Warm/Cold Hands And Feet

What Causes Warm Or Cold Extremities?

Warm or cold extremities can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'very minor' to 'very serious'.  Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!
  • let The Analyst™ find what's wrong
  • see your health summarized and in detail
  • have a doctor review your case (optional)

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms.  In order to diagnose warm or cold extremities, we could:

  • Research the topic
  • Find a doctor with the time
  • Use a diagnostic computer system.
The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "warm or cold extremities" as a symptom.  Here are eight possibilities:
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Mercury Toxicity
  • Stress
  • Poor Circulation
  • Raynaud's Phenomenon
  • Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia
  • Low Progesterone
  • Adrenal Fatigue

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
multiple swollen cervical nodes
normal work hours
an average-stress lifestyle
major swelling at front of neck
hyperthyroidism in family members
gums that bleed easily
moving white lines across nails
yellow/yellowish fingernails
cysts in breasts
severe mercury toxicity
slow reaction time
very great unexplained weight gain
... and more than 210 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of warm or cold extremities:
Cause Probability Status
Hypothyroidism 97% Confirm
Low Progesterone 16% Unlikely
Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia 14% Unlikely
Adrenal Fatigue 1% Ruled out
Raynaud's Phenomenon 1% Ruled out
Stress 0% Ruled out
Mercury Toxicity 0% Ruled out
Poor Circulation 0% Ruled out
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Metabolic Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about warm/cold hands and feet:
How warm or cold do your hands and feet tend to be? Consider when you shake hands with other people: do their hands usually feel warm (meaning your hands are colder) or cold (your hands are warmer)?
Possible responses:
→ Usually or always cold
→ Colder than average
→ Average / don't know
→ Warmer than average
→ Usually or always warm
Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either cold hands and/or feet or warm hands and/or feet, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:
Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Raynaud's phenomenon (severe cold hands and feet) affects about 16% of fibromyalgia sufferers.

Poor Circulation

In cases of peripheral vascular disease, the arteries narrow and there is a marked reduction of blood flow especially to the fingers and toes.

Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance

Cold hands and feet, often caused by low thyroid function, may be a symptom of estrogen excess or low progesterone influencing thyroid function.

Concerned or curious about your health?  Try The Analyst™
Symptom Entry
Symptom Entry
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Suggestions
Suggestions
LifeMeter
LifeMeter®
Full Explanations
Explanations
Optional Doctor Review
Review (optional)
We use cookies for traffic analysis, advertising, and to provide the best user experience