Submitted By: David Overton
Cold hands or feet is commonly a treatable circulation problem, known as Reynaud’s phenomenon or Reynaud’s disease or peripheral vascular disease. It’s due to small vessel damage or spasms (see my article) which leads to large vessel damage, stroke and heart disease. It’s commonly associated with ridged nails, dry skin, leg cramps and rashes. In severe cases, the fingers or toes become painful and discolored (white, red or blue) especially when exposed to cold or emotional stress.
A few prescription drugs are available that don’t work well (calcium blockers, ARB’s, adrenal blockers, Viagra) or can have side effects. We have a number of lifestyle changes and alternative medicines that can be very effective. Treating the following conditions improves circulation which prevents or manages diseases 10-20 years before they appear.
Poor food intake or too much food intake (overweight). Magnesium depletion is common and best treated with nutritional counseling, nutritional testing, managing kidney problems, magnesium shots or very specific supplements. We can help with weight loss.
Lifestyle problems: insufficient exercise, poor stress management, insufficient sleep and other conditions we can help with, along with helping you to stop smoking marijuana or nicotine.
Immune problems: viral infections, bacterial infections and auto immune disorders (see my articles). Testing for viral or bacterial infections, CRP, sedimentation rate, cold agglutinins and cryoglobulin tests help manage these treatable problems. We order these tests in appointments.
Circulation problems: occur with the above conditions, aging, high cholesterol, low or high blood pressure and tends to run in families. Best found with examinations, blood tests and circulation tests done in our office by appointment. Ankle brachial test done in our office can diagnose and manage significant artery damage.
Anemia which has many treatable causes and is not just due to low iron.
Chronic lung disease: with impaired oxygen systems. Commonly mis-diagnosed as asthma or bronchitis.
Symptoms can be vague or subtle in the initial stages. Best diagnosed and managed with spirometry lung tests, done in our office.
Drug side effects: beta blockers, immune suppressants (anti-histamines, steroids, others), mental health drugs, others. We have alternative treatments.
Hormonal problems: estrogen, thyroid and other hormonal problems often cause circulation damage and we have treatments.
Kidney disease: occurs in 11% of people and symptoms can be subtle. Best diagnosed with blood and urine tests. We have treatments to support and improve kidney function.
Migraines: we have treatments to manage migraines.
Pre-diabetes and diabetes: present in 2/3 of Americans, always present when obese but often missed with standard tests. We do glucose tolerance tests in our office to manage and treat this.
Nervous system problems: chronic unresolved stress, anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, autonomic system problems. We have alternative treatments.
Occupational issues: excessive vibration, cold exposure, toxin exposure. We have treatments to improve circulation.
If you have cold hands and feet, considering working with a clinician who finds and treats the causes to relieve symptoms and prevent degenerative circulation problems.
About The Author
David Overton, PA-C works at Natural Medicines & Family Practice combining conventional and alternative approaches under the supervision of Dr. Richard Faiola, MD, ABFM. 360-357-8054
Natural Medicines & Family Practice
David Overton, PA-C
1315 Ruddell Rd SE
Lacey, WA 98503
360-357-8054
website: natmeds.net
