Do you find that you often feel really cold when other people around you are not cold? Maybe it’s your hands and feet that are freezing, or maybe you feel a deep chill inside your core. Maybe you feel colder when your period is coming, after a long week at work, or when you’re extra stressed out
. In all these cases, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can restore your warmth and properly energy distribution.
You may be wondering, why am I getting so cold? One of the most common reasons for feeling cold all the time is having used up too much of your energy. This might be overworking at a job, managing a family where you’re constantly on the go, perennially not getting enough sleep, recovering from a long-term illness or difficult surgery, recovering from delivering a child, over-exercising, over-stressing, over-worrying, or generally suffering from long-term difficult emotions. A history of trauma can also deplete your resources. And lastly, slightly overdoing anything in your life while having a poor diet or poor self-care can also create this feeling of cold.
Another major reason for feeling cold is being stressed. Often the people who have continually cold hands and feet feel that way because of chronic stress. (Note that this is not necessarily the case for those who have been diagnosed with Reynaud’s disease.) In this case, in Chinese medicine we see the situation as the body’s energy basically all being stuck in the torso with an inability to flow properly out to the limbs.
If it turns out that you’re cold because you’ve used up too much of your energy, we will use acupuncture points that provide essential nourishment to the body. We may also use moxibustion, a process of burning a warming herb near the skin to transfer its heating properties to the body (often near the feet, belly, and back). Chinese herbs and a proper diet are also very beneficial for rebuilding your energy stores – both will provide the vital nutrients for strengthening.
If you’re cold because you have too much stress, we will use acupuncture points that calm the emotions and circulate energy throughout the body. You will likely feel evenly warm right after the treatment, and we can use Chinese herbs to help maintain a sense of calm and a proper blood and energy flow during the days you’re not having acupuncture. You will also likely need to make some lifestyle adjustments to lower your overall stress burden if possible.
If you’re feeling cold, give me a call to discuss whether acupuncture and Chinese herbs are right for you!
