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Things you can do to improve poor blood circulation:

The following article gives information about circulation problems, especially for legs, hands and feet as well as all round poor circulation. There are many things you can do to help with this.
blood circulation
Contents of this article:


What is Poor Circulation?

In simple terms when not enough blood flows along the arteries and capillaries, then problems can happen. It is usually most noticeable in the extremities of the body such as the legs, feet, toes, hands and fingers.

What often happens is that a fatty substance called plaque builds up inside the blood vessels and makes them much narrower. This restricts the blood flow and makes it harder for the blood to travel around the body as it normally would.

There can be other reasons such as the blood being thicker than optimum or the heart not being as strong as possible. Both of these things can make the problem worse.

Reasons why bad circulation is harmful

Having good blood flow around your body is vitally important.

Your body is made up of millions and millions of tiny cells which all do different jobs in different parts of the body. There are nerve cells, muscle cells, brain, heart and blood cells and many other types of cells.

Each cell needs nutrition so that it gets the energy it needs to do its particular job. It also needs oxygen so that it can combine with nutrients to convert them to energy.

As well as this, each cell produces waste products including unused nutrients and also carbon dioxide.

The blood supply to and from the cells is what allows all of this to happen. If the blood supply is poor then the cells in that part of the body suffer and problems and diseases very often start to occur.

Some common symptoms:


Hypertension problems

hypertension and blood pressureCirculatory disorders are quite common in middle-aged and elderly folk. Hypertension is one of them. It is caused by cholesterol plaque deposits along the walls of the arteries, making them harden and constrict.

Because the arteries are constricted, the blood exerts great force against the walls of the blood vessels, causing the blood pressure to rise. The vessels lose their elasticity and springiness. So if the body needs more energy such as walking up stairs or exercising, it can be difficult to get it.

Hardening of the Arteries

hardening of the arteriesHardening of the arteries is another consequence because the arteries narrow due to these same fatty deposits.

Buergers disease, common to those who smoke, is a chronic inflammation of the veins and arteries in the lower extremities. Raynauds disease is marked by constriction and spasm of the blood vessels in the extremities.

This very often includes the fingers, toes and tip of the nose. This disease if left untreated can lead to gangrene.

Varicose Veins

varicose veins picturePoor circulation in legs can result from varicose veins (more data here). These develop because of a loss of elasticity in the walls of the veins. The resultant reduced blood circulation then compounds the problem and makes the varicose veins gradually worse.

These circulatory problems are quite common due to genetics or bad food or insufficient exercise or higher stress levels etc. This problem can be quite common in a single leg but more often in both legs.

Basically, veins have small valves inside them to stop blood from flowing back down the body due to gravity. These valves are meant to close as blood is pumped through the vein. Then re-open to allow the next pump. But varicose veins have valves which do not close properly. Hence blood is able to fall back down. This creates bulges and makes circulation even worse.

How to improve blood circulation

It is possible to improve circulation throughout the body and also in specific areas. Here are some great tips for you:

Hot and Cold Treatments

hot and cold water therapyHot and cold Showers or Hydrotherapy is a good way of improving your circulation. It is something you can do every day, concentrating on the effected area.

When you get hot under a shower the blood rushes to the skin and feeds it. Then when you immediately put on the cold, the blood rushes to the internal organs. You shiver, but what is happening is that your blood is flushing out your skin and leaving it oxygenated. Then, again, a hot shower and the blood rushes from your internal organs, so flushing them, to your skin.

Use common sense - not too hot!

Your circulation is increased just by the action of your blood being forced rapidly around your body. This hot and then cold water can be repeated up to 5 or 6 times for optimum results. Do not start straight away on very hot or very cold water. Gradually increase the temperature difference between the hot and cold water over a period of a few weeks so that it is not too much of a shock to the system. This single action can dramatically improve your circulation over time.

You can also do this to a single body part. You don't just have to do this to the whole body. Use it to improve poor leg circulation or bad hand circulation etc. Try it. It really can make a difference over time.

These powerful natural herbs can really make a difference:

Cayenne herb

Cayenne pepperCayenne can be used externally for poor circulation, unbroken chilblains and pains associated with arthritis or lumbago. Capsicum based creams, liniments, and infused oils can be rubbed onto the skin. Avoid the eyes and other sensitive area of the body.

Internally cayenne stimulates the heart, regulating the blood flow and strengthening the arteries and capillaries. If you want to get your blood flowing, take cayenne. It can be taken as powder in a capsule or as a liquid tincture. It will not only get the blood pumped around your body, but it will strengthen your heart, clear your arteries, and research has shown that hot herbs raise your metabolic rate by as much as 25%, so will assist in weight loss. Cayenne is a wonderful herb for a healthy life.

Ginkgo Biloba herb

Ginkgo Biloba Ginkgo Biloba is another all-round circulation booster. It is most widely know for its ability to improve memory, due to its ability to increase blood flow through the brain. In Germany, Gingko is used by physicians to treat varicose veins.

Ginkgo like cayenne improves blood flow and strengthens blood vessels. It is also anti-inflammatory, relaxes the lungs, improves blood flow to the heart and lessens coronary demand for oxygen -reducing shortness of breath and is helpful in asthma. Use it to help assist poor circulation, thrombosis, varicose veins, cramp, and spontaneous bruising.

The best blend of herbs for a circulation problem:

Probably the ultimate and most potent herbal combination to help beat poor circulation is Cayenne and Ginkgo Biloba, with added Ginger and Garlic. (See below to order).

Modern research shows that a regular intake of Garlic lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. Garlic cleanses the blood, tones the heart and circulatory system and helps prevent heart disease. It helps with high blood pressure and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis*.

Ginger gently stimulates all tissues of the body and is fantastic for poor circulation.



( *atherosclerosis a degenerative disease of the arteries characterised by patchy thickening of the inner lining of the arterial walls, caused by deposits of fatty material. )

The extremities of the body are often one of the first places a person notices that they have a circulation problem. It actually affects the blood flow throughout the whole body, but here it is most noticeable.
Contents of this article:
Page 1:

       More about poor circulation?
Why bad circulation is no good.
Symptoms of poor circulation.
Ways to improve circulation.
Page 2:
       Pains in Legs and feet
Do you feel discomfort after standing?
Easy ways to keep the blood moving
Page 3:
       Pins and needles
Blood clot dangers
Techniques for a healthy heart

Do you spend a lot of time standing up at work?

sittingStanding and sitting at work for long periods at a time, can be a potential health risk. Rory O'Neill from the UK's Hazards magazine, has some very interesting statistics as regards this.

It is estimated that as much as 11 million UK workers alone - approximately half the UK workforce - could be facing health risks from prolonged standing and as much as 2 million sick days a year result from lower limb disorders.

Do you fall into either of these categories?

Leg pain and foot pain

Consider that if you spend most of the day on your feet, some of the potential health risks include cold hands, cold feet, varicose veins, swollen ankles and feet, swollen veins, skin discolouration, leg pain, foot pain, aching bones and joints.

foot painStanding all day at work may also increase hypertension. Hypertension is also associated with standing for long hours at a time and people who have to do this, need to ensure they take regular breaks and change their body position by sitting down.

Some recent studies have suggested that standing is good for you compared with sitting. This makes some sense, but the key thing is the length of time in either position.

Whether you stand up a lot or sit down a lot, you should change your position regularly and stretch your legs a bit every hour or two. The human body doesn't cope well with being in the same position hour after hour.

Prolonged sitting can also cause poor circulation

Prolonged sitting can bring with it just as many potential health risks as prolonged standing. Here are some of the more well-known symptoms of prolonged sitting. Most of us have experienced these on a long train or bus or plane journey, but for those people who have to sit in pretty much the same position for long periods of time, they may well be more familiar with these:

    Restricted circulation to extremities resulting in poor circulation in hands and feet.
    Cold feet/cold hands due to restricted blood flow.
    Muscular aches, strains and cramps.
    Pins and needles.
    Restricted blood flow.


Tips to Improve your Circulation at work:

Take regular breaks

If you are in a prolonged standing position or a prolonged sitting position, take regular breaks and move your arms or legs. Take a short walk, do some leg or arm exercises, on the spot walking/running, or take a walk outside the workplace. Get your circulation moving to your extremities. Minimally, shake your hands and arms and circle your feet.

Improve blood flow with exercise

Try to take a walk at lunchtime, even if it is a short walk, around the block, around the outside of the workplace, up and down the stairs a few times, it is important to get the blood flowing freely around the body. If you have been standing for a long period of time, raise the legs if possible.

Avoid restrictive clothing

Try to avoid wearing tight clothing that may restrict the blood flow to your feet. This includes socks that may be too tight, belts that may be too tight and also under garments that could also restrict blood flow.

Wear comfortable shoes at work

Wear shoes that really feel comfortable, especially if you are on your feet for long hours at a time. If you have to wear heels to work, then wear sports shoes to and from work and carry your work shoes with you to increase your circulation at least to and from work. If you get off a stop early so you have to walk a bit further to work, then do so at least a couple of times a week. This will give you more exercise and also more oxygen to the extremities.

Try and go for a 10 minute walk or longer each day. This increases oxygen being inhaled and pumps the blood faster into the extremities. This can help to remove waste products from cells even faster and may also help to strengthen the heart. If you are fortunate enough to have a gym bike at your workplace, use it!

Drink plenty of fresh Water each day

Working outside may increase the need for a regular intake of water. It is estimated that an adult should drink between 1.5 and 2 litres of water a day.

Drinking plenty of fresh water daily helps to hydrate cells including the skin, aids digestion and gives one a regular supply of minerals. Drinking water also helps the body to get rid of waste products.

Taking breaks and exercising regularly is an excellent way of improving health. Making sure you don't eat high fat foods when you have to sit down all day is important. If you eat high fat foods without exercising, you increase the chances of clogging up the arteries.

It is a well-publicised fact that the solid or saturated fat in our diet can contribute to a build up of cholesterol deposits or plaque in our arteries. If we eat too much saturated fat in our diets, the efficiency and health of our circulation system may well suffer.

Keep your feet and hands warm

Wearing proper clothing for your extremities can make a huge difference to body warmth. If you are sitting or standing for long periods, make sure your feet are warm, especially if you are outside. Warm, dry footwear is a must for helping to maintain one's body temperature.

If your hands get cold at work and the heating provided is not warm enough, then finger-less gloves may help to remedy this.

During winter months, wearing thermal under vests and garments can make a huge difference to maintaining a warm body temperature.

Exercises that help promote blood flow

There are many great ways to exercise: swimming, playing tennis, walking, jogging, netball, hockey etc. You can even join a local rambles society or cycling group. The health benefits of regular exercise can be enormous.

Use the stairs if possible

If you can use stairs instead of a lift at least part of the way, then do so. If you can avoid using a lift, then do so. Stairs really work the legs and help the blood flow.

Even doing some of these things a little each day can make a big difference.



Circulation problems vary from mild to severe. Symptoms of circulation problems can include numbness in the arms or legs leading to paresthesia or thrombosis (see below) at the opposite end of the spectrum, which are more severe.
Contents of this article:
Page 1:

       Poor circulation - what is it?
Reasons bad circulation is harmful.
Some common symptoms.
Here's how to improve circulation.
Page 2:
       Leg and foot pain
Discomfort when standing, sitting or working
Natural ways to help your blood flow
Page 3:
       Do you get tingling sensations in hands and feet
Blood clots and Thrombosis
More tips for a healthy heart


What is Paresthesia? - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Tingling in the hands and feet is called paresthesia which literally means Greek para meaning "beside" or abnormal and aisthesia, meaning sensation.

One of the first things you may notice as the circulation starts to dimish to a body part is a tingling sensation. Paresthesia is a sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness of a person's skin with no apparent long-term physical effect. It is also called ‘pins and needles’ or the feeling of a limb going to sleep. The feeling of having a foot "fall asleep" is a familiar one. This same combination of numbness and tingling can occur in any region of the body and may be caused by a wide variety of disorders.

Other types of paresthesia include feelings of cold, warmth, burning, itching, and skin crawling. Paresthesia occurs when an area of the body loses its normal sensation to touch.

Usually paresthesia is short-lived and can occur when sustained pressure has been applied to a nerve, which inhibits its function. Removing the pressure from the limb returns sensation to the body part where paresthesia has occurred.

Most common parts of the body to get affected

While numbness can occur anywhere on the body, it’s most common in the arms, hands, legs and feet. Numbness can also be accompanied by tingling, pins and needles, and burning skin sensations. Numbness in the arms and legs can be caused by remaining in one position, whether this is standing, sitting or lying down for a long time.

This can be due to work or if you are unwell and bed-bound for a period of time or if there is pressure on a nerve from a resultant injury. For example, some back injuries can cause numbness in the legs or feet, and a neck injury can cause numbness in the arms and hands. Pressure on the spinal nerves can cause limb numbness.

Sometimes one’s arms or legs feel numb to the touch. It may also feel like it has been frozen with anaesthesia. This numb patch may be small or encompass many parts of the body such as part of your arm or the whole arm, part of your foot or the whole leg.

Thrombosis and blood clots

One of the more extreme circulation problems is called thrombosis. Lack of movement in certain areas can result in blood clots which can become serious. Blood clots are also known as thrombosis, from the Greek word from ‘thrombos’ meaning a clot. Exercise helps the circulation flowing and speeds it up. Sitting down with one’s legs bent for long periods of time can increase the chances of thrombosis.

For example, when travelling in airplanes, especially on long-haul flights, it is advisable to drink plenty of water, wear loose garments and also get up from their seats from time to time to exercise – doing leg and feet exercises to increase blood circulation. Walking on the spot or flexing one’s feet even under the seat, may help.

Regular Physical Exercise

There are simple ways to improve your circulation. Exercise increases the speed of oxygen reaching the cells and also increases the speed of getting rid of waste substances from these cells. Exercise works the muscles of the body including the heart muscle.

Lying, sitting or standing in one position for prolonged periods of time contributes to poor blood circulation as blood gets stagnant in the areas of pelvis and legs causing poor leg circulation, poor circulation in feet and hands.

Avoid Wearing Tight-Fitting Clothes

Try not to wear tight-fitting clothing all day, as it tends to reduce blood flow. Tight shoes can restrict the blood flow also. It is best to avoid wearing tight-fighting clothes for long periods of time. Tight jeans and shoes could reduce the flow of blood to the legs and feet as well as constricting the blood flow to the important organs in the pelvic region.

Try to avoid or stop Smoking

Inhaling toxic chemicals and smoke constricts blood flow to the heart and brain and may poison the body with harmful free-radicals and other dangerous substances.

The Heart muscle - Tips to make it stronger:

The heart has the hardest working muscles in the human body - these are the cardiac muscles. It is in our best interests to eat healthy food for the heart.

The human heart continuously pumps blood through our body to provide oxygen and nutrients to organs, tissue and cells, and to remove carbon dioxide and other wastes. On average, the heart beats 72 times per minute or 4,320 times per hour which is approximately 103,680 per day. This is a phenomenally hard working muscle, pumping approximately 7,200 litres of blood through our body each day.

We have about 650 muscles in our body and these make up approximately half of our body weight.

Cardiac muscle only exists in our hearts and works automatically and constantly. The heart gets its oxygen and nutrients from blood flowing through the coronary arteries located within the heart muscle itself.

The Heart itself needs oxygen too!

Just like other organs or muscles of the body, the heart muscle needs oxygen and nutrients to live and function properly. The heart does not get its oxygen and other nutrients from the blood flowing inside it. The heart gets its nutrients from the main heart arteries of the heart include the left coronary artery and right coronary artery. These arteries receive blood from the aorta.

That contributes the most to the causes of poor blood circulation as the body starts lacking essential vitamins, minerals and elements making our blood vessels extremely fragile and inhibits proper blood circulation. Not getting enough antioxidants in the form of fresh produce, oily fish and whole grains enables toxic build up in the entire body.

Certain foods can keep your heart healthy

Omega-3 fatty acids – fish oils are known for lowering the amount of harmful cholesterol that can build up inside artery walls. Good sources of omega 3 fatty acids include flaxseed oil and oily fish such as mackerel and sardines.

Vitamins A, C, E - these highly beneficial antioxidant vitamins all have the ability to prevent the build up of deposits, including fats, sticking to artery walls and can help to prevent damage to the arterial linking caused by free radicals. Best sources of A are fish oil, egg yolk, liver; C is richest in citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries, red peppers, peas; E in avocados, chickpeas, almonds, tuna, sunflower oil and muesli.

Selenium mineral benefits

This is a trace mineral which means it is needed by the body in small quantities. It is a very powerful anti-oxidant and works alongside vitamin E to help remove invading toxins. Good sources of selenium include lentils, wholemeal bread, sardines and Brazil nuts.

Garlic supplement

Garlic is known to have a blood-thinning substance called allicin. Allicin is also found in onions and leeks and is a nutrient that may help to prevent blood clots from forming in coronary arteries.

Folic acid, Vitamin B9

Folic acid is one of the B vitamins and is needed for cell replication and growth. It is especially needed during pregnancy when there is massive cell growth. Folic acid deficiency results in a form of anaemia that responds quickly to folic acid supplementation.

Anaemia is a condition when the amount of red blood cells is below normal, accompanied by a tired feeling due to lack of oxygen. There are various factors that cause this including iron deficiency, poor diet and disease. ‘Anaemia’ is a word that literally means ‘without iron’from the Greek ‘anaimia’ – ‘lack of blood.’

Folic acid is used for the healthy development of our cells, a healthy brain and protection from cell damage.

Homocysteine levels

Homocysteine is a naturally occurring amino acid (protein) found in the body. It is made during protein assimiliation during digestion. While homocysteine is always present in the body, it can cause problems if it is present in too high of an amount. Found in the blood stream, it is thought to be directly related to a variety of heart-related problems.

Folic acid, helps to reduce the amount of homocysteine in the blood and as a result may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and is very powerful. It is found mainly in green leafy vegetable, mushrooms, pulses, nuts, fruits and root vegetables.

Co-enzyme Q10

This is an antioxidant and is also a vital energy-releasing component and cardiac muscle strengthener. Levels of Co-Q10 in the system lesson due to old age, stress and illness; satin drugs reduce it further. Co-Q10 can be found in lean meat.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are one type of plant nutrients that assist the action of platelets, which are the blood cells that join to form blood clots. They are antioxidants that also help the absorption and action of vitamin C. Flavonoids can be found in fruit and vegetable, especially apples and onions.

Monounsaturated fatty acids

These help to lower the levels of potentially harmful LDL cholesterol and maintain the necessary levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol. They can be found in rapeseed, walnut and groundnut oils, and avocados. Olive oil is another useful source and extra-virgin olive oil also contains protective antioxidants.

Vitamin B6

This B vitamin is essential for reducing levels of damaging amino acid homocysteine. B6 can be found in fish, pulses, nuts, chicken and potatoes.

Lycopene

This is a carotenoid noted for its use in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. It is fat-soluble and is therefore more efficiently absorbed when eaten with oil. It can be found in raw tomatoes and in any tomato product.

Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is a naturally occuring phyto or plant nutrient that is found in spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, peas, carrots and sweet potatoes. Beta-carotene helps to prevent the build-up of toxins in the arteries as well as having many other health-giving properties.

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Related articles:

    Foods good for a healthy heart
    Exercise - Is it good or bad?
    Arthritis related to bad circulation
    Are varicose veins just in old age?
    Cholesterol - the good, bad & ugly


SOURCE:

http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/blood-circulation-problems.htm