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With winter in full bloom, almost everyone is looking to staying warm. We make sure that our head, hands, and feet are properly covered to help maintain our internal temperature, but what about when we feel like we just can’t seem to warm up, get our blood flow moving, or have a circulatory disorder that’s hindering our winter extracurriculars?
Symptoms of poor blood flow are easy to spot and often include having cold extremities, headaches, dizziness, or muscle cramps. The area that is easiest to spot is in the arms and legs because these are the areas that blood collects but due to poor circulation, isn’t able to properly make its way back to the heart which leads to cold, numbness, and tingling sensation.
There are many ways to help aid in your circulatory blood flow including Acupuncture, changing your diet, and herbal remedies.
Acupuncture can be helpful to increase local blood circulation because it raises levels of nitric oxide around the area that the needles are entered, thus enhancing peripheral blood flow as shown in a study from the Journal Anesthesia and Analgesia. Not only does it help with blood flow, but it can also help with abnormalities of circulation with disorders such as Raynaud’s, high blood pressure, and hypertension.
There are multiple ways to help your circulation such as controlling your diet, adding fitness into your daily routines such as Tai Chi, and even acupuncture treatments with specific points.
ST 36 functions to regulate qi and blood flow, order the stomach and spleen and strengthen weak and deficient conditions. It is located in the lower leg and is great for combatting gastrointestinal pain, mastitis, abscessed breast, asthma, exhaustion, abdominal distention, diarrhea or constipation, indigestion, hemiplegia, neurasthenia, and mania.
When it comes to what is being put into your body, Watermelon and Oranges are two fruits that are helpful in increasing blood flow and circulation in your body. Watermelon contains high amounts of lycopene, which is commonly taken to improve circulation and prevent heart disease. Oranges are also consumed for similar reasons; they are high in vitamin C and are a natural blood thinner and also strengthens capillary walls.
Tai Chi is an ancient martial art which when practiced is slow-moving and has shown when practiced regularly it can help improve cardiovascular health including the flow of blood to the arms and legs.
If you have already taken to acupuncture treatment there are some herbal remedies that you can use to help circulate your blood flow such as Cayenne, Butcher’s Broom, Green Tea, and Hawthorn Berry. You can use any of these herbs in the form of capsules, tea, or liquid supplements. Keep in mind that liquid tinctures absorb much faster than consuming them as a tea or capsule.
If you are having problems with blood flow to your arms and legs, call us today with using a combination of Tai Chi, acupuncture, and herbs we can help you increase the blood flow.
