I (woman, 82) have had very warm feet day and night for six months. The blood flow is OK according to the doctor, but due to diabetes I have little or no feeling on the soles of my feet. The doctor does not know a solution. What’s causing this?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with a medical degree.
Our body has a mechanism that regulates the blood circulation in the hands and feet. These are the parts that are exposed to a lot of cold and have a lot of surface area compared to the content. The circulation of the hands and feet is a complex interplay between the blood vessels and the fine branches of the nervous system. You are elderly and have diabetes, which is bad for the small vessels and nerve branches. You can tell by the numb soles of your feet; this is caused by neuropathy. This nerve damage is not really repairable. Some doctors believe in giving extra vitamin B12, but a lack of it is just one of many possible causes of neuropathy. Beta blockers (blood pressure lowering drugs) often have cold hands and feet as a side effect; propranolol the most. But I don’t think that much experience has been gained with this as an application for warm feet. The drug also has quite a few side effects. Your doctor may want to prescribe a very low dose as an experiment. If it is more of a burning pain, then it is nerve pain (neuropathic pain). There are many remedies for nerve pain.
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