Q It’s warm outside, so why are my hands and feet so cold?
Fingers and toes don’t have the same muscle and fat layers the rest of your body uses to stay warm, so they’re often the first body parts to feel cold, says Meghann Kirk, an internal medicine specialist. Plus, these extremities are located far from the heart and have smaller blood vessels, meaning less blood flow to keep them warm. If you’re dieting or you’ve lost a significant amount of weight recently, your metabolism may have slowed down because your body is trying to preserve calories, which could also make your hands and feet chillier. But there are other explanations, too. Some blood pressure drugs may change circulation, for example, which could make your feet colder than usual; decongestants may constrict blood vessels as well. And if you’re experiencing coldness but your skin isn’t cold to the touch, it could be a symptom of a neurological condition. Any time your hands and feet are suddenly much colder than usual and you have other symptoms such as pain, a change in skin colour, fever or light-headedness, be sure to see your GP to get it checked out.
Q Is there science behind sound baths?
While bearing little relation to the wet kind, sound baths – in which a practitioner uses a wand to strike gongs, Tibetan bowls and other ancient instruments – can be filed under the column marked ‘self-care’. ‘The electrical activity of your organs, brain, heart and central nervous system generates electromagnetic fields in your body,’ explains Helen Lavretsky, a professor in residence at UCLA’s department of psychiatry. This vibrational field, she says, reacts to other electromagnetic stimuli, such as music or other sounds. One small study found that an hour-long session with singing bowls lessened fatigue, anxiety, anger and tension while increasing feelings of wellbeing*. According to Professor Lavretsky, who studies the effect of such practices on depression in the elderly, the sounds can relax your muscles, cause your breathing to slow and your heart rate and blood pressure to drop. While it’s to be avoided if you’re pregnant or have a neurological condition such as epilepsy, it can be a shortcut to calm if you find meditating difficult. Since sound therapists don’t need a licence, Dr Lavretsky suggests asking for recommendations and listening to your body. ‘If you feel uncomfortable, it’s okay to leave,’ she adds. Sound advice.
Q Do I really need to floss daily?
In a word, yes. Especially now dentist appointments are up there with salad bags as things you didn’t appreciate until you couldn’t get one. Two-thirds of the population of England hadn’t seen a dentist between June 2020 and June 2022* and, in this context, taking personal responsibility for your oral he
