[Fat Bear Science] Are your hands and feet always cold until dawn? It may be a metabolic problem or malnutrition!

There is a kind of cold called the cold of the South, because the North relies on heating in winter, while the South relies on "righteousness"!

In particular, many women become "ice beauties" as soon as winter comes. They are afraid of cold, their hands and feet are cold, no matter how much they wear, they wrap themselves up like a dumpling, or their feet are cold after sleeping all night.

Why is this?

How can I warm myself up?

Come and take a look at the “warming-up recipe” recommended by Wang Shengqiang, director of the Comprehensive Department of our hospital.

Experts of this issue

Wang Shengqiang

Wang Shengqiang: Director of the General Department of Chongqing University Cancer Hospital/Chongqing Cancer Hospital, deputy chief physician, member of the Chongqing Emergency Committee of the Chinese Medical Association, member of the Chongqing Emergency Committee of the Committee of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, has been engaged in emergency trauma, various critical and severe diseases, and poisoning treatment for a long time, and is good at diagnosing and treating superficial tumors. Clinic hours: all day on Monday

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Cold hands and feet in women are mostly caused by excess yin and deficiency of yang

"When the weather gets cold, it's common for women to have cold limbs. Even if they keep drinking hot water and wrap themselves up like a dumpling, they still can't get rid of the coldness of their hands and feet." Wang Shengqiang said that Chinese medicine believes that women often have cold hands and feet mainly because they have excessive yin and insufficient yang. Yin deficiency causes internal heat, while yang deficiency causes external cold.

In traditional Chinese medicine, if the Yingxue is deficient and the cold evil is felt, the cold evil will stagnate, the blood will not flow smoothly, the Yang Qi cannot reach the extremities, and the Yingxue cannot fill the blood vessels, which will cause cold hands and feet. Another explanation is that the blood vessels flow when warm and coagulate when cold. Cold blood will cause blood stasis. After blood stasis, the flow of Qi and blood will be slow, and the blood supply to the extremities will be insufficient, which will also cause cold hands and feet.

Western medicine: There are four common factors for women's cold hands and feet

Wang Shengqiang said that from the perspective of Western medicine, there are four major factors that make women prone to cold hands and feet.

■1. Physiological factors cause cold hands and feet

Physiologically, the body produces heat mainly through skeletal muscles and internal organs. Women are naturally prone to cold limbs, firstly because women's skeletal muscles are not as developed as men's, and now women are pursuing slimness, so their muscles are not developed, so it is not easy to produce heat. In addition, women have a relatively thick fat layer, so the heat dissipated to the skin layer is relatively less.

■2. Various diseases cause cold limbs

Pathologically speaking, some diseases can also lead to insufficient heat production. Vascular diseases such as varicose veins, thromboangiitis obliterans, atherosclerosis, and arteriovenous occlusion. If the blood vessels are blocked, the limbs will be cold. For example, the first symptom of a shock patient is cold limbs, which is because the blood pressure is low and the blood perfusion is poor.

Metabolic diseases such as diabetes can cause cold hands and feet. This is because heat is mainly driven by blood circulation, which then transfers heat to various parts of the body. If diabetes is in the late stage, small blood vessels are prone to blockage, affecting blood circulation.

In addition to vascular diseases, patients with cerebral infarction, hemiplegia, skin diseases, etc. will have abnormal nerve sensations such as insensitivity to cold and heat. In addition, malaria, typhoid fever, colds, anemia, blood system diseases, etc. will also cause alternating hot and cold and cold limbs. Skeletal muscle diseases themselves will cause reduced heat production.

■3. Cold hands and feet due to external environment and poor warmth retention

Prolonged exposure to cold stimulation, women wearing less in winter, long-term exposure in field construction, or less activity in cold places can also cause cold hands and feet.

■4. Malnutrition causes cold hands and feet

Bleeding, excessive blood loss, hunger, poor eating, insufficient energy replenishment, or malnutrition caused by illness can all cause cold hands and feet.

Response: Eliminate the cause first, then keep warm and exercise more

So how to deal with and relieve cold hands and feet? Director Wang said that you can first do a physical examination to find out the cold limbs caused by diseases as early as possible. For example, if the cold hands and feet are caused by pathological factors, you should eliminate various causes and reduce the complications of the disease.

If the cold hands and feet are caused by physiological factors, such as women who are born with cold hands and feet, they should first pay attention to keeping warm in the cold winter. Put on more clothes in time when it is cold, and cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep. Pay special attention to keeping your feet warm, because cold air can easily invade from the feet. The feet are farthest from the heart, have less blood supply, and the fat layer of the feet is thinner, making them more susceptible to cold stimulation. You can prepare hand warmers and heat packs outdoors, and use electric heating shoes to keep warm at home.

At the same time, doing more exercise to get your body moving is good for speeding up metabolism and blood circulation. For example, climbing stairs, jumping on the spot, running, etc. can help speed up the release of body heat.

Eating mutton and taking Chinese medicine to replenish qi and blood can help relieve

Wang Shengqiang said that if you are afraid of cold, you can also keep your body warm through diet and Chinese medicine. Eat a proper amount of fat and high-protein food so that the body has enough fuel to generate heat and maintain normal body temperature. For example, in winter, you can stew angelica with mutton to relieve the symptoms of cold limbs to a certain extent. You can also keep ginger candy in your daily snacks. Take one or two pieces of it when you take a break from work, which is very helpful for warming your hands and feet.

You can also take some Chinese medicine to replenish qi and blood under the guidance of a Chinese medicine practitioner. For example, the classic "Siwu Decoction" is a classic Chinese medicine prescription for replenishing and nourishing blood. It has the effects of replenishing blood, promoting blood circulation, and activating blood circulation. It is composed of Chinese angelica, Rehmannia glutinosa, Chuanxiong, and Paeonia lactiflora. Another example is the classic "Sijunzi Decoction" composed of Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, and Licorice, which is known as the "number one prescription for replenishing qi."

"Of course, whether to use Siwu Decoction or Sijunzi Decoction to replenish qi and blood should be determined under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine, and the patient's physical condition should be clarified before conditioning," Wang Shengqiang reminded.

Soaking your feet in pepper and mugwort can help get rid of cold hands and feet

Wang Shengqiang said that you can also soak your feet every night to keep warm, such as soaking your feet in pepper water. Pepper can warm the body and remove dampness, dispel cold and activate blood circulation, and dredge the meridians, which is helpful for warming up in winter. The specific method is to grab a handful of fresh peppercorns and put them in a cloth bag. After adding warm water to the footbath, put the pepper bag in the basin and soak your feet.

You can also soak your feet in moxa leaves to warm the kidneys and replenish yang. The specific method is to boil old moxa leaves in water, put it in warm water without adding cold water, and soak your feet directly. If the water is cold, add hot water directly. Keep the water temperature, soak for 15 to 20 minutes, the water level should be higher than the ankles, and slightly sweat. Rub your lower back while soaking your feet for better results. After soaking your feet, you can also rub the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of your foot. Yongquan, as the name suggests, is where kidney water keeps gushing out. Once the kidney qi is sufficient, your hands and feet will naturally no longer be cold.

In addition, you can also do physical therapy, such as wax therapy to warm up the body. Wax therapy can use heat to help yang, that is, use heat to warm and strengthen yang. This introduced heat can stimulate the circulation of blood and qi and warm and strengthen the yang of the internal organs.

Director Wang reminds that if frostbite has already occurred, one should not rush to apply hot compresses or increase the temperature quickly. One can only increase the temperature slowly to keep the hands and feet warm. One will get better by staying in a warm place for a while.

Text/ Fat Bear Picture/ Online Review/ Wang Shengqiang

Original article, please do not reprint without authorization

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