My husband used to say my feet were colder than the Arctic wind.
In fact, at one point he threatened to start sleeping in the guest room if I didn’t wear warm socks to bed instead of warming my cold toes up on his legs.
Well, that was before I got my Hashimoto’s under control. But if you’re dealing with cold toes and you don’t have a thyroid problem, don’t ignore this distress call…
That’s because cold feet can be a sign of a serious circulation problem that may start in the small blood vessels — but can signal big trouble…
Blood vessels and your feet
Since your circulatory system is responsible for head-to-toe blood flow — the blood vessels in your feet can often sound the first alarm of problems to come.
That’s because your heart works extra hard to pump blood through arteries that reach vital organs, like the brain.
But by the time your blood vessels reach your feet, they’ve branched in numerous directions, getting smaller and smaller in size much in the same twigs branch off of a tree.
And it’s these smaller vessels where trouble can quickly escalate…
Tiny little masses called microemboli, made up of blobs of cholesterol, can get stuck.
While these little clots, also known as emboli, pass easily through large vessels, they struggle to pass through as vessels become smaller— making it easy to cut off the blood supply to your toes.
Two signs you shouldn’t miss
When this happens, your feet are going to sound an alarm — and it won’t just be cold feet…
It’s feet that are so cold they’ll be painful and even change color, turning blue or purple.
Doctors call it blue toe syndrome.
It can be dangerous because when the tissues of your feet are starved of oxygen, it can lead to cell death, gangrene and even amputation of the toes and feet.
What’s worse is that the microemboli that cause blue toe syndrome can indicate a potentially serious problem in larger arteries that are upstream from these little guys.
Other signs that could indicate blue toe syndrome include:
Be sure to let your doctor know if any of these are occurring.
Supporting head-to-toe blood flow
The little clots that clog small vessels are typically made up of cholesterol and fibrin. Often they have broken off from a plaque forming in a larger artery.
Fibrin is a protein the body uses under normal circumstances to keep a clot from spreading while tissue heals. When the clot is no longer needed it dissolves. But sometimes the process doesn’t go as expected, depending on the health of the arteries involved.
That’s where nattokinase, an enzyme from a fermented soybean dish called natto, is especially helpful…
Nattokinase was discovered over 40 years ago by a Japanese medical researcher named Hiroyuki Sumi, M.D., who demonstrated its ability to support blood flow. It works in much the same way as Pac-Man®… going to work to thin the blood for smooth circulation.
You can find natto at your local Asian or Japanese market. But most Americans don’t like the texture, taste or smell. But that doesn’t have to be a deterrent…
The benefits of nattokinase have been researched in over 17 scientific studies — including human clinical trials. According to the University of Cincinnati, a single dose of Nattokinase at 100 mg was enough to show an enhancement in both thrombolysis while also assisting anti-coagulation profiles.
Since nattokinase does a great job of promoting normal circulation, if you’re taking blood thinners you should consult with your health care practitioner first.
What is blue toe syndrome — Medical News Today
Blue Toe Syndrome — DermaNet
An often overlooked body part could give you clues about your health – CNN
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