CHILBLAINS, HOW TO BEAT THE BLAIN THIS WINTER

Chilblains. If you've had them you understand the pain, if you have never had them you may have never even heard of them.

Chilblains are red itchy bumps that appear mainly on the extremities such as hands and feet when a person is exposed to cold weather for an extended period of time. Its essentially your bodies abnormal response to cold temperatures.

Factors that effect this abnormal response are things such as circulation and weak blood vessels.

Chilblains are something that a lot of people put up with throughout winter, and especially down here in Victoria the winters can be harsh. Many people put up with them but there are a number of things you can do to prevent them occurring in the first place.

Increase you circulation

Ginger, Ginkgo and Cinnamon are all great herbs for increasing your circulation to your peripheries. Consuming ginger and cinnamon through food will help to support your circulation so spice up your life by consuming more curries, porridge with ginger and cinnamon, basically go nuts on these spices :)

You can also use these herbs in tablet form as well if you’re not a fan of spice.

Support the functioning of your small blood vessels

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for maintaining the strength of the blood vessels so this is more a preventative long term remedy but still very important none the less.

Mag Phos tissue salts

This remedy is a fabulous one for preventing the blood vessels from constricting. Mag phos acts as a relaxant so it helps the blood vessels to relax and allow the blood to flow freely through.

Some other ways to support your hands and feet to prevent chilblains

Wearing well fitting shoes. If your prone to chilblains on your feet making sure that your shoes aren’t to tight or rubbing is important as that can impact blood flow to your feet and this can precipitate chilblains

Cover up as much as possible. It seems like a simple one but wearing more clothes during winter will help to keep your body temperature stable and prevent chilblains.

Exercise, vigorous cardiovascular exercise will get the blood pumping

Don’t smoke, smoking will encourage your blood vessels to constrict and reduce the flow of blood to your extremities.

Karah is available for consultations in Ocean Grove, Geelong and Melbourne. You can keep up to date on everything health by liking her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/karahmnaturopath , following her on instagram @belyhealth , or visiting her website www.karahmclarennaturopath.com

Peninsula Family Medical Practice, Ocean Grove. Ph 03 52562001

Aura Health & Beauty, Geelong. Ph 03 52433966

A Peace of Health Clinic, Melbourne CBD. Ph 0396633665

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-59259-020-9_4

http://www.ijapbs.com/admin/php/uploads/109_pdf.pdf

http://www.blackmores.com.au/heart-and-circulation/chilblains