Why my clinic is always busy on cold days
My clinic is rammed when there’s a drop in temperature. It’s a fact: temperature change does affect your body. Especially when you have a preexisting condition like arthritis.
Specifically, cold weather takes a toll on people because when there’s decreased barometric pressure, there’s an increased amount of pressure in your body. This can cause irritation to joints, muscles and nerves.
Of all my patients that come in because of cold weather pain, about 80 per cent of them feel it in their low back. Another common place to feel the pain is in the knees. This is because these are weight bearing joints.
So, what can be done?
1. Warm up before you go outside
About an hour before braving the winter weather, apply heat to areas that typically get irritated. It’s ideal to use moist heat (like a wet cloth or a hot water bottle). Other ways to warm up is to take a bath or boot up the home sauna, if you have one! This will help increase blood circulation to the areas that need it most.
2. Dress warmly when you go out
It sounds simple, but it helps prevent your body from feeling the effects of the temperature swing. Cover your head, hand and wear a scarf. It goes a long way! Also, wear extra layers over the areas that usually irritate you.
3. Try a topical treatment, like Dr. D’s Super 7TM
If you’ve been outside for a while, things stiffen up naturally. Once you come back inside, you want to increase blood circulation again.I developed Dr. D’s Super 7TM not only for symptomatic relief, but also to help increase circulation. Some of the ingredients (like peppermint, menthol and eucalyptus) are known as circulation enhancers and promote blood flow. Many of my patients apply the ointment before bed and find that they sleep better and wake up feeling less stiff.