Treating Cold Hands and Feet Gingerly

For a winter warmer, try drinking ginger tea before gomg outside in those coldest winter months, or take a 500-mg ginger capsule in the morning. Benefits to circulation accrue over time, not right away, so ginger is a good habit to get into.

In addition to taking supplements, try using it as a seasoning in vegetables and soups-or stir a slice into your tea.

Treat with Good Hands- Your Own

Borrowing a tip from Ayurvedic healers of India, you can give your circulation (and possibly your immune system) a boost with self­massage, using sesame oil. This self-massage is said to promote energy flow by stimulating certain points on the body that are similar to acupuncture points. Using sesame oil adds an antioxidant boost.

Here’s how to perform the self-massage:

Fill a squeeze bottle with sesame oil and plunge it into a sinkful of hot tap water to warm it.

Strip down, place a towel over a chair and sit down.

Massage the oil into your skin, from the head down. Use the balls, not heels, of the hands as your applicators (that is the place where the fingers meet your palms). Make smooth, long strokes down the arms and legs, circular rubs over your head, joints, abdomen and chest. Avoid the genitals, and use long strokes over as much of the back as you can reach. Spend extra time on toes and

A Hot, Hot Soak

Chase away the winter chills with a well-seasoned bath. Stir a teaspoon or two of cayenne pepper or spicy ginger powder into your bath­water and soak.

One warning: The oils in cayenne and ginger will generate heat in the water which could make the bath too hot to handle if mixed with very warm water.