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Are your hands and feet as cold as ice? An ice box that doesn't melt is not just due to the cold.

Even when there is no bitter cold wave, many people feel that their hands and feet are cold and chill like an ice box all winter. Especially for women, beyond the complaint "my hands and feet are as cold as ice," the coldness extends to the lower abdomen, bringing worries about daily discomforts as well as various women's health issues. Even when wearing warm socks, gloves, and even electric blankets, the coldness that rarely eases may not be a simple problem of the cold. It is highly likely to be an important signal sent by your body.

💡 Key Answer 3 most common causes of cold hands and feet: ① Autonomic imbalance / ② Decreased blood circulation / ③ Hormonal changes and constitutional factors Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic helps your body generate and maintain warm energy on its own rather than merely suppressing symptoms through constitutional improvement.

"My hands and feet are cold" This may be a sign of imbalance in the body, not just simple chill.

Many people think that cold hands and feet are simply a constitution sensitive to the cold, or try temporary measures with thick clothing. However, coldness can be a warning sign that a problem has occurred in our body's important autonomic nervous system or blood circulation function. In particular, stress, overwork, and irregular lifestyle habits break the balance of the autonomic nervous system, lowering body temperature regulation functions and constricting peripheral blood vessels so that blood is not properly supplied to the ends of the hands and feet. If this phenomenon persists, it can be accompanied by numbness, pain, and sensory abnormalities beyond mere coldness.

Why do I suffer more severely from coldness than anyone else?

Coldness appears more commonly in women than men due to the influence of female hormones and differences in muscle mass. Female hormones affect body temperature regulation and blood vessel contraction and relaxation, and coldness can become more severe during periods of major hormonal changes such as menstrual cycles, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. In addition, lower muscle mass compared to men lowers the body's heat production ability, making the body colder. Due to these complex factors, many women complain of various symptoms such as lower abdomen coldness, menstrual irregularities, indigestion, and chronic fatigue beyond simply cold hands and feet.

How does Korean medicine view and treat coldness?

In Korean medicine, coldness is not simply viewed as low temperature in the hands and feet, but as occurring due to poor 'Qi and blood circulation (氣血循環)'. It is understood that coldness occurs when the body's overall metabolic function declines or the function of specific organs weakens and the body's balance is broken. In particular, it is seen as closely related to uterine health, and it is emphasized that a warm lower abdomen can maintain a healthy menstrual cycle and female function. At the Songdo branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic, we focus on treating coldness by finding its root cause and improving the constitution so that the body can generate and maintain warm energy on its own.

Q. Cold hands and feet, is Korean medicine treatment actually effective? A. Yes, the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment for coldness has been proven through various studies. Herbal medicine, acupuncture treatment, and moxibustion treatment help improve blood circulation and restore autonomic balance, raising the overall temperature of the body.

※ The paper data below are actual research results.

In a study published in the 2018 journal 『Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine』, the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment was tested on 60 patients with cold hands and feet. In this study, the acupuncture treatment group showed a significant increase in skin temperature of the hands and feet compared to the control group (sham acupuncture treatment) (p<0.05), and the subjective cold sensation symptoms felt by patients also improved remarkably. The researchers concluded that acupuncture treatment is effective in alleviating coldness by regulating vascular function and improving blood circulation. These data suggest that acupuncture treatment performed at Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic can play an important role in improving blood circulation problems caused by coldness, beyond simply relieving pain.

Also, in a clinical study titled "The Effect of Yangwiiksin-tang Gami-bang on Hand-Foot Coldness" published in the 『Journal of Korean Oriental Medicine』 in 2019, the effect of herbal medicine intake was analyzed on 40 patients with hand-foot coldness. As a result of the study, patients who took Yangwiiksin-tang Gami-bang showed statistically significant improvements in both subjective cold sensation scores and objective skin temperature measurements compared to the placebo group (p<0.05). The researchers stated that this herbal prescription helps overall Qi and blood circulation and improves body temperature regulation ability, effectively improving coldness. At the Songdo branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic, based on the principles of Korean medical treatment through such scientific research, we help fundamentally improve constitution through customized herbal prescriptions tailored to each individual's constitution and symptoms.

Is your hands and feet unusually cold? Coldness self-checklist

If 3 or more of the following items apply, it is recommended to suspect internal imbalance caused by coldness and receive accurate diagnosis and consultation at Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

• Hands and feet are always cold and chilly, making it hard to endure without socks or gloves.
• You feel cold more severely than others, and winter makes daily life harder.
• Your lower abdomen is cold, and you frequently experience menstrual pain or menstrual irregularities.
• Digestion is poor, gas frequently builds up in the stomach, and diarrhea or constipation repeats.
• You feel chronic fatigue and lethargy.
• You frequently feel dizzy or have headaches.
• When you easily tense up and get stressed, your body feels stiff.
• It is hard to fall asleep, and sleep quality is poor, such as waking up frequently during sleep.

If 3 or more apply: Suspect autonomic and circulatory imbalance → Consider complex Korean medicine treatment If 5 or more apply: Immediate hospital visit and precise diagnosis recommended

Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic's constitutional improvement treatment, cultivating the body's own power to warm up

Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic focuses not only on simply warming cold hands and feet, but on improving constitution so that the body generates heat on its own and blood circulation is smooth, preventing coldness from recurring. It focuses on fundamental treatment that fixes the body so it doesn't turn back on, rather than temporarily turning off symptoms. To this end, we carefully diagnose individual constitution and health conditions, and promote Qi and blood circulation and restore the body's thermal function through customized herbal prescriptions, acupuncture, and moxibustion treatments.

Especially in the case of advanced maternal age or women's health, Songdo coldness Korean medicine clinic treatment has a positive effect on improving female conditions such as menstrual irregularities and preparing for fertility by raising the temperature of the lower abdomen including the uterus. We pursue an integrated approach to restore whole body health and balance, improving coldness as well as accompanying symptoms.

FAQ: Questions about coldness, answered by Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

Q. How long do I need to treat coldness to see results? A. The duration of coldness treatment varies depending on the severity of symptoms, root cause, and constitution of the individual. Generally, gradual improvement can be expected through 1 to 3 months of steady treatment and lifestyle improvements.

Q. My hands and feet are cold, but my lower abdomen is also always cold. Can they be treated together? A. Yes, hand-foot coldness and lower abdomen coldness usually share common causes such as reduced blood circulation and autonomic imbalance. At Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic, we simultaneously resolve hand-foot and lower abdomen coldness through constitutional improvement treatment that improves overall body Qi and blood circulation.

Q. Does severe coldness affect fertility? A. Lower abdomen coldness lowers blood circulation in the uterus, which can negatively affect the implantation environment. Therefore, coldness treatment is an important part of healthy pregnancy preparation, and many people looking for Incheon fertility Korean medicine clinics inquire about improving coldness together.

Q. Is there anything I can do normally to alleviate coldness? A. Regular exercise, warm food intake, sufficient sleep, and stress management help alleviate coldness. In particular, keeping the lower body and lower abdomen warm is important, and half-body baths or foot baths are also good methods.

The body's signal that hands and feet are as cold as ice is not a problem that can be solved by enduring. You no longer need to ignore the body's signals you have sent for a long time. If you approach it in the right direction, your body reacts faster than you think. Bring the symptoms you are experiencing as they are. Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic will find the cause together.

Where life blooms. Herbal medicine is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic. Check symptoms similar to yours first through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic website!

This article is health information organized together by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions actually received often in the consultation room. Medical Supervision | Women & Pregnancy Treatment Standards, Oh Hyun-min, Korean Medicine Doctor, Songdo Branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic (Coldness Column)