Why Feeling Cold All the Time Is Not Just “Normal”
If you are the person in the room reaching for a sweater while everyone else is comfortable, Chinese medicine is quietly taking notes. In our clinical world, body temperature matters far more than most people realize.
In Chinese medicine, temperature patterns reflect the functional warmth or cooling influence of the body’s metabolic and circulatory systems.
That may sound abstract, but it plays out in very practical ways. Chronic cold hands and feet, sluggish digestion, painful periods relieved by heat, fatigue that improves under a blanket, or a preference for iced drinks even in winter all tell a story. Chinese medicine does not treat “degrees on a thermometer” so much as the internal balance of warmth and circulation that supports digestion, immunity, hormone regulation, and overall resilience.
When we say body temperature matters, we mean that your lived experience of cold or heat often reveals deeper patterns affecting your health.
Cold vs. Heat Patterns: What Are We Actually Looking For?
Patients often ask whether they are “too cold” or “too hot.” In Chinese medicine, this is not about personality. It is about physiology.
A cold pattern often shows up as:
- Cold hands and feet
- Low energy
- Loose stools or bloating
- Cramping relieved by warmth
- Clear, frequent urination
A heat pattern may include:
- Feeling warm or flushed
- Night sweats
- Irritability
- Inflammatory skin issues
- Thirst for cold drinks
These patterns influence digestion, gut health, inflammation, and immunity. If the digestive system lacks adequate warmth, it struggles to transform food into usable energy. That can mean bloating, fatigue, and compromised immune function.
This is one reason body temperature matters in acupuncture treatment plans. We are assessing whether your system needs gentle warming support, cooling regulation, or better circulation to distribute heat evenly.
Why Do So Many Women Run Cold?
Many women report feeling cold, especially in their hands, feet, and lower abdomen. There are several reasons for this.
First, hormonal fluctuations affect circulation. Estrogen influences vascular tone, which partly explains why women can feel colder at certain times of the cycle or during perimenopause. Second, chronic stress can shift blood flow away from the core and toward muscles, compromising digestion and reproductive function. Third, dieting and overexercising, which we see frequently in driven, high-achieving women, can deplete metabolic warmth over time.
In fertility care, body temperature matters because uterine blood flow and hormonal signaling are closely tied to circulation. A persistently cold lower abdomen, painful periods relieved by heat, or a basal body temperature that remains low in the luteal phase can indicate a pattern we address with warming acupuncture protocols, moxibustion, and targeted herbal formulas.
Case Study #1: A 34-year-old woman with infertility and cold feet year-round began weekly acupuncture and moxibustion. Within three months, her cycles lengthened slightly, cramps reduced, and her luteal temperatures stabilized. She conceived naturally shortly thereafter.
How Warming Treatments Improve Circulation and Digestion
Warming does not mean aggressive heat. It means restoring appropriate metabolic activity and blood flow.
Acupuncture increases microcirculation and modulates the nervous system. Moxibustion, the gentle warming of acupuncture points with mugwort, enhances local blood flow and supports digestive and reproductive function. Herbal formulas can stimulate metabolic activity and reduce cold-related stagnation.
Case Study #2: A 46-year-old man with chronic loose stools and low energy reported always feeling chilled, even in mild weather. After six weeks of acupuncture focused on digestive warmth and circulation, his bowel movements normalized and his afternoon energy improved. His immune resilience improved as well, with fewer seasonal infections.
Case Study #3: A 29-year-old woman with painful periods that improved dramatically with heating pads responded well to warming acupuncture and herbal therapy. Over four cycles, her pain decreased by more than half, and her reliance on medication dropped significantly.
These are not miracles. They are examples of how circulation, digestion, and inflammation shift when we correct an underlying temperature imbalance.
How Do You Know If This Applies to You?
You do not need to diagnose yourself. You do need to notice patterns.
Do you:
- Prefer hot drinks and showers year-round?
- Feel better with warmth and worse with cold exposure?
- Experience digestive sluggishness or bloating?
- Have menstrual pain eased by heat?
These clues help us determine whether your system needs warming, cooling, or balancing support. When body temperature matters in your case, treatment is tailored to your constitution and symptoms, not to a generic protocol.
Chinese medicine respects complexity. It does not assume that every cold person needs more ginger or that every warm person needs to “cool off.” We assess circulation, digestion, inflammation, immunity, and stress patterns together.
Ready to Restore Normal Body Temperature?
If you suspect your internal thermostat is off, acupuncture can help clarify and correct the pattern. Our goal is not to make you sweat or shiver. It is to restore comfortable circulation, steady digestion, balanced hormones, and resilient immunity.
At Raleigh Acupuncture Associates, we have helped thousands of patients address chronic coldness, inflammatory heat patterns, fertility concerns, and digestive imbalances through individualized treatment plans grounded in evidence-informed Chinese medicine.
If you are curious whether your temperature pattern is affecting your health, schedule an evaluation with us today. Let us take your sweater situation seriously.
Your body is speaking. We are here to listen.
About Raleigh Acupuncture Associates
At Raleigh Acupuncture Associates, we provide evidence-informed acupuncture in Raleigh, NC, with a strong foundation in compassion, clinical integrity, and respect for every patient. Our licensed acupuncturists bring advanced training in acupuncture, dry needling, and musculoskeletal care, offering individualized treatments tailored to your specific needs.
We welcome patients from all backgrounds and walks of life and strive to create a calm, inclusive environment that supports healing and whole-person wellness. Whether you are seeking relief from pain, muscle tension, sports injuries, or stress-related conditions, our goal is to help you feel better, move better, and live better—through thoughtful, professional acupuncture care you can trust.
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Focus Keyphrase: Body Temperature Matters
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What our Clients are Saying
Jade is the best!! I went from having 10-15 hot flashes a day…. Now I might get one every now and then. I’m so happy.
My husband used to be the furnace in bed every night and I was always freezing. When I turned 50 I became the furnace, and I was not happy about it! I was on my way to get hormone replacement when I got to reading about possible side effects. With that option gone, I turned to acupuncture. My niece had gone to Raleigh Acupuncture for migraines and raved about it, so I made an appointment. Holy smoke! This stuff really works!! It didn’t take but two visits before I started feeling cooler. By the time they got done with me I was back to my normal “always cold” self! Ladies, you owe it to yourselves to try this.
At 45 I started going through menopause. My periods became irregular for the first time in my life, with much more heavy bleeding and painful cramping. I started getting hot flashes and night sweats, was more irritable, and generally did not feel well. I read how acupuncture could treat menopausal syndrome (which I seemed to fit to the tee) and looked around for a practitioner. Raleigh Acupuncture seemed to have a lot of experience in this area so I gave them a try. They treated me for three months and dramatically reduced my symptoms. They used the acupuncture and chinese herbs. I am amazed at how good I feel, even better than before this trouble started in the first place. I never would have thought that acupuncture could make such positive changes in my health.
I went through menopause 10 years ago and was still having hot flashes and night sweats. I thought it would last the rest of my life. Then I tried acupuncture and within two months they were gone. Thank you Raleigh Acupuncture!
I’ve been going to Raleigh Acupuncture for 4+ years. I first went to them because I was having problems with my monthly period lasting two weeks or more, hot flashes that were extreme, and all over pain from fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition. I was in a state of depression and despair, unable to work, or do things I love to do, like working in my yard. On a good day, I could perform simple household chores, perhaps a little yoga, and that was all. My first few visits brought relief from hot flashes, terrible neck pain, and wrap-around pain in my ribs that restricted my ability to breathe comfortably. I felt this was a miracle as I had suffered for many years, and had no idea it was so easily remedied. This miraculous ride continued as I took Chinese herbs for aiding my menopausal symptoms, sinus problems, anxiety, and general pain. As time went on I began to depend on Raleigh Acupuncture for psychological strengthening as well. Nowhere else have I found anyone that really listens to what I have to say without thinking I was crazy. Today, as I sit and reflect, I am about to graduate from an intense two year program for Landscape Architecture Technology. I took a huge leap when I signed up for full-time classes when I was 50 years old. I have enjoyed great success, making one B in 64 credit hours, the rest were A’s! In February of 2011, I was in a car accident where I was sandwiched between a van and a school bus. I was able to continue school and finish the semester, I believe because of my acupuncture treatments. I contribute most of my academic success, emotional well-being, and diminished pain to Raleigh Acupuncture.
