The solution to cold hands/poor bloodflow/early stage artrithis.

[H K]

I've been dealing with arthritis, especially in my main thumb joint on both hands.
Also, have been getting cold hands. I simply work the thumbs through the painful stretches and bends to get them loose and more flexible.
I'm not concerned with cold hands. They warm up quite quickly.
Just for reference purposes I just turned 77.

Try this for a week and I guarantee it will be better.

I've also been experiencing colder hands and stiffer joints as I'm headed into my mid 60s. I find the hot water in the bathroom sink before hitting the stage works spectacularly. A good bit of hot water, for 2 to 3 minutes, and it feels like I've been warming up for an hour. I'm assuming my condition isn't severe as yours, but yes, I have a marked difference versus when I was younger.

For me, it kept getting worse. The bathroom sink worked for a while, but took longer and longer.
This method, just for 2 minutes per hand per day, seems to eliminate the need for bathroom sink alltogether, and actually improve circulation. Where as the hot water will actually let your blood vessels "know" that they dont need to open, cus the warmth comes from outside. IME it actually sped up the decline.

That being said, I live in a cold climate.

 

[pbass2]

Interesting, and as someone who finishes every morning shower will a cool/cold rinse (but I ease it on) I can see how it might make sense. I get out of the shower not freezing and scrambling for my towel like after a hot one. I also have cold hands and feet in the winter. But I cycle in the winter outdoors, I just wear the right gear.
However, physical activity (even like playing an instrument) when your tissue is cold (tendons, ligaments, et al) is a pretty classic path to risk of injury. I guess if I really felt that my tissue was warmed up from that technique, then for sure, makes sense.

 

[H K]

Interesting, and as someone who finishes every morning shower will a cool/cold rinse (but I ease it on) I can see how it might make sense. I also have cold hands and feet in the winter. But I cycle in the winter outdoors, I just wear the right gear.
However, physical activity (even like playing an instrument) when your tissue is cold (tendons, ligaments, et al) is a pretty classic path to risk of injury. I guess if I really felt that my tissue was warmed up from that technique, then for sure, makes sense.

mm mm, well then you have some experience with it.

What I meant tho, is that (according to other testimonies) this -routine-, will improve circulation to the point where my hands are always warm. Not to say I wont still do warmups, but they will already be comfortably warm, if you get what I mean I'm definitely not quite there yet, but I do feel a major improvement so far.

 

[pbass2]

mm mm, well then you have some experience with it.

What I meant tho, is that (according to other testimonies) this -routine-, will improve circulation to the point where my hands are always warm. Not to say I wont still do warmups, but they will already be comfortably warm, if you get what I mean I'm definitely not quite there yet, but I do feel a major improvement so far.

In my years surfing in NorCal year-round, I got to the point where I'd go out at night in SF and need little more than a t-shirt! But alas, I'm older and colder now!
This is all very timely as I have an outdoor gig tonight that has the possibility of being just too damn cold to play. The venue has made no concessions for heat for the band and it's unusually cold here currently. The bandleader knows that if I start getting numb fingers I stop playing. It just ain't worth it.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Hunting reaction - Wikipedia

 

[Element Zero]

For the last 20 years I was a shorter BIG guy. Well, what I considered big anyway. I decided to take matters into my own hands and "get healthy". Stopped taking my diabetes medication, Intermittent fasting, gave up McDonalds and most other fast food, stopped drinking soda, less bread and pasta, rarely any fruit, lots of vegetables and clean animal protein, resistance training 5 days a week, 5000m on my rower machine 4 days a week… really changed up my entire life. Lost 65 pounds. My doctor was stunned.

I've NEVER experienced "cold hands" until after I lost 40 lbs. Now at 65 pounds less I'm constantly experiencing being cold all over lol. We keep the thermostat at 67 and I'm here wearing thick flannel socks, flannel pants, and my Haken hoodie and I'm borderline shivering lol. Fortunately I warm up pretty easily once I'm active and my icicle fingers aren't in pain when I play.

 

[pbass2]

For the last 20 years I was a shorter BIG guy. Well, what I considered big anyway. I decided to take matters into my own hands and "get healthy". Stopped taking my diabetes medication, Intermittent fasting, gave up McDonalds and most other fast food, stopped drinking soda, less bread and pasta, rarely any fruit, lots of vegetables and clean animal protein, resistance training 5 days a week, 5000m on my rower machine 4 days a week… really changed up my entire life. Lost 65 pounds. My doctor was stunned.

I've NEVER experienced "cold hands" until after I lost 40 lbs. Now at 65 pounds less I'm constantly experiencing being cold all over lol. We keep the thermostat at 67 and I'm here wearing thick flannel socks, flannel pants, and my Haken hoodie and I'm borderline shivering lol. Fortunately I warm up pretty easily once I'm active and my icicle fingers aren't in pain when I play.

There is something to it. I'm 5'7" about 135 lbs. Super fit, but almost no body fat. I get cold a lot faster than the 245 lb BIG guy guitarist I play with! He's like a Viking.

 

[oldcatfish]

What works even better for many people is "contrast immersion " treatments.

For your hands, you would have two buckets….one with ice water and one with very warm water. You start with warm and end with warm, but you alternate between the hot and cold in 1-2 minute increments for several rounds. Usually for 12 to 15 minutes.
Cold constricts the blood vessels, while warm opens them up. The contrasting heat/cold creates a pumping action in the affected area.

Contrast immersion treatments have been used for decades among physical therapists, athletic trainers, and sports medicine personnel.

 

[micguy]

Cold hands can be a symptom of a lot of different things. My brother in law had cold hands, and found out (long store left out here) he needed heart bypass surgery. He's doing much better now, but wouldn't still be with us if he delayed much longer - just be aware that it might not be something you can deal with on your own.

 

[superiorpine]

Many pro athletes do the ice bath thing. There definitely is a) science behind it, and b) safe ways to do it. People I know who practice using an ice bath build it up over time, both in terms of time of exposure and temperature.

Like most health interentions, individual responses vary. As for the OP, good on him for proactively finding something that works for him and having the courage to go public with it.

Personally, I prefer to alternate hot and cold, and use red light therapy.

 

[T McClure]

Many pro athletes do the ice bath thing. There definitely is a) science behind it, and b) safe ways to do it. People I know who practice using an ice bath build it up over time, both in terms of time of exposure and temperature.

Like most health interentions, individual responses vary. As for the OP, good on him for proactively finding something that works for him and having the courage to go public with it.

Personally, I prefer to alternate hot and cold, and use red light therapy.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of cold plunges. There was one NHL player named Patrick Marleau who played until he was 42, and he'd run to do a cold plunge between periods. I honestly don't know how he got his gear and skates on and off so quickly. He swore they kept him able to play.

But anyone should ask their doctor if they have heart issues.

 

[Paul New]

The studies that back these therapies up have been of very low quality, and there have been deaths, and the therapies commonly cause heart arrhythmias.

Just because these work for the OP, I wouldn't assume that they will work for me without risk. The American Heart Association for one has issued warnings about the Hof's therapies.

This is just snippet from a wiki article, but it's easy to follow up on its references.

 

[GrayGoesBlack]

The deaths are people doing breathing exercises in pools.

All his stuff is yoga. Simplified for westerners. If people use it incorrectly, then thats on them.

Saying "you shouldnt do this because someone died from it" is like, well can you do ANYTHING then? People have died hanging curtains. Dont do it!
You can choke on food, DONT EAT!!

This is something that cures cold hands. It's not rocket science.

Yeah, I didn't say that. I actually went to one of those seminars, got tricked into it. Those breathing exercises (that are part of his method) basically induce hyperventilation, which is a shock response. Then you go into an ice bath (full on thermal shock) and try to mitigate the effects with an rehearsed shock response. Only thing is that might be a bad time to find out you have a bad heart or something, and it's definitely not a cure for cancer (what Wim Hof actually says).

Definitely not rocket science, but also not medical science.

 

[No such thing]

Tai-Chi based martial arts have been very beneficial to me for most of my life.

I work in fields that are very physical at times both inside and outside and knowing how to maintain a good energy flow has made it much easier on myself.