As we find ourselves in the midst of an icy winter, fingertips and toes can become equally as frosty. Sometimes painful and itchy, sometimes just numb, alternating blue, white and red like a chilly French flag. Our cold extremities may progress into Chilblains or Raynaud’s disease, conditions characterised by poor blood supply to the peripheral parts of your body. The reason? Cold weather causes the blood vessels to the extremities to constrict, conserving body heat but leaving vulnerable fingers and toes “out in the cold”.
Keep your extremities warm by wearing natural, woollen socks and gloves (rather than synthetic fabrics to allow skin to breathe) and implementing these daily tips to foster healthy circulation.
1. Herbal circulatory boosters
• Add some tantalising, warming spices to your cooking such as cayenne, chilli, garlic and ginger.
• Gingko tincture – indicated for poor peripheral circulation to the fingers, toes and the head area, making this an excellent remedy for poor memory, concentration, tinnitus and vertigo.
• Bilberry tincture – tastes deliciously sweet. Also indicated for retinal blood flow disorders, varicose and spider veins.
• Prickly ash tincture – this warming herb is also indicated for muscular cramps and spasms. Avoid in pregnancy.
Note: Avoid taking gingko and bilberry if you are taking warfarin and other antiplatelet medication such as aspirin. Avoid when pregnant.
2. Massage with warming essential oils
• Eucalyptus, ginger, cinnamon and cypress.
Note: avoid using on cut skin and always dilute 3 drops of essential oil to 1 tablespoon of carrier oil such as almond or jojoba oil. Avoid when pregnant.
3. Hot and cold showers
• Increase blood flow by constricting and dilating blood vessels. Start with a warm/hot shower and finish off with a blast of cold, then warm, then cold.
4. Dry Brush
• Dry brush from your feet up, hands in, and neck down towards your heart with a natural bristle brush before you shower. This not only encourages blood flow but also sloughs off dead winter skin.
5. Move your body
• Exercise is the ultimate circulatory stimulator. Exercise with warm clothes in the brisk, morning air.
Supporting healthy circulation with these simple practices will ensure that the heat from your toasty warm interior is pumped to chilly extremities, keeping you warm & frost-bite free this winter.
NB: Herbal tonics are only available with a prescription from your Naturopath or Herbalist. A qualified practitioner will ensure your medication, supplements or disease state does not interact with the herbs. When an herbalist prescribes herbal medicine they consider one’s constitution: age, allergies, sensitiveness, robustness, size, temperature, current status of health and personality. Always remember to tell you practitioner if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.