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Question:
The blood flow to my feet is quite poor. They will often feel heavy with pins and needles; and they are cold all of the time even if it's quite warm. I am 72 years old and otherwise I am in very good health. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer:
You may be suffering from peripheral vascular disease. This term is the medical term used to describe decreased blood flow to the hands and/or feet. Check with your doctor about the diagnosis.
My first recommendation is to get regular physical exercise. A regular walking program has been shown to improve blood flow to all body tissues. Next I would recommend Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE). Although GBE is becoming a well-known treatment for decreased blood supply to the brain (cerebral vascular insufficiency) and Alzheimer's disease it is also useful in cases of decreased blood supply to the arms, legs, hands, and feet (peripheral arterial disease). After all, peripheral vascular disease has as its primary cause the same cholesterol-containing plaque that is responsible for other conditions associated with hardening of the arteries such as heart disease, cerebral vascular insufficiency, and strokes.
GBE has been shown to be a very effective treatment for intermittent claudication. A condition due to peripheral vascular disease characterized by an intense pain in the calf brought on by walking or exercises. The pain of intermittent claudication is quite similar to the chest pain associated with angina. The cause of the pain is not only reduced oxygen delivery, but also an increase in the production of toxic metabolites and cellular free radicals.
In treating peripheral vascular disease, the best results have been shown with higher dosages of GBE (160 to 240 mg daily have produced increases in pain-free walking distance of 90%) as well as when using GBE bound to phosphatidylcholine (Ginkgo Phytosome at a dosage of 180 mg daily has produced increases of 120% in the same category of patients).
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