What is the reason for the heat in the palms and soles of feet

Many people are afraid of heat, especially in summer when the temperature is very high and they have to stay in air-conditioned rooms. However, some people experience hot hands and feet. In summer, their hands and feet are so hot that it feels like they have a fever. Not only that, even in winter, the palms and soles of the feet are very hot. In fact, this may be caused by some disease. Everyone must pay attention. If this happens, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital for examination. This article mainly introduces the common causes of hot palms and soles, which you can refer to briefly.

Fever in the palms and soles

Heat in hands, feet and heart: the name of a syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is a feeling of warmth in the palms. Depression caused by Yin deficiency, or heat. Internal injuries to the spleen and stomach will manifest themselves through heat in the palms and soles of the feet. In "On the Confusion between Internal and External Injuries", Dongyuan distinguished between internal injuries and external injuries. In "Distinguishing the Palms and Backs of the Hands", he pointed out that in cases of exogenous diseases, with simultaneous cold and heat, and heat on the backs of the hands but not on the palms, this is a sign that the evil is on the surface. In cases of internal injuries, with alternating cold and heat, the palms are often hot but the backs of the hands are not, which is a sign that the heat has damaged the vital energy. It can be seen from this that internal injuries to the spleen and stomach can cause symptoms of hot hands and feet.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the treatment of heat in the palms and soles is mostly based on the imbalance of yin and yang, liver depression and fever, damp-heat fumigation, spleen deficiency, and food stagnation. In clinical practice, better results can be achieved by following Dongyuan's method to treat hot palms and soles caused by internal injuries of the spleen and stomach.

Causes of fever in the palms and soles

1. Diseases caused by the pericardium

"Bu Ju Ji·Heat in the Palm" says: "The Laogong point in the palm is generated by the pericardium of the hand Jueyin. This meridian has less Qi and more blood. If it moves, it will cause heat in the palm."

2. Disharmony between Yin and Yang, deficiency of true Yin

The soles of the feet feel like they are being burned, the Yin is deficient, and the Yongquan point is also exhausted. The foot Shaoyin meridian runs from the center of the toes, toward the bone, along the inner ankle, to the Yongquan point. Qi and lack of blood, consumption of the body, deficiency of true yin, or pain in the heels.

3. Injury to the spleen and stomach, hot hands and feet

The pathogenesis of internal injury of the spleen and stomach is that the qi of the spleen and stomach is injured and the qi of the middle is insufficient, resulting in two changes: one is that the clear qi sinks and cannot rise, that is, the essence of water and grain cannot be transported to the spleen and return to the lungs, and go up to the yang channel. The qi of the heart and lungs has nothing to receive, and the qi of the blood and defense is also insufficient. The skin and pores have no yang qi to nourish them, and cannot protect the outside, which is what Dong Tan called "the qi of the spleen and stomach flows downward, so that the qi of grain cannot rise, and the order of growth cannot go on, and there is no yang to protect the blood and defense. It cannot withstand wind and cold, and then cold and heat occur" (see "On the Confusion of Internal and External Injuries" and "On Food and Fatigue"). The other is "Yin Fire" rushing upward, that is, the Qi in the middle sinks, and the water and grain cannot be transformed into essence, turning into dampness and turbidity, which flows between the kidneys, causing the Qi in the lower burner to fail to be transformed, and become stagnant and generate heat, becoming a blazing "Yin Fire", which will inevitably rush upward.

The Yin fire of the lower burner rushes upward, and the spleen and stomach in the middle burner are the first to be affected, forming a situation where the Yin fire takes advantage of the spleen and stomach, which is what Dongyuan called "the spleen and stomach qi is insufficient, and it goes downward. At its extreme, the fire of the Chong meridian goes against the flow and goes upward, and the invisible vital energy is affected" (see "On the Confusion of Internal and External Injuries·Differentiation of Yin and Yang Syndromes").

That is to say, the main pathological changes of its internal damage are: light cavalry sinking, on the other hand, Yin fire rushing, and abnormal rise and fall of Yin and Yang clarity and turbidity. And the limbs, hands and feet of the spleen and stomach, spleen and stomach full, warm limbs, spleen and stomach weak, cold limbs.

When the spleen and stomach are injured and the vital energy is insufficient, the Yin fire rushes upward, and the place where the Yang energy is abundant becomes a place filled with Yin fire, so symptoms of hot hands and feet appear. This is evidence that the disease is internal and the heat has damaged the vital energy. Of course, in addition to hot palms and soles, patients also have symptoms of insufficient Qi such as aversion to cold, laziness and love of lying down, heavy and tired limbs, shortness of breath and laziness to speak, poor appetite and loose stools, and weak pulse.

Syndrome differentiation and treatment

Injury to spleen and stomach

The pathogenesis of hot palms and soles is that heat damages the vital energy. Its treatment follows Dongyuan's method of "sweet and warm to remove heat", with Shengyang Sanhuo Decoction (see "Discussion on the Distinction of Internal and External Injuries") as the main prescription to disperse the depressed fire. The ingredients are: Cimicifuga, Pueraria lobata, Angelica dahurica, Notopterygium wilfordii, White Peony Root, Ginseng, Roasted Licorice, Bupleurum, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and Raw Licorice. This prescription uses the sweet and warm properties of ginseng and roasted licorice to invigorate qi; it also uses cimicifuga and bupleurum to raise the clear qi in the spleen and stomach and move it upward to the yang channel. It can also lead the sweet and warm aroma upward, allowing the vital energy to enrich the skin and fur, and the yang energy to protect the body and be strengthened. This is a treatment for the root cause.

At the same time, it is combined with Qianghuo, Duhuo, Fangfeng and other wind-clearing drugs. Dongyuan believes that: "The wind-clearing drugs can purge Yin fire and promote Yang Qi to nourish the liver and gallbladder, so that Yang Qi can be generated and come out of the Yin. Finally, pungent, sweet and warm drugs are used to connect with the ascending drugs, so that it can be greatly dispersed in the Yang and flow through the nine orifices" ("Discussion on the Spleen and Stomach·Discussion on the Victory and Decline of the Spleen and Stomach").

It is believed that "the combination of raising yang and invigorating qi can release the stagnation of spleen and earth, and also release the dryness and heat that is suppressed in the skin surface, so that the depressed ones can relax and the yin fire can disperse..." This part is the key medication of this prescription. Assisted with raw licorice, it can purge fire and relieve urgency; adding white peony root and ginseng can nourish the spleen and lungs, and combined with sweet medicine, it can transform yin and restrain yin. Ginseng is added to the medicine that promotes yang and disperses fire, which has the significance of restraining and regulating. The whole formula can be used together to harmonize the Ying and Wei systems, replenish the Yang channels, and relieve superficial heat.

Five Hearts of Heat

There is a feeling of heat in the heart and warmth in the soles of the hands and feet. See "Taiping Shenghui Fang·Prescriptions for Treating Bone Steaming and Heat Disorders". It is mostly caused by yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire, insufficient blood in the heart, or unclear heat and internal accumulation of heat after illness. It is one of the common symptoms of diseases such as asthenia, fatigue and tuberculosis. The treatment should be to nourish yin and reduce fire, clear away heat and nourish yin, clear the liver and regulate the spleen, etc. The prescriptions such as Qinggu Powder, Shengma Powder, Qianjin Zhuye Decoction, Xiaoyao Powder, and Fuling Buxin Decoction can be used. For those with fire that is depressed and needs to be released, use Huo Yu Tang with modifications.

Preventive Care

For people with Yin deficiency constitution: thin body, flushed face, dry mouth and throat, occasional irritability, hot hands and feet, lack of sleep, dry stool, yellow urine, intolerance to spring and summer, preference for cold drinks, thin and rapid pulse, red tongue with little coating. Kidney yin deficiency manifests itself in symptoms such as back pain, dizziness, tinnitus, and scanty menstruation in women.

Its preventive health care principle

1. Mental care

People with this constitution have a more impatient temperament and are often upset and easily angered. This is due to yin deficiency and excessive fire, which disturbs the spirit. Therefore, they should follow the spirit-nourishing method of "tranquility and emptiness" and "keeping the spirit within" as stated in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. In daily work, avoid arguing with others over non-principle issues to reduce anger, and avoid participating in entertainment activities that involve competing for victory or defeat. Go to the countryside to rest and stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city

2. Environmental Adjustment

People of this type are mostly thin, and thin people have a lot of heat, often with hot hands and feet, dry mouth and throat, fear of heat and like coolness, easily get through the cold winter, and feel uncomfortable in the hot summer, so they should pay attention to avoiding the heat in the hot summer.

3. Diet adjustment

You should preserve Yin and suppress Yang, eat light food, and stay away from greasy, dry and strong foods. You can eat more light foods such as sesame, glutinous rice, honey, dairy products, sugarcane, fish, etc., and eat less spicy foods such as onion, ginger, garlic, leek, scallion, and pepper.

In addition, if you experience symptoms of Yin deficiency such as hot palms and soles, irritability, dry mouth, insomnia, and night sweats, you can choose foods that nourish Yin, clear heat, nourish the heart and calm the nerves, such as millet, barley, wheat, corn, and red beans among grains; cabbage, winter melon, cucumber, seaweed, and tofu among vegetables; pears, watermelons, lilies, lotus seeds, and jujubes among fruits; and white duck, goose, crucian carp, turtle, clams among meats.

Through the introduction above, I believe everyone has a more comprehensive understanding of the situation of hot palms and feet. Hot palms and feet are still a common situation in our lives. I hope the above article can help everyone. I wish you all a healthy body.