Remedies to Improve Circulation & Health
Submitted by natasha on Fri, 2011-10-14 13:54
There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “ Where there is circulation, there is no pain. Where there is pain, there is no circulation.” The more blood flow we have, the more oxygen and nutrients we are giving our body. It’s that simple. And when there is limited blood flow to parts of our body, the blood vessels become blocked and plaque builds up and hardens to constrict the walls of arteries and veins. That’s when problems start to arise such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and more related illnesses. It affects our brain function as well as every organ and limb in our body.
In today’s society, we are forced to sit for long periods of time - at our desk, driving, and even when we relax watching TV. We live in a society where we are sitting all the time and that keeps our blood flow and energy stagnant. Our sitting epidemic literally kills. Recently, there was the teenager who played video games for over 24 hours and died from a blood clot!
Rest assured, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your circulation. Even if you think you are genetically predisposed to having poor circulation like me (have cold hands and feet all the time).
Here are some easy tips and that will also make you feel great. Excerpts From http://www.nativeremedies.com/
1) Foods: A healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables will help your heart pumping as well as giving you the nutrients to fuel your body. Here are some specific tips:
• Nuts are good because they rich in vitamin B3, which helps boost the blood. Garlic also helps promote circulation.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats, as well as sugary sodas or fruit drinks. This will help thin the blood so that it passes more easily through the small blood vessels.
• Citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges and grapefruit in your diet provide high levels of bioflavonoids to promote blood flow while also strengthening capillaries. Watermelon is great because it has a natural source of lycopene, which has been known to help prevent plaque buildup in veins.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats, as well as sugary sodas or fruit drinks. This helps keep the blood thin so that it passes more easily through small blood vessels.
• Reduce your alcohol, sugar, sodium and caffeine intake and drink plenty of water.
2) Exercise: Take a quick break and go for a walk outside. You’ll get some vitamin D to improve your mood as well as get your blood pumping. Avoid staying inactive for long periods of time. Move your body every hour or so. Whether you're sitting or standing for long periods, you need to move around every 45 minutes or so in order to improve circulation and blood flow.
3) Decrease the stress in your life. Remember to take the time to breathe, get a message and do other relaxation techniques.
• A breathing meditation can also relieve stress and bring more life/oxygen to every cell in you body.
• A massage on a regular basis helps improve blood flow to various body organs. You can do a self massage, find a friend, go to a spa, or use a therapeutic massage mat. (Embed link)
4) Heat Therapy: Take a hot bath to increase blood flow. This is my personal favorite especially with some aromatherapy in my bath. Heat therapy increases blood circulation by relaxing the blood vessels. You can use hot packs, hot water bottles or heating pads targeting at specific areas. Keep your hands and feet warm by covering them with compression socks and gloves.
5) Quit smoking: Smoking is one of the major causes of poor blood circulation as it increases cholesterol and causes the hardening of arteries thereby restricting the blood flow.
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