Raynaud's Syndrome
Help For Those Ice Cold Fingers
Normally when the body senses cold extremities, it pumps out extra blood to warm things up. With Raynaud's, somehow the signal gets mixed up; the body kicks in its survival mechanisms and tries to ward off hypothermia by cutting off blood supply to the hands and feet.
The brain wants to protect the body’s core temperature, so it cuts back circulation to the extremities. This is of course the equivalent of killing a flea with a sledgehammer. The immediate results are icy cold hands and feet, with corpse like blue fingers being common. Triggers for Raynaud’s syndrome are usually emotional stress or exposure to cold, which is contrasted by Raynaud’s disease in which there is no known common trigger. For Raynaud’s syndrome, the reaction may occur with something as mild as walking into an air-conditioned building or swimming in cold water.
The trick with Raynaud's is two fold: first to retrain the body not to react in that manner, and secondly to increase the vascular (blood) flow to the extremities
Retraining the Body-Mind
Retraining can be a little labour intensive. One method, is when the hands first start getting cold, to run them under warm water to try and reverse the process. It is thought over time that the body learns not to react so dramatically. Of course warm water is not always around, so this is not always the easiest method. Other ways include the conscious act of circulating energy. Everyone has energy circulating through them, and the goal of many eastern traditions is to control the flow of that energy. Learning to control the flow of energy and blood into your hands and feet is possible with practice. The big trick is not to tense up, and instead picture the heat traveling down the limbs and warming the hand or foot. Practicing with a bio-feedback machine can aid in this process.
Alternatively, learning to do a channelled healing modality such as Reiki, can increase energy flow and circulation to the hands. It gives the added benefit of not only helping the energy flow, but also giving you a tool to help address the problem.
Vitamin B3 to the Rescue for Reynauds
One of the most effective remedies to clear the symptoms (cold hands and feet) is the use of niacin. Niacin is vitamin B3 and is generally available as flushing and non-flushing type. For Raynauds it is the flushing type that is used. Niacin acts as a vaso-dilator (opens up blood flow) to counteract the body’s constriction response. Finding the right dose can be a matter of trial and error, as too much will cause an uncomfortable hot flash and itching through the body, and too little will not have the desired effect. People with diabetes or those that are pregnant should consult a doctor before taking niacin. Extremely high does of niacin can be dangerous and can result in health problems. Luckily the flushing and itching is a sign that the dose needs to be cut back. Many people with Raynauds find that in winter they will take half a pill in the morning and it eliminates most occurrences. As always, discuss it with your health care professional before starting a new course of action.
There are other herbs/supplements that are worth exploring as well. Included in this list are: CoQ10, fresh ginger or ginger tea, gingko biloba, garlic, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and evening primrose oil, as well taking an essential fatty acid supplement (such as fish oil or flax seed).
Avoid alcohol, smoking and caffeine as these impair circulation to the extremities.
Raynaud's syndrome presents as icy blue fingers
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