Have you ever been booted out of the bed or a chair because your feet are icy cold? Well, it may not just be the chilly weather. New research may have answers to help explain your cold feet. There are a number of conditions that can cause cold feet, ranging from poor circulation, disorders of the nervous system as well as cold exposure and low thyroid conditions. Women are up to nine times more likely to suffer from cold hands and feet than men. Women tend to feel changes in temperature and the seasonal chill more than men.
Our bodies are made to conserve heat and energy. The body's response to cold is to cut off blood flow to the extremities to maintain blood flow to warm the core internal organs like the heart and brain. Scientists have identified proteins within the skin's blood vessels that play a part in the body's reaction to cold, whether it's exposure to chilly weather or touching a frigid surface with your bare hand. But for some people, this response is too strong, or it occurs by mistake. One such condition is called Raynaud's (ray-NOHZ) disease, as the body over reacts to cold or stress, blood vessels narrow in the fingers and toes, which may feel numb and turn from white to blue to red during an attack. Sometimes blood flow can stop all together and cause gangrene and amputation to the toes and fingers. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculosketal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the cause of Raynaud's is not always known but it occurs mostly in women 15 to 25 who live in cold places or have an autoimmune connective tissue disease like scleroderma, Sjorgen's syndrome and lupus.
There are many other reasons why women suffer from cold feet more than men. Women have thinner skin and less subcutaneous fat than men, so less blood flows to the hands and feet, and they are less efficient in maintaining body temperature. Also, women can suffer from iron deficiency anemia which can hamper blood flow and lead to feeling cold. Aging can affect blood flow to the hands and feet. As we get older, blood supply to the skin decreases leading to distal hypothermia – cold fingers and toes. Medical professionals say our circulation is also linked to our hormonal system. When women lack iron, especially in the thyroid they get cold, since the thyroid regulates body temperature. Exposure to extremely cold conditions like cold air condition or cold rooms can also cause cold feet. Even your mood can influence your temperature; people who are lonely or socially excluded, emotionally unstable, or have depression tend to feel the cold more.
Symptoms
When the feet get cold, the feet and toes can cramp and cause pain. There can also be swelling and tingling. Raynaud's disease causes fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold. In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to areas (vasospasm). Other signs and symptoms may include numbness, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief. During an attack of Raynaud's, affected areas of your skin usually turn white first, then turn blue and feel cold and numb. As the feet warm and circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. The order of the color changes isn't the same for everyone, and not everyone experiences all three colors.
Treatment
Women have tried many ways to get warm such as stuffing their hands in their pockets, wearing thick socks and gloves, using heating bottles or space heaters but often they remain miserable and no closer to banishing the cold and having warm feet.
Wearing multiple layers of clothing that are loose fitting and tend to remain dry are the best for cold-weather activities. Rain and wind can markedly increase the rate of heat loss from the body, so if these conditions develop, you need to protect your feet and be prepared to stay warm and dry.
To boost hormone activity and enhance muscle tissue, it's essential to exercise, and ensure you get six to eight hours sleep per night.
What to eat: A proper eating plan, high in dark green and dark red vegetables such as spinach and beetroot, complete protein sources, as well as daily supplementation with targeted vitamins and minerals, such as B12 and folate can help. Vitamin k is important; it helps to strengthen the cardiac muscles in your heart as well as the blood capillaries. It also improves circulation around your body, including your feet, therefore keeping them warmer. Ginger, fish, parsley, salad, spring onions, apricots and celery are all good sources of vitamin K. Avoid alcohol or caffeine as both increase blood flow to the skin, so while you might feel warmer, your body is losing heat rather than preserving it.
Exercise regularly: Regular exercise — whether it be a brisk walk, cycle or run — helps keep the heart healthy and strong, and so much more efficient at pumping blood around the body especially to the feet.
Use a foot spa: If you have very cold feet, it's important not to warm them up too quickly, such as with a hot-water bottle or against a heater. The most effective way is bathing your feet in warm water or using a foot spa. This will warm up your feet slowly and naturally, and also keep them hydrated from the outside, improving circulation. Caution to people with diabetes – never soak your feet or expose them to extreme temperatures – hot or cold.
Drink lots of water: When you are dehydrated your hands and feet get colder too, as dry skin fails to maintain a good moisture balance and so does not retain heat.
Wear natural socks: Wearing socks is important to keep the feet warm from the outside in. Cheap, synthetic, man-made fibers are so closely woven together that there are no air pockets in which to retain your natural body heat. Natural wool and cotton socks have more textured fibers and are less tightly bound, so they hold more warm air around the feet.
Moisturize: Lanolin helps to retain moisture in the skin, helping to improve blood flow and, therefore, retain heat.
Treatment of Raynaud's disease can be more complicated and depends on its severity and whether you have other health conditions. For most people, Raynaud's disease isn't disabling, but can affect quality of life. If the circulation to the feet is not good you may need to see a vascular doctor to have an in-depth evaluation, treatment or intervention. If you have any concerns about cold feet or foot pain you may need to see a podiatrist.
• For more information email info@familyfootcentre.com or visit www.foothealthfacts.org or www.footlogix.com. To see a podiatrist visit Family Foot Centre on #45 Daffodil Avenue, Independence Highway or call 605-3668; Bahamas Surgical Associates Centre at Hill Top Medical, telephone 603-1814/5. In Grand Bahama visit Lucayan Medical Center on East Sunrise Highway or call 373-7400.
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