What to do about my cold hands

[Sim]

I have Raynaud’s Disease and so some reason this winter/ spring it has been annoying more than usual. Now today I was giving another massage therapist that I don’t know a deep tissue massage. Many times during the massage she was complaining that my hands where too cold for deep work. Which, by this MT keep bring this up was somewhat stressful hence making me colder. To the point that by the end of the session my hands and feet where very purple. I had to kindly go through an explanation of my situation.

Does anyone else on this board have what I have and how do you handle the coldness.

 

[Suzanne]

Just a quick suggestion: See a good acupuncturist & or a Chinese medical doctor.

In TCM, (Traditional Chinese Medicine) there are a few
possibilities. If your kidney energy is depleted it often leaves
you with cold/sweaty hands & feet. In addition you may also need to boost the Triple Warmer/Triple Burner energy, which is basically speaking your body's internal furnace system. When your system is depleted, energetically it can be hard to keep warm. This may also be an imbalance in the thyroid, which is responsible, in part, for our temperature regulation.

Through the use of acupuncture, & herbal therapies it is often possible to bring the body back into a state of balance & correct conditions such as you are dealing with.

 

[SamMarie]

Also consider learning techniques that rely less on direct manual pressure for deep work. Today I did a fully clothed deep tissue session that required very little skin contact, and the temp of my fingers wouldn't have made a bit of difference.

My primary methods today were positional release techniques and active isolated stretching.

 

[kim.2007]

Have you ever considered incorporating hot stones into your massages? They would warm your hands & relax the client's muscles simultaneously.

The other suggestion I have is to make sure the room temperature is warm & that you dress warmly, to increase your body temperature overall. I know your shirt needs to be short sleeve to be practical for massage, but you can wear fleece pants & wool socks to give your body a heat boost.

 

[generaljackass]

One other suggestion is before starting a session in which you need direct skin to skin contact: Prior to starting you can either run warm to hot water over your lower forearms, wrists & hands. This will bring up the temperature of your hands before starting. Otherwise the use of hot stones, a hot pack or the hand warmers (the type that work for 8 hours for hunters & those working outside, etc) you can find in hardware stores would certainly do the trick.

 

[Andre]

The warm water thing has never worked for me. By the time I start the session less than a minute later my hands are already "cooling off."
When I used to keep my hot stones on all day I could just pick out a couple of stones and hold them for awhile. If you keep the stones on in your room you can keep switching them out to keep them warmed.

Now I often keep a couple of stones in with my hot towels to do spot work - so I agree with Blisss that you might want to start incorporating stones on a regular basis.

Cold hand usually don't bother me - lots of people have them at the start of the session. But since your hands are cold throughout I guess it bothers this person.

 

[Lady]

I have done all of the above. I need to be careful with using the hot stones because of the disorder too much heat on my hand and feet creates a very uncomfortable reaction were I have too much circulation, which can be very painful. I always dress warm with my wool socks

 

[mugwaffin]

Hello again,
I just looked up Raynaud's Disease in my Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Balch & Balch). You can usually find these reference books in every health food store, as well as your local bookstores. They have a number of recommendations which may be helpful. If you have a chance to check it out see pages 674 & 675 for their take on it. It will give you suggested supplements, herbal support, as well as recommendations as to what to eat & what to avoid: including massageplanetfeine, fatty & fried foods, avoid stress, avoid drugs that constrict the blood vessels: such as birth control pills & migraine meds, do not smoke & keep the hands & feet warm.

Also, you may want to speak with someone who does Tai-Chi or Qigong as these ancient asian "martial arts" can be used to address some health related issues & may be of help for you, to gain better circulation throughout your body.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[christelle]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1140544/Cold-hands-Dont-blame-weather-How-icy-fingers-sign-.html


I found this great article that explains what I have really well.

 

[Nowhere Man]

http://www.thermomedic.com/FIRhealth-Gloves.html
This site may be of interest to you for their far-infrared
therapy clothes - especially the gloves. They run around $19.00 a pair.

Or check out this alternative therapy site for their nutritional, & herbal info.


http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsConditions/RaynaudsPhenomenoncc.html

Complementary and Alternative Therapies
Nutrition

* Vitamin E (400 to 800 IU per day) improves circulation and helps certain blood cells function well.
* Vitamin C (1,000 mg two to three times per day) supports connective tissue and reduces swelling.
* B-complex (50 to 100 mg per day) reduces stress.
* Coenzyme Q10 (100 mg two times per day) promotes healthy tissues.
* Calcium (1,500 mg per day) and magnesium (200 mg three times per day) relieves spasm.
* Omega-3 oils (1,500 mg two to three times per day) reduce swelling and help certain blood cells function well.
* Zinc (30 to 50 mg per day) boosts your immune system.

Herbs

Herbs are generally a safe way to strengthen and tone the body's systems. As with any therapy, it is important to work with your provider on getting your problem diagnosed before you start any treatment. Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, teas should be made with 1 tsp. herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Drink 2 to 4 cups per day. Tinctures may be used singly or in combination as noted. The following herbs are circulatory stimulants with other properties as well. Use one or more tinctures in combination. Take 20 to 30 drops two times per day.

* Hawthorn berries (Crataegus laevigata) strengthens and mildly dilates blood vessels
* Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) (120 to 160 mg per day for dried extracts) keeps blood cells from sticking together
* Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a gentle relaxant
* Ginger root (Zingiber officianale) is a mild soothing agent
* Prickly ash bark (Xanthoxylum clava-herculis) enhances lymph activity and integrity of blood vessels


Homeopathy may be useful as a supportive therapy.
Acupuncture

Acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct therapy.
Following Up

Most milder cases can be brought under control through self-help measures.
Special Considerations

Many drugs used to treat Raynaud's phenomenon can affect a growing fetus and should not be used by pregnant women.
Supporting Research

Balch JF, Balch PA. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. 2nd ed. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing Group; 1997.

Batchelder HJ. Allopathic specific condition review: Raynaud's disease. Protocol J Botan Med. 1996;2:134-137.

Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al., eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1998.

Mitchell W, Batchelder HJ. Naturopathic specific condition review: Raynaud's disease. Protocol J Botan Med. 1996;2:138-140.

Tierney LM Jr, McPhee SJ, Papadakis MA, eds. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 1999. 38th ed. Stamford, Conn: Appleton & Lange; 1999.
Review Date: August 1999
Reviewed By: Participants in the review process include: Dahlia Hirsch, MD, Center for Holistic Healing, BelAir, MD; Richard A. Lippin, MD, President, The Lippin Group, Southampton, PA; Leonard Wisneski, MD, FACP, George Washington University, Rockville, MD.

Copyright © 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc

 

[SDP]

What to do about my cold hands

I have found the perfect solution. Dah us the heating pad on the table. It keeps my clients warm all the time which is a big help for me and the general heat from the pad help too. And my clients love my new idea