolenic acid and good sources are walnuts, soya, tofu and green leafy vegetables.
