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.

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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:
  • Raynaud's Phenomenon
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Low Progesterone
  • Mercury Toxicity
  • Poor Circulation
  • Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia
  • Stress
  • Adrenal Fatigue

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

bowel movement changes
incoherent speech
swollen axillary nodes
being an unsocial person
occasionally feeling unusually cold
hot flashes between period
T3-only thyroid hormone use
poor mental clarity
sexual abuse during childhood
mildly elevated TSH
hypothyroidism in family members
brittle fingernails
... 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
Raynaud's Phenomenon 90% Confirm
Adrenal Fatigue 29% Unlikely
Poor Circulation 17% Unlikely
Mercury Toxicity 1% Ruled out
Low Progesterone 1% Ruled out
Hypothyroidism 1% Ruled out
Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia 0% Ruled out
Stress 0% Ruled out
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis


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.

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