Fight Back Against Raynaud’s

 

Raynaud’s is a rare disorder that affects the arteries. It is sometimes called a disease, syndrome, or phenomenon. The disorder is marked by brief episodes of narrowing of the blood vessels. This narrowing reduces blood flow to the fingers and toes. In people who have Raynaud’s, the disorder usually affects the fingers. When Raynaud’s appears to “piggy-back” a primary disease is known as Raynaud’s phenomenon or secondary Raynaud’s.

Cold temperatures or stressful emotions can trigger Raynaud’s attacks. During an attack, little or no blood flows to affected body parts. As a result, the skin may turn white and then blue for a short time. As blood flow returns, the affected areas may turn red and may throb, tingle, burn, or feel numb. Even mild or brief changes in temperature can cause attacks. For example, taking something out of the freezer or being exposed to temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit can cause your fingers to turn blue.

A majority of the cases of Raynaud’s appear after another autoimmune disease, such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and others.  While there is no way to prevent Raynaud’s from occurring, there are some basic steps you can take when it strikes.

  • Eat iron rich foods.  Lack of iron can affect your thyroid metabolism which regulates body heat.  Good sources include poultry, lean red meat, fish and leafy green vegetables.
  • Don’t smoke.  Just the action of lighting a cigarette puts your fingers in direct line of cold air.  As the nicotine passes through your arteries, it constricts the blood vessels, causing a flare up.
  • Don’t stress.  Stress can have the same effect on the body as cold regarding to the fight or flight phenomenon.  Blood is pulled from the extremities to fuel more important organs such as the brain for faster reaction time.
  • Drink up.  Dehydration can reduce your blood volume.  Give your system an extra boost by drinking warm teas or broth.
  • De-caffeinate yourself.  Coffee and other caffeinated beverages constrict blood vessels therefore leading to a stronger chance of a Raynaud’s flare up.
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  • Grace

    I have primary. but i got it pretty badly. need 90 degree weather year-round.

  • Wendy

    I have Lupus, hypothyroid, raynaud’s, & started taking Biosil for my hair loss. Now my blood tests are saying I have scleroderma. I was reading that you can get it from exposure to silicon, & that’s the main ingredient in Biosil! Any thoughts?

  • Shannon

    I know this is an old post, but I must share my story with whomever may read this in the future. I was diagnosed (dx) with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) February 23, 2012 after a major Raynaud’s attack that put me in the ED. I was very sick. Swollen, puffy fingers, pain in all my joints… I couldn’t walk across a room because of the stabbing pain in my feet. And the fatigue was debilitating. I thought for sure that my life as I knew it was over. I was right, in a way.

    I began to do research on how to protect myself against the skin and organ hardening that my first rheumatologist told me was inevitable and incurable. I discovered information about the inflammation process and a specific inflammatory hormone that was linked to a more severe manifestation of SSc. The inflammatory hormone is a cytokine called interleukin-6 (IL-6) and it would be found deposited in the fibrotic lesions in large amounts. The worse the severity of the sclerosis, the higher the concentration of IL-6. So I researched how to lower my blood levels of IL-6.

    I read that dairy and wheat products raise IL-6 significantly. Blueberries lower it significantly. As does fish oil, which suppresses IL-6 by 90%. We know that stress aggravates Raynaud’s but did you know stress raises levels of IL-6? But yoga has been proven to reduce these levels. It has also been proven that anything less than 8 hours of sleep increases IL-6 but 8 hours or more is very protective against stress and inflammation. Also, there are herbs that help keep inflammation at bay such as turmeric.

    I made most of these changes. I went dairy and gluten free and saw instant relief. I also lost 15 lbs immediately without working out. I went on to lose another 10 lbs without difficulty going from a size 10 to a size 4. I began to stretch and meditate to control my stress. I also began to sleep 8 hours a night without apology. I simply adjusted my schedule to make room for it. I have two young boys with special needs but it is still possible to take good care of myself. In fact it is vitally important. Although I haven’t started fish oil, I do enjoy blueberries and turmeric as often as possible. I also use organic extra virgin coconut oil for cooking, as a moisturizer, and I eat it straight out of the jar. It is incredibly good for you and your skin. It is even vanishing my stretch marks.l

    Now… for what this did for me from the perspective of my rheumatologist…

    Within 5 months I had gone from a dx of SSc to a dx of Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease because although I have a couple of markers including the Raynaud’s and anticentromere antibodies common to SSc… I do not have ANY skin hardening. And my echo and pulmonary function tests are normal. But… last year, the skin on my fingers was so thick that I could prick myself with a pin and wouldn’t draw blood. My forehead had absolutely started to thicken. And I had been losing mobility in my hands. When I changed my diet and lifestyle I changed my prognosis. I was told yesterday that although I should be monitored for a while she anticipates that I have a less than 10% chance of developing full blown autoimmune disease.

    My latest endeavor is to rid myself of the Raynaud’s. I was fairly dehydrated so I began drinking a gallon of water every day and since then, even though it is winter in New England I haven’t had any signs of white or blue hands or feet. In fact they feel warmer and are a wonderful rosy color. Can I suggest to you that you begin to drink adequate amounts of water to improve your blood flow and volume? My next goal is to see my antibodies disappear. I believe it is possible. I believe it is not necessary to live in pain or fear. If we give our bodies the fuel they need to heal themselves they will.

    Good luck and good health!

  • Jeffrey manmiller

    Recently diagnosed with raynauds. Waiting for bloodwork to find out which type I have.

  • Katherine Chandler

    I have Raynaud’s too, secondary to Multiple Sclerosis.

  • Teresa Floyd

    Thank you for this little article. I wish there were more written about this. My Raynauds is secondary to Systemic Scleroderma and Sjogrens. In 2003 my Raynauds got so bad that I was getting ulcerations on my fingers and was at risk of amputations. I ended up having surgeries on both hands and wrists to create little bypasses to get the bloodflow to improve to my fingers. That helped so much. Before the surgery if I hit my finger I would cry because I knew I would get an ulceration that would hurt for months. I also have to watch my feet because the same thing can happen to my toes. I also wish you had more stories about dealing with scleroderma. Scleroderma means “Hard Skin”. Mine effects my heart, lungs and kidneys. Primarily my kidneys at this time. I have spent the past 24 of my 43 years on this earth battling this and now have had to quit work because of the horrible pain and tremendous fatigue I deal with on a daily basis. I would love to hear from any of your readers that deal with anything simular. My family does not understand me and I feel they resent my “Flares”. I have given them all a copy of your “Spoon Theory”. Since that time my mother moved away she could not be my health care support because she is on Oxygen with COPD. Since she moved away my husband has tried to step up and help out and is beginning to understand that there are times I just cannot get out of bed for days. At first he threatened to put me in a nursing home. That seemed very cruel to a 40 year old person. But I was willing to accept it. He is finally accepting this and is really trying.

  • Terrie Williams

    to Nancy…i take BioSil from a natural food store in my area (Myrtle Beach…but you can find it online) my hair is growing back AND I have the longest & strongest nails I’ve ever had in my life (:o) Give it a shot!

  • Colleen

    I have Raynauds as well. They say it goes with autoimmune system disease and I have Sjogrens.

    I find it hugely painful in the mornings….my hands go from hurting to a burning sensation to numbness. They go from a blueish white, then turn white and then after a while (could be 2 hours), they turn really red. It’s weird.

    Sometimes I just drop something – no rhyme or reason that I can think of. Your hands go numb and you don’t even feel it drop out.

    You know there are times I think “Where the hell did all these diseases come from, we never had them that I know of”.

    Do what you have to do sweetie and just worry about comfort, not fashion.

    God Bless……Colleen

  • It also causes ridged and brittle fingernails. Fatigue can bring it on as well as stress. I’ve had it for several years. I have to wear 2 pairs of gloves whenever I go out. When I told my rheumatologist that I had it (I also have lupus) He said, “Goes with the territory.”

  • Lacey colabelli

    I think its funny they say don’t stress!!!

  • Jodi

    These are great tips. I’ve been dealing with Raynauds since childhood, although I didn’t know that there was a name for it until I was in my late 20’s. Just by quitting smoking my Raynauds reduced by about 70%. It’s been even better since I moved to texas, but the heat causes my lupus to flare and make me curl up in pain. We’ll see what happens when I move back to Ohio this winter.