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Top 10 to Prevent Raynaud's.
 Do
you experience frequent, durations of the blood vessel spasm in your fingers and
toes. Chances are you might be suffering from Raynaud's, a rare disorder that
affects the arteries. Cold and stress normally
narrow small blood vessels in the skin.
This redirects blood flow away from the extremities and toward the internal
organs. It's a way to conserve heat and prevent excessive blood loss in case of
injury.
About 80 percent of Raynaud's sufferers are women.
Sometimes a disease, condition, or other factor causes Raynaud's. This type of
Raynaud's is called Raynaud's phenomenon or secondary Raynaud's. Primary
Raynaud's is more common and tends to be less severe than secondary Raynaud's.
In a Raynaud's episode, fingers turn white as small arteries in the skin spasm.
During a Raynaud's attack, the arteries become very narrow for a brief
period leading to depletion of oxygen in the vessels . This may cause
these areas to:
-
Turn pale or white and then blue
-
Feel numb, cold, or painful
-
Turn red, throb, tingle, burn, or feel numb as blood flow returns to the
affected areas
Raynaud's attacks can last less than a minute or as long as several hours. Attacks can occur daily or weekly.
Prevention Tips
Here are some measures that can help:
  Keep
Yourself Warm.
Keep your core (between your shoulders and pelvis) and extremities as warm as
possible, both inside and outside the house. Use glove and boot when you go
outside and wear a sweater and gloves indoors. Patients with primary Raynaud's
often respond to conservative measures including wearing of two layers of
gloves, inner cotton and outer woolen. Avoid placing hands too close to
heaters/blowers especially after a bout of an attack of Raynauds' following
sudden exposure to cold. At
night, an electric blanket can be used to keep warm.
 Avoid
Cigarette Smoke. Smoking plays
a part in constricting blood vessels and this can also cause the onset of a
Raynaud's attack in people who have been diagnosed with the illness. Nicotine
and other chemicals
in cigarette smoke make blood vessels constrict.
 Nix
Certain Medications.
Over-the-counter decongestants containing phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine
(Sudafed, TheraFlu, Actifed, and others), anti-migraine medications containing
ergotamine (Imitrex and others), herbal preparations containing ephedra, birth
control pills, the blood pressure medication clonidine (Catapres), and some beta
blockers can make you more susceptible to episodes of Raynaud's.
 Act
quickly to end an attack. In
case of Raynaud's attack, put your hands in your armpits or rotate your arms in
a whirling or windmill pattern, which can help send blood to the fingers.
Soaking your hands or feet in warm (not hot) water can also help.
 Manage
stress.
Learn to recognize and avoid stressful situations
to control the number of attacks. Relaxation techniques
such as deep breathing and meditation may
help decrease the number and severity of attacks.
  Include
physical activity: as
part of your healthy lifestyle. Exercise can
increase circulation, among other health benefits.
 Recognize
activities that induce an Attack: Common
activities include those which involve placing pressure on the digits, such as
typing, playing keyboards and pianos, chopping food and using vibrating tools.
Take a break from the activity, and stretch.
 Take
care of your Hands & Feet: If
you have Raynaud's, be sure to take care of
your hands and feet. Protect them from cuts, bruises, and other injuries. Wear
properly fitted shoes and don't walk barefoot. Use lotion to prevent your skin
from drying and cracking. Also, avoid tight wristbands and rings.
 Avoid
caffeine. Caffeine
causes your blood vessels to narrow and may increase the signs and symptoms of
Raynaud's. Examples of beverages containing caffeine include coffee, tea, cocoa
and soft drinks.
 Diet
Management:
Avoid high-cholesterol foods
such as whole milk, steak, bacon, sausage, hot dogs and organ meats such as
beef, liver and kidneys. High-cholesterol foods destroy arteries by causing
plague to build up inside arteries. Plaque is made up of fat,
cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque
hardens and causes narrowing of the arteries, which reduces blood flow to body
organs. Eat foods rich in niacin or take niacin supplements, according to
MayoClinic.com. Niacin
helps blood vessels dilation, thereby increasing blood flow to fingers, toes and
other areas of the body affected by Raynaud's. Niacin food sources include
brewer's yeast, legumes, whole-grain products, green leafy vegetables, red meat,
chicken, fish, eggs and milk.
Raynaud’s can be annoying as it can hamper daily activities. That’s when it may
be time to turn to a prescription. Calcium channel blockers, estrogen therapy,
topical nitroglycerine and even phosphodiesterase inhibitors, may be able to
help. Several recent studies have shown that Botox injections
in the hands may relieve the condition when it becomes serious enough to cause
ulcers or gangrene.
For more:
Dated 15 January 2013
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