Coping with Raynaud's Disease

Imagine that your fingers quickly go numb when you step outside on a winter's day, or even when you accept a cold drink at a summer picnic. This often happens to people who have Raynaud's disease, a little-understood circulatory disorder.

What It Is
First identified in 1862 by Maurice Raynaud, a French physician, Raynaud's disease affects the tiny arteries (arterioles) that deliver blood to the skin of the fingers, toes, nose and ears. In some people, cool temperatures prompt spasms in these blood vessels, reducing blood flow and depriving the area of oxygen. As a result, the skin changes color and may tingle or go numb. Although it can be annoying and uncomfortable, in most cases Raynaud's disease is not associated with more serious circulation problems.

What Causes It
The cause of Raynaud's is not known. However, some experts believe that the blood vessels of people with Raynaud's overreact to the cold, possibly because the nerves of the affected areas are unstable. More women than men are affected by the disorder. Raynaud's can occur by itself or accompany other medical conditions, such as migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, atherosclerosis or an underactive thyroid. (When an underlying cause can be found, the disorder is called Raynaud's phenomenon.) Going outside in winter, reaching into a refrigerator or even entering an air-conditioned room often produces symptoms that can last from minutes to hours. Stress is also a trigger. Raynaud's symptoms may be a side effect of decongestants or of some heart or migraine medications.

Symptoms

• Temporary color change (first white, then a reddish blue) in the skin of the affected areas in response to cold or stress.
• Numbness, tingling or a drop in skin temperature in affected areas.
• Gradual changes in skin texture.
• In advanced cases, sores on the tips of the fingers.

When to Call a Doctor

• If small sores develop or the skin becomes very smooth, shiny or tight.
• If episodes impair manual dexterity or sense of touch.
• If symptoms increase in severity or frequency.
• Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.

How Supplements Can Help
Because Raynaud’s disease is often chronic, these supplements may be most helpful when used over the long term. Vitamin E improves blood flow through the arteries. The mineral magnesium has many beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system; one of these - its ability to relax constricted blood vessels -makes it useful for Raynaud’s. In addition to these nutrients, you might consider niacin, a B vitamin that enhances blood flow in the extremities. Or take ginkgo biloba, a herb that's especially effective in widening small blood vessels. When massaged into the fingertips, the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in evening primrose oil was shown in one study to improve Raynaud's symptoms. The oil can be used alone or with the other supplements. (Starflower oil is an alternative; it also contains GLA, and may be less expensive than evening primrose oil.)

If these treatments don't help, try fish oil supplements. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 32 patients with Raynauds disease, fish oil supplementation delayed the onset of symptoms by an average of 15 minutes.


Case Study and Latest Findings

Remedy for Raynaud's
Until a magazine article alerted her to ginkgo biloba, winter was Ann D's least favourite season. Even though she wore gloves to combat the cold, her fingers still changed color - going from healthy pink to dead white. Her doctor determined that it was Raynaud's disease, but he wasn't optimistic about treating it. 7 could tell that he gave me a prescription just to give me something,' Ann recalls.

'But then I tried ginkgo!' she says. 'What a finger saver, especially when I added a little vitamin E every day'. She had to wait a month for results, but her patience paid off. Today, while remaining wary of excessive cold, she's a fan of supplements and enjoys sharing her success with others.

'Raynaud's is fairly common', Ann notes, 'but not too many people who have it realize what it is. Those who do, often just suffer. I can honestly recommend ginkgo for safe, natural - and very effective - relief.

• Women with Raynaud's were found to have low levels of vitamin C and selenium in their bloodstream, according to a recent study. In addition, vitamin C levels were especially low in smokers. More research is needed, though, before these nutrients can be recommended as a treatment for this condition.