Cool autumn The best tips for chilblains

Cool autumn: The best tips for chilblains

12/10/2014

Autumn has arrived. Now we have to get used to the cooler weather, for better or worse. But there are also people who shiver constantly despite warm clothes and turned-up heating. A few tips can help chilblains to cope better with the cold.

Home remedy for permanent chill
For some people, the thermometer does not have to fall very low and they are already freezing. They then help next to nothing, they are just cold. And not just all day, but also at night under a thick blanket. While there are several home remedies available to those affected to better manage the cold, if they do not help, medical advice should be sought. A quick remedy against the cold can bring a hot water bottle or put on the onion principle. But there are many more tips.

Hot drinks without alcohol
A very simple method, which many people resort to in the cold, is to take more hot drinks. To counteract the constant chill, offer different teas. „Especially recommended is ginger tea, because it additionally warms because of its pungent“, said Ursula Sellerberg of the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations (ABDA) to the news agency dpa. With hot coffee, however, caution is advised, as excessive consumption narrows the vessels and freezes hands and feet all the more. Sellerberg also explained that even hot drinks with alcohol, such as mulled wine, only provide a temporary warmth. As alcohol expands the blood vessels, more heat gets into the outer body areas. But the heat is deducted from the internal organs.

Hot food and more exercise
People who are constantly freezing should always eat warm. Ursula Hilpert-Mühlig, Vice President of the Association of German Naturopaths, recommends according to the dpa: „As a starter a hot soup, that helps enormously.“ Some experts advise in the cold to spicy foods. Ginger is used in some recipes. In addition, spices, such as chili, cayenne or cinnamon can be used. Recipes for spicy meals can be found on various websites, such as vegetarian-rezepte.com. Furthermore, it is recommendable to chill out, to exercise more and to do sports. Advocates among others Professor Peter Falkai, Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Munich. Not only will more muscle build more muscle, which protects the body from the cold. Specialists also recommend going out more often, even in cold weather, as the regular change of cold and warm can strengthen the immune system and cause the body to freeze less over time.

Hot bath and changing showers
Sellerberg explained: „Regularly a hot bath can also help with constant chill.“ In addition, alternating showers, a hot foot bath as well as Kneipp treatments or other forms of hydrotherapy can work wonders. „For alternating showers, the water should be switched from warm to cool, not from hot to cold“, explained Hilpert-Mühlig. The stimulus is otherwise too strong. For rising foot baths, where more and more hot water is gradually added to the initially body-warm water evening after evening, mustard or rosemary oil can be added. „Such baths are also good for circulatory problems and help you relax after a hard day“, said the alternative practitioner. Your advice: Then dry your feet in warm socks.

With constant shivering to the doctor
Another way to fight the cold is to rub your feet with warm creams. „The creams contain, for example, ginger extracts or essential oils and thus improve blood circulation“, explained pharmacist Sellerberg. Even regular sauna sessions are good for the blood circulation. „By switching from warm to cold, not least the circulation is trained“, Hilpert-Mühlig. For those who do not help with common home remedies, there is no way around getting professional help. „If the constant chill has not subsided after two to three months, the family doctor should be consulted“, Falkai said. This must clarify possible organic causes for the shivering. Among other things, a hypothyroidism, chronic inflammation in the body, a vitamin or iron deficiency could be the trigger for the constant chill.

Women freeze easier than men
In addition, a low blood pressure can lead to a constant feeling of cold. „The blood pressure is ideally 120 to 80“, so Sellerberg. The blood pressure is too low at values ​​below 105 to 65. It can be increased by drugs or herbal extracts. „Preparations made from rosemary, for example five to ten drops of Rosmarinus mother tincture or a cup of rosemary tea before breakfast, have proved their worth“, explained Sellerberg. Camphor preparations also activated the circulation. Women basically freeze easier than men. „Because women have smaller muscle mass, and muscles produce heat“, so Sellerberg. Moreover, in very slim women, the subcutaneous fatty tissue is thin. „This makes them less resistant to heat loss than men.“

Mental illness as a trigger
In such cases, the reasons for the underweight should be clarified, such as whether a debilitating illness or eating disorders behind it. „If that does not apply, then those affected should just eat calories and especially fatty“, Hilpert-Mühlig. If no organic cause for the permanent chill is found, should also be thought of a mental illness and consulted a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. „For example, if you have a burn-out or depression, you can be very successfully treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy“, explained Falkai, who is a board member of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology. (Ad)