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Cold feet are not uncommon, and they can be caused due to anxiety or cold temperatures. Physiologically, cold feet are caused when inadequate oxygen and blood is supplied to various the cells in the body, resulting from poor circulation. People with blockages and damages to blood vessels suffer from low flow of blood that cannot transport oxygen properly to various parts of the body, which, in turn, can lead to cold feet.

Causes of Cold Feet

As mentioned earlier, cold feet could be caused due to cold weather or anxiety, but sometimes, it could also be symptomatic of some other health condition. Some of the reasons why your feet are cold are as follows.

• Peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage: Peripheral neuropathy is when the nerves stops sending messages to the brain and spinal cord due to damaged nerves in your feet.
• Peripheral vascular disease: Cold feet are a symptom of peripheral vascular disease, which is when the arteries become narrow and blood flow to your feet is reduced.
• Diabetes: Poor blood circulation, leading to cold feet, is common among diabetics.
• Raynaud’s phenomenon: Raynaud’s phenomenon is again caused by inadequate blood flow, and this leads to cold feet. You develop cold toes and fingers, if you are suffering from this condition.
• Hypothermia: When the body loses heat, it could cause cold feet and chills due to hypothermia.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, restless legs syndrome, vitamin deficiencies and constant alcohol abuse are some of the other reasons for cold feet. While cold feet are rarely a symptom of a serious health condition, if you have symptoms like shortness of breath, loss of feeling in the feet, chest pain, loss of vision or speech, confusion, or are incapable of moving a body part along with cold feet, get medical help immediately or call 911.

Symptoms

A few signs to watch out for are

• Thickened toenails
• Lack of body hair below the knee
• Cramping pain in the calves while walking
• Blue feet
• Tingling or burning sensation in your feet
• Numbness in your feet
• Feet ache
• Heightened sensitivity to touch
  

Treatment

As the reasons for cold feet could differ from person to person, it is important to visit your doctor and clarify what is causing the condition before attempting to treat it. Based on the cause, your doctor will then suggest a treatment plan that will work best for you.

• Hydrotherapy or soaking your feet in warm water to improve blood circulation in your feet is one of the recommended treatments. You could stimulate circulation by altering water pressures as well.
• A foot massage is another common natural and therapeutic way to restore proper circulation and warmth to your feet.
• One more obvious treatment option is to simply wear warm socks.
• If you are suffering from a particular disease like Raynaud’s your doctor could give you some prescribed medication that should help.

A few other common suggestions include:

• Exercising regularly and keeping yourself active
• Maintaining good cholesterol levels
• Keeping your blood pressure under control
• Making sure that your feet are comfortable and warm at all times
• Quitting cigarettes
  

Home Remedies

There are many natural remedies that you can try at home to get rid of cold feet. Some of the commonly used remedies are as follows.

• Soaking your feet in water is one of the simplest options. Fill two basins and fill one with cold water and the other with hot water. First soak your feet in cold water for two minutes then switch to the hot water basin for a minute. Alternate between the two for around 20 minutes; this will help improve blood circulation in your feet.
• Walking bare feet on fresh grass early in the morning is another simple method to boost circulation in your feet.
• Use warm olive oil or sesame oil to massage your feet daily before you go to bed. Apply pressure with your thumb and rub your ankles and soles well. After the massage cover you feet with cotton socks.
• Exercising your feet regularly will keep the blood flowing constantly and keep your feet warm. Even simply rotating your ankles for 10 minutes everyday will help.
• Including herbs like cayenne pepper, ginger and garlic into your daily diet is good as it helps with circulation. The perfect blend for good circulation is mixing ginger, garlic, pepper and gingko biloba together.
• Using essential oils like red pepper oil and cinnamon oil also help to ease the discomfort of cold feet.
• Eating fish is a good choice due to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids that aid with clearing arteries and improving circulation.
• Eating berries like the hawthorn berry and huckleberry or bilberry is also known to be beneficial to the circulatory system. You can combine the berries with cayenne, garlic and gingko biloba for better results.
• Few herbs like cayenne, yarrow, gentian and wormwood are also used by some people to improve circulation.

References:

1. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/peripheralneuropathy/detail_peripheralneuropathy.htm

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

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