Skin · Circulation Oriental Medicine Treatment
Cold Hands and Feet · Chilly Extremities · Peripheral Circulatory Disorders· Cold Extremities
Incheon Songdo Baekrokdam Oriental Medicine Clinic
For chilly hands and feet, we don't just warm the surface, but fill the body with warmth from within through circulation.
Are your hands and feet like ice even when it's not cold, or is it hard to fall asleep without a heat pack?If you have given up, thinking you simply have a 'cold constitution,' or have been enduring it by only taking red ginseng, this page may be the answer.
Cold hands and feet are not simply a matter of temperature, butWarning sign of systemic circulationrather. Baekrokdam aims for fundamental treatment that generates heat from within rather than just warming the surface.
Key disease information at a glance
- Other names
- Coldness in hands and feet, cold syndrome, peripheral circulatory disorder
- Hanja
- 手足冷症 (Hand 手, Foot 足, Cold 冷)
- Classification
- Circulatory · Skin · Systemic diseases
- Main symptoms
- Coldness in hands and feet, numbness, diminished sensation, pale skin
- May accompany
- Menstrual cramps, indigestion, chronic fatigue, lower body edema
- Diagnosis
- Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) · Abdominal examination · Pulse diagnosis · Consultation
- Treatment
- Focused on herbal medicine to reinforce Qi and blood and improve circulation
- General treatment period
- Approximately 3 months. 6 months or more if chronic or accompanied by menopause
- Telemedicine
- Possible
Commonly heard in the clinic
Many patients visit using these expressions
These are expressions often heard in the clinic. If this sounds like your story, you may want to suspect Raynaud's syndrome or cold hypersensitivity.
Consult via telehealth →What is cold hypersensitivity (Sujok Naengjeung)?
It refers to a state where one feels excessive coldness in the hands or feet even at temperatures where one should not feel cold. Beyond a simple 'cold feeling,' it can be accompanied by pain or numbness.
In Korean medicine, this is calledSujok Naengjeung (Cold Hypersensitivity of Hands and Feet)and is defined as a state where warm Yang energy cannot reach the extremities due to an imbalance in the circulation of Qi and blood.
From a dermatological perspective, it is a sign of circulatory failure where the skin becomes pale or bluish due to peripheral blood flow disorders,Cyanosisskin dryness, itching, and in severe cases,Chilblainsleading to circulatory insufficiency.
Female patients are overwhelmingly more common than males, by 70-80% or more, because hormonal changes such as menstruation, childbirth, and menopause significantly affect the autonomic nervous system and vasoconstriction.
Western medicine'sRaynaud's syndromeorAutonomic dysfunctionis closely related to, and oriental medicine treatment focuses on restoring the regulatory capacity of these nervous and vascular systems.
Medical staff in charge
Chief DirectorDr. Yeonseung Choe
Many patients visit the clinic because their hands are so cold that they have to wear socks even in summer or feel embarrassed to shake hands. Cold sensitivity in the hands and feet cannot be solved simply by warming the extremities. It is a state where the body has lost the ability to generate heat and send it to the extremities. Whether it is a chronic condition of over 10 years or a sudden symptom, I will accompany you through the process of awakening the body's yang energy and opening the pathways of circulation.
- Graduated from Gyeonggi Science High School
- Graduated from Kyung Hee University, Department of Pre-medical Korean Medicine
- Graduated from Kyung Hee University, College of Korean Medicine
- Current) Chief Director of Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic
- Former) Chief Director of Miol Korean Medicine Clinic, Incheon Songdo Branch
- Former) Director of Miol Korean Medicine Clinic, Gangnam Main Branch
- Former) Chief Director of Dolbom Korean Medicine Clinic, Seocho Main Branch
- [Publications]
- Overcoming Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Overcoming Chronic Vaginitis - Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
- Post-miscarriage Care is as Important as Postpartum Care: Herbal Medicine After Miscarriage A to Z
The reason your hands and feet get cold is because inside your bodythe 'heater' has gone out or the 'pipes' are blockedit is.
Main Causes of Cold Hands and Feet — How They Accumulate
- 1 Autonomic Nerve Imbalance
Excessive stress or tension constricts blood vessels, preventing blood from reaching the extremities
- 2 Rapid Hormonal Changes
This is the key reason why cold hands and feet are concentrated in women during puberty, postpartum, and menopause
- 3 Decreased Digestive Function
In Korean medicine, this is called 'Biju-samal'; if the stomach and intestines are weak, there is no strength to send energy to the extremities
- 4 Lack of Exercise and Decreased Muscle Mass
Muscles are the factories that produce heat in our body; if the factory is small, there is a lack of heat itself
- 5 Exposure to Cooling Devices
Excessive use of air conditioners in summer is the main culprit in damaging the autonomic nervous system's ability to regulate temperature
Cold hands and feet are not simply about the hands and feet being coldSystemic accompanying symptomsmust be checked.
Main symptoms of cold hands and feet — what the patient actually feels
Key cold-sensitivity symptoms
- Ice-cold hands and feet — so cold that others are surprised when touching them
- Chilling of knees and lower abdomen — a feeling as if cold wind is penetrating the bones
- Numbness and pain in hands and feet — tingling or dull sensation at the extremities due to poor circulation
- Changes in skin color — fingertips turning white or blue in cold environments
Accompanying systemic signals
- Severe menstrual pain and irregular menstruation
- Chronic indigestion and lower abdominal bloating
- Easily swelling lower body and chronic fatigue
- Pale complexion and frequently bluish lips
- Cold urticaria that occurs upon exposure to cold
Patients with cold hands and feet usuallyDecreased circulation and metabolismhave other related discomforts.
If these symptoms appear as a set, it is time to reorganize the systemic circulation system rather than treating it as simple coldness.
Chronic cold hands and feet, Baekrokdam's approach
Summary— It is not simply about dilating blood vessels, but about developing the body's ability to generate heat and deliver it to the extremities.
Why Baekrokdam focuses on herbal medicine
The goal of herbal medicine is not just to suppress external symptoms, but to create a body that can recover on its own without medication.
Cold sensitivity in hands and feet isIt cannot be solved simply by applying external heat. Hot packs or foot baths only help blood flow momentarily. If the yang energy of the digestive system and kidneys—the body's engine—is deficient, the body will quickly become cold again no matter how much you warm the exterior.
Herbal medicine works by replenishing deficient yang energy and clearing blocked energy pathways.While Western medicine temporarily dilates blood vessels, herbal medicine improves the quality of the blood itself and strengthens the self-regenerative power to circulate on its own. This is the key to preventing recurrence.
Why it doesn't show up well in tests
Tests look at numerical values and structures, but the essence is often a 'body imbalance' that is not easily captured by tests.
What hospital tests look for isstructural blockage of blood vesselsor abnormalities in numerical values. However, most patients with cold sensitivity in hands and feet have perfectly normal blood vessel structures. The problem is thesensitivity of the autonomic nervous systemanddeficiency of Qi and bloodit is.
That is why patients feel cold and pain even if the test results are 'normal.' Oriental medicine does not look at numbers, butsignals sent by the patient's body (abdominal palpation, pulse diagnosis)reads them to find the circulatory stagnation that tests missed.
So how do we treat it — The Baekrokdam method
We examine the entire body through inquiry, pulse diagnosis, and abdominal examination, and resolve the root cause with herbal medicine.
We don't just look at the hands and feet,A map of the body's Yang energywe must draw a map. We examine each patient in depth.
- Abdominal Examination (Bokjin)— We directly check how cold the lower abdomen is and whether energy is congested around the epigastrium to find the root of the cold sensitivity.
- Pulse Diagnosis (Maekjin)— We determine whether there is a deficiency of Qi and blood or if it is blocked by stress through the thickness and strength of the pulse.
- Medical Inquiry (Munjin)— We analyze lifestyle causes that trigger cold hands and feet by synthesizing dietary habits, sleep, menstrual patterns, and stress responses.
Based on this diagnosis,Onjung-Sanhann (Warming the interior and expelling cold energy)we provide a prescription. Rather than simply using hot medicinal herbs, we precisely adjust it according to the different causes of cold sensitivity for each patient (digestive system, stress, aging, etc.).
Differentiation branches of cold hands and feet observed in clinical practice
The causes of cold hands and feet differ for everyone. They are largely divided into four types; which one applies to you?
Spleen-Yang Deficiency Type脾陽虛
Those who cannot produce energy due to a weak digestive system, and experience a cold abdomen and diarrhea even after eating a small amount
Treatment Direction: Geonbi-Onjung (Strengthening the Spleen and Warming the Middle)
Liver Qi Stagnation Type肝鬱氣滯
Those whose energy is congested due to stress and does not reach the extremities. Accompanied by chest tightness.
Treatment Direction: So-gan-hae-ul (Soothe the Liver and Relieve Stagnation)
Kidney Yang Deficiency Type腎陽虛
Those with a congenital lack of Yang energy, experiencing coldness in the lower back and knees and extreme sensitivity to cold
Treatment Direction: On-sin-bo-yang (Warm the Kidney and Tonify Yang)
Blood Deficiency Type血虛
Those with an overall lack of blood, resulting in insufficient circulation to the extremities, accompanied by dizziness and a pale complexion
Treatment Direction: Bo-hyeol-hwa-hyeol (Tonify and Harmonize the Blood)
According to the changes in the patient's conditionFine-tune the prescription every 2 to 4 weeksand find the most efficient recovery path.
Progress by stage of cold hands and feet treatment
Below is the general step-by-step flow of Oriental medicine circulation treatment.
- Month 1 — Period of opening the circulation
This is the stage where blocked energy is cleared and deficient Yang energy begins to be replenished.
- Numbness or dull sensation in the fingertips and toes gradually eases
- Changes such as improved digestion or feeling lighter when waking up in the morning
- Internal heat distribution begins to balance out gradually
- Months 2-3 — Period of maintaining warmth
This is the stage where Qi and blood are fully reinforced, leading to an increase in the temperature of the hands and feet.
- Hands and feet do not get cold easily even if the external temperature drops slightly
- Noticeable improvement in accompanying menstrual pain or chronic fatigue
- Reduction in temperature difference can be confirmed via infrared thermography
- Months 3–4 — Constitution stabilization and relapse prevention
This is the stage where the body remembers the treated state and strengthens its own ability to generate heat.
- Check if warmth is maintained even after reducing the frequency of herbal medicine intake
- Establishment of daily circulation management methods (exercise, diet)
- Improvement in overall immunity and basal metabolic rate
Recovery speed may vary depending on the individual's condition and duration of the disease.
Chronic cold sensitivity lasting more than 10 yearsorMenopause / Postpartum wind syndromeThose with overlapping conditions may require a long-term Boyang (tonifying Yang) process of 6 months or more.
Consult comfortably via non-face-to-face services for your current concerns.Herbal medicine prescriptions are available from anywhere in the country.
Chronic cold sensitivity lasting more than 10 yearsorMenopause / Postpartum wind syndromeThose with overlapping conditions may require a long-term Boyang (tonifying Yang) process of 6 months or more.
Diseases often confused with cold sensitivity of hands and feet
These are diseases that look similar to simple cold sensitivity but require different treatments.
A disease where finger colors change in three stages (white -> blue -> red) when exposed to cold, accompanied by extreme pain.
Metabolic rate slows down, leading to severe sensitivity to cold, along with prominent edema, weight gain, and lethargy.
Loss of temperature regulation ability results in a complex of cold hands and feet, heart palpitations, dizziness, and hyperhidrosis.
Occurs when there is insufficient blood to reach the periphery or weak pumping pressure, with dizziness as the primary accompanying symptom.
Cold hands and feet treatment reviews
Frequently Asked Questions about Cold Hands and Feet
Is cold hands and feet simply a matter of constitution? Why does it happen?
It is more than just a 'born constitution'; it is a state where the body's imbalance has deepened. In Korean medicine, this is viewed as 'Butong-jeuk-naeng (不通則冷),' a state where the circulation of Qi and blood is blocked, preventing warm Yang energy from reaching the extremities. It is caused by a complex combination of digestive decline, stress, and hormonal changes.
Other hospitals say I'm normal except for the infrared thermography test. Is herbal treatment possible?
In fact, those are the people who visit Korean medicine clinics most often. Even if there are no major vascular abnormalities in the numerical data, the coldness and pain the patient feels are real. The core of Korean medicine is to identify and treat the 'flow of energy' and 'deficiency of Yang energy' that tests cannot capture through abdominal and pulse diagnosis.
Drinking red ginseng or warm tea only provides temporary relief; is herbal medicine different?
While commercial supplements simply provide 'heat-generating ingredients,' herbal medicine is a prescription that restores the 'pump function' itself, allowing the body to generate its own heat and push that heat to the extremities. Therefore, the goal is to achieve a bodily state where warmth is maintained even after stopping the medication.
How long should the treatment period be?
Generally, a concentrated treatment period of about 3 months is recommended. Chronic patients of 10 years or more, or those with overlapping menopausal symptoms, may need to consistently reinforce Qi and blood for over 6 months, but most begin to feel changes in the sensation or warmth of their fingertips within about a month.
Is it possible to be prescribed herbal medicine through telemedicine?
Yes, it is. Baekrokdam has a nationwide telemedicine system, so those who find it difficult to visit in person can receive herbal medicine tailored to their constitution via delivery after a detailed phone consultation. It is frequently used by office workers and those living in rural areas.
I'm preparing for pregnancy, but I'm worried because my body is cold. Can these be treated together?
People with cold hands and feet often have a cold lower abdomen (uterus). Using herbal medicine to help blood circulation in the pelvic cavity and replenish yang energy not only improves cold hands and feet but also greatly helps in creating a warm body environment suitable for pregnancy.
Are cold hands and feet and Raynaud's syndrome the same thing?
Unlike simple cold hands and feet, Raynaud's syndrome is characterized by changes in the skin color of the fingers or toes when exposed to cold. The skin turns white or blue as blood vessels constrict excessively. In Korean medicine clinics, the cause of such peripheral circulatory disorders is viewed as a deficiency of qi and blood or blood stasis, and is approached according to the individual's constitution. Since both symptoms result from poor blood circulation, accurate differentiation is important.
I have poor digestion and my hands and feet are particularly cold; is this also cold hands and feet syndrome?
Yes, when gastrointestinal function declines, the circulation of qi and blood stagnates, preventing warmth from reaching the ends of the hands and feet. Especially for those with a weak spleen and stomach, it is common to experience a cold abdomen along with cold feet or numbness in the extremities. This is not a simple matter of external temperature, but a phenomenon caused by a lack of yang energy inside the body. Therefore, treatment that helps systemic circulation through constitutional improvement to warm the interior is helpful.
Skin and circulatory diseases to examine alongside cold hands and feet
These are circulatory and skin-related diseases that are beneficial to manage along with cold hands and feet.
these symptomsCold-Heat Pattern Differentiationto examine further from the perspective of
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