Moving To A Warmer Climate And Stress

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
Has anyone moved or considered moving to a warmer climate in order to prevent feeling incredibly cold much of the time and to raise body temp? And also to get more sun exposure.

I have hypothyroid and Raynauds syndrome. I am pretty much always extremely cold, right down to the bone. I am taking meds and lifestyle measures to keep my hormones in check but I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to the point of being nice and toasty warm all or even most of the time. I don't know if the meds will work or if the RAy Peat diet suggestions will help...
has anyone had the experience of going from always cold/low body temp to being warm/98.6F+ even in cold climates?

Moving to a warmer climate would cause stress due to being in an unfamiliar environment, being away from family and longtime friends, also finding a new job etc., but it would decrease stress caused by being cold, not getting sunlight, not getting fresh ripe fruit, etc. It's quite a toss up. I do have a sister who lives in Hawaii so I could probably make it happen. Although, at the present time I'm too sick to even function at a normal level; I've had to move in with my parents so that they could help me out through this.

I thought this forum might be a good place to ask this question because most people I know personally have no idea how miserable it is to be relentlessly cold all the time, so maybe someone on this forum can relate. Warm clothes help of course but they don't keep my hands and face warm, even warm socks can't keep my toes from a Raynauds attack.
 

marcar72

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Messages
660
Location
Tucson, AZ
Yes, I've moved to Tucson, AZ for two years a few years ago. I pretty much totally winged it. I lined up an apartment before I went, but that's all I did before making the move. The whole moving to a new area thing was really exciting. Once I got to Tucson I got settled in and found a job and was working within like 5 weeks. I love the weather there! They say "it's a dry heat"... like an oven, hehe. Winters are very mild out there, it maybe gets below freezing a handful of times in the dead of the night during winter. Well needless to say I lost my job during the economic downfall without much savings and decided to move back to the midwest. I have that Raynauds sometimes too and it's annoying. I still plan to make it back to Tucson sometime soon, hell I might this year when the weather starts getting cold. Most likely though it'll be a few years down the line. When I go this time I DO NOT want to come back!! :lol:
 

honeybee

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Messages
331
I also live in a desert environment. It gets very hot here during the summer, but we have 4 seasons so its nice to experience them all. Winters are short. I think the best part about it is the 360 days of sunshine we get here (no exagerration). When I visit other places where the climate is rainy-I really appreciate what we have in weather here. Anyway, its not magic-you won't overcome your health problems just by weather-but it certainly helps.
 

HDD

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
2,075
I live in a sunny climate and always felt I couldn't survive in the north. I get cold in air conditioning at 78 degrees. This has improved so much. I used to wear sweaters in public places because I would freeze. I can go to a movie now without wearing long pants, socks and shoes, plus sweater. I love being warmer. We had a few cold winters here a couple of years ago and I didn't think I would ever warm up. Cold to the bone as you stated. I can't even stand cold water. I don't like to swim until the water temperature is upper 80's.

Hawaii would be tempting. I believe the weather there is perfect all the time.
 

Asimov

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
162
Remember that all the places with truly nice, non-stressful weather year round have already been found by everyone else a hundred years ago. That induces it's own new type of stress (overcrowding, expensive, bureaucratic nightmares). You have to evaluate whether the non-stressful weather of San Diego for example is worth dealing with the sky high rents, horrific traffic, and miserable rules when starting your own business.

I've lived in just about every weather environment on Earth except for sub-arctic and I can say, for the most part, your body is pretty good at adjusting to temperature differences. From my limited knowledge about Raynaud's, it's rarely primary. Most likely there's another contributing factor other than you just being intolerant of cold. Are you on any meds? Do you have scleroderma, lupus, RA or any other auto-immune disorders?
 
OP
Zpol

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
I've had Raynaud's since I was 15 (now 35). As far as I know I do not have any of those other disorders that you mentioned Asimov. But I've never been tested for them. I do have Hypothyroid though.

From what I've read, it is possible for people to increase their metabolism enough to be quite toasty all the time.
But only from anecdotal stories and theories. I was kind of hoping someone on this forum would say that it's true and a combo of Ray Peat's diet and thyroid supp.'s would cause it. I love Wisconsin and would like to stay here but arg... I just get so cold.

Cold is a major stressor but yes moving to the tropics would be too. So maybe I'll just focus on trying to find ways to stay warm.

I do know building muscle will so that's a plus. But how do I do strength training without causing catabolism and lactic acid build up?
 

HDD

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
2,075
Sorry I was not clear in my post Zpol. I am definitely warmer since I have been eating a Peat inspired diet. In fact, I get hot and perspire way more than ever. My point I was making about the movies and public places is that I don't need sweaters (in summer weather) anymore. I have attained this through diet and supplements. I have only used the otc supplement for thyroid. I have certain times of day when my mood is very happy. These are clearly a result of the changes I have made. I am still adjusting my diet and supplements to get to a place where I don't have to think about it so much. I may need the thyroid medication to attain that goal.
 

Asimov

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2013
Messages
162
Zpol said:
I do know building muscle will so that's a plus. But how do I do strength training without causing catabolism and lactic acid build up?
Simple weight training is effective and healthy for almost everyone. Modification of workouts to be only concentric load bearing will make it even better (only go "uphill" with the weights, and drop them before you have to go "down").
 

Jenn

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
1,035
Coffee with sugar and gelatin, homemade french fries are my "get warm" foods. Chicken neck broth warms me to my toes.... or a small bite of Cynomel. Coconut oil applied on my legs and torso help too.
 
OP
Zpol

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
Wow, that's great Haagendazendiane. Makes me more hopeful.

I have read a bit about concentric weight lifting. I'll have to look into it a bit more.
I dated a body builder once, I remember he never wore a coat, not even in the middle of winter. It's like he had an internal furnace. Actually, he did eat a primarily Peatesqe diet without even realizing it at the time.

Thanks Jenn; you always chime in with excellent tips! Coffee, sugar, plus cheese do work for me, but only for and hour or 2. I do take a bit of Cynomel (I also take it in the morning) in the early evening when I'm the coldest but it doesn't help. I'll try the coconut thing. Do you go to a butcher to get chicken necks? do chicken necks have less PUFA than the muscle meat, is that why you use the neck?
 

HDD

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
2,075
Do you use light therapy? I have a heat lamp to sit under. In the winter, I took it wherever I was sitting in my house to keep me warm. Now, I use it next to bed before I go to sleep. It is an inexpensive bulb that I picked up at Walmart.
 

Jenn

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
1,035
Zpol said:
Wow, that's great Haagendazendiane. Makes me more hopeful.

I have read a bit about concentric weight lifting. I'll have to look into it a bit more.
I dated a body builder once, I remember he never wore a coat, not even in the middle of winter. It's like he had an internal furnace. Actually, he did eat a primarily Peatesqe diet without even realizing it at the time.

Thanks Jenn; you always chime in with excellent tips! Coffee, sugar, plus cheese do work for me, but only for and hour or 2. I do take a bit of Cynomel (I also take it in the morning) in the early evening when I'm the coldest but it doesn't help. I'll try the coconut thing. Do you go to a butcher to get chicken necks? do chicken necks have less PUFA than the muscle meat, is that why you use the neck?

The neck of the chicken contains its thyroid organ and is still intact just because of how it is butchered. A cows thyroid is usually tossed as part of the offal.

Reynold's syndrome was explained to me as a starch issue, basically starch getting into the blood stream and depositing in the external parts, like fingers and toes, clogging the circulation.

Yes, sometimes I need to eat/drink just a little coffee with gelatin or french fries every few hours to stay warm in winter. Cynomel is also most effective every couple of hours, I split it up into 6-8 pieces through out the day. I wear long sleeves and a windbreaker in other people's A/C. Handling too cold or too hot is definitely heal able and connected with metabolism.

An infared sauna REALLY works for getting the bones warm too. I have one but forget to use it as it is in the basement. It a little boring and not as comfortable sitting up in for very long. It gets use more often as a tornado shelter. :roll:
 

HDD

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
2,075
Edward posted about how when he sat working for a while in one place, he would begin to feel colder(may not have details correct here). He would get up and maybe take a short walk or do something different to get warmer.

I now can tell when my temperature is not 98+ because I feel chilly. I then take some sort of action to warm up.




"A slight decrease in temperature can promote inflammation (Matsui, et al., 2006). The thermogenic substances--dietary protein, sodium, sucrose, thyroid and progesterone--are antiinflammatory for many reasons, but very likely the increased temperature itself is important."

"Protein, salt, thyroid, and progesterone happen to be thermogenic, increasing heat production and stabilizing body temperature at a higher level. Prolactin and estrogen lower the temperature set-point."

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/salt.shtml
 
OP
Zpol

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
All good tips. I really got to get a heat lamp.

But I guess my problem times are when I'm on the go. You know running errands, playing with my nieces, visiting friends and family, scraping snow/ice off my car, shoveling etc.

Exercise does help but for me it takes about 20min of intense exercise before I start feeling warm.

I could easily drink more coffee. But how much is too much? If I drink too much on a regular basis I get headaches if I have to go without it (I try to prevent this but it happens on occasion).

Also, how do I know how much cynomel is enough/too much?

Usually eating makes me feel colder.

"A slight decrease in temperature can promote inflammation (Matsui, et al., 2006). The thermogenic substances--dietary protein, sodium, sucrose, thyroid and progesterone--are antiinflammatory for many reasons, but very likely the increased temperature itself is important."

It is for this reason that I think a warmer climate would be hugely beneficial.
There's lots of little things I can do here and there but I often don't have a lot of control over my day, especially at work. It's a real toss up.. either try to constantly have coffee, cynomel, thermogenic foods, heat lamp, several layers of clothes, hand and foot heaters on hand at all times, plus organize life in order to have time to implement all these, or, live in a warm climate were the cost of living would be higher, have to find a new job, probably deal with more traffic, etc.

There's lot of good points about each, but listing them would make this post even longer.

As for Raynaud's... that's interesting about the starch. I have quit eating starches now so hopefully that will help.
 

charlie

Admin
The Law & Order Admin
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Messages
14,363
Location
USA
Zpol said:
Also, how do I know how much cynomel is enough/too much?

Here is a thread on supplementing thyroid:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=442

You need to track your temps and pulse so you can know how to adjust your dosage. Also watching out for stress hormone indicators because you can push them up too much and you will need to back down on the dose a bit until the body can level out. Stress hormones indicators can be, anxiety, too hot, sweaty, sleep disturbed and hard to go to sleep, foamy pee, irritable, etc.
 

Jenn

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
1,035
You sound like me.

If you get cold after eating, it could be due to overeating or due to the adrenals finally turning off and your body temp dropping to normal (which is too low). Overeating just means not being able to digest it properly and in a timely manner, not an indicator of volume.

A warmer climate can certainly be beneficial. A relative of mine lives in CA, has Raynaud's and still gets too cold. So you would still need to address the underlying issue. She did well in Costa Rica. Sometimes just taking a vacation to a warmer climate for 2 weeks helps too.
 

gretchen

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
816
I live in a warm, dry climate and would never move somewhere cold. I actually lived in a colder climate for a few years in the 2000s and strongly disliked it. Even the few months of cold where I am now is a bother so I may at some point be looking at AZ also.........

Peat mentions that environments can be important in terms of a person's well-being so that is something to consider. The American SW different from the rest of the States; a lot of Hispanics (who like to speak Hispanic :D ) and crime, but also arguably the best weather and cheap cost of living. It all depends on what's most important to you and what will make you happiest. I prefer this area to the rest of the country, but I've also lived here most of my life.
 
OP
Zpol

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
If you get cold after eating, it could be due to overeating or due to the adrenals finally turning off and your body temp dropping to normal (which is too low). Overeating just means not being able to digest it properly and in a timely manner, not an indicator of volume.

Hmmm... yea probably a bit of both. I do suspect I have some problem with my adrenals; that might explain why thyroid meds work for me but only for a short time then I go back to feeling worse than before (I read that on the Stop the thyroid madness website, that malfunctioning adrenals could cause this; don't if that's the case for sure though).

Peat mentions that environments can be important in terms of a person's well-being

I completely agree with this... Just gotta figure out which place would more conducive to well-being!

But first I gotta get to higher level of functioning. For the last year I've been living with my parents because I just feel so awful so often; they've been a big help.
 

G Forrest

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2016
Messages
85
I recently moved from SoCal to the southeast. It is way colder in the fall here in the south than I anticipated. However, there is a trade-off in stress. It is extremely expensive to live where I lived in SoCal especially with kids. Add in tons of people everywhere, congestion, traffic, jerky drivers, smog, dog-eat-dog mentality, etc. There is a little more ease to living in the south, the DMV for example is a lot more seamless and less stressful, little things like that. Also, depending on where you live, the surroundings can be pretty drab with suburban sprawl in certain areas of CA. That said, I still long for the year-round warm sunshine. So I don't know if there is an easy solution. To be honest I feel like I am slowly recovering from 10 years of struggle living in the rat race where I used to live. So maybe a more mellow environment is good for me right now. Warmer climates are beneficial, just be sure your situation is well balanced and that you are not struggling to make ends meet within urban stressors. Having supportive extended family helps.
 
OP
Zpol

Zpol

Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
929
Age
45
I recently moved from SoCal to the southeast. It is way colder in the fall here in the south than I anticipated. However, there is a trade-off in stress. It is extremely expensive to live where I lived in SoCal especially with kids. Add in tons of people everywhere, congestion, traffic, jerky drivers, smog, dog-eat-dog mentality, etc. There is a little more ease to living in the south, the DMV for example is a lot more seamless and less stressful, little things like that. Also, depending on where you live, the surroundings can be pretty drab with suburban sprawl in certain areas of CA. That said, I still long for the year-round warm sunshine. So I don't know if there is an easy solution. To be honest I feel like I am slowly recovering from 10 years of struggle living in the rat race where I used to live. So maybe a more mellow environment is good for me right now. Warmer climates are beneficial, just be sure your situation is well balanced and that you are not struggling to make ends meet within urban stressors. Having supportive extended family helps.

SE sounds nice, even though it's cooler. Im in Wisconsin, so it's especially crappy during winter here. I'd have to leave all my family and friends in order to move to a warmer climate. My sister lives in Hawaii, on Ohau, but it's the same situation there as your past situation in SoCal. I wouldn't be able to afford the supp's I need and quality organic, grass fed food if I lived there. Im staying in Wisconsin for now, maybe when I retire I can manage to get to warm sunny place for a few weeks during winter at least!
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom