Raynaud's awareness month

It is believed that 1 in 6 people in the UK suffer from Raynaud’s [1] disease.

Many of the people suffering have not had a diagnosis.

In Raynaud’s awareness month hopefully more people will realise that the have this disease and are able to get the support they need.

What is Raynaud’s Disease?

Raynaud's disease (Ray-nose) effects the small blood vessels in the hands and feet.

The person’s fingers and/or toes are over-sensitive to even the slightest changes in temperature. Causing them to change colour - from their normal skin tone to either white, red or blue. Raynaud’s is not confined to just fingers and toes, all extremities can be effected e.g. nose, lips, tongue and nipples.

It is usually the cold that triggers a response but sometimes stress can cause these changes as well.

Hormone changes can trigger a response in some people. There are 9x more women suffering with disease and 20% of all women of childbearing age [2].

The use of vibrating tools can also trigger a response.

Therefore, there are many factors that can contribute to a person developing Raynaud’s disease.

Raynaud's symptoms are:

a colour change in the extremities such as hands or feet
cold extremities and numbness
tingling or pain (usually when the extremity is been warmed up)
red when blood returns to the area

What causes Raynaud’s Disease?

It is important to get a diagnose of Raynaud’s as there are two forms of the disease (Primary Raynaud’s and Secondary Raynaud’s) and one can be linked to problems with the immune system.

The causes of Raynaud’s are actually unknown, but often it is linked to other health conditions. Therefore it is vital to get an accurate diagnose.

It is worth remembering that:

Raynaud’s Disease is not contagious, so cannot be passed on my touch or close contact.

And:

It is important to get an accurate diagnoses if you think you have Raynaud’s disease. To rule out any other underlying health conditions.

There is growing research into the causes of Raynaud’s disease. Links are starting to be made with oestrogen clearance problems; magnesium deficiency [7]; and vitamin D deficiency [8].

Also there is increased anecdotal evidence around magnesium deficiency and how improvements that can be made with the use of regular Epsom Salt baths.

Primary Raynaud’s Disease

The most common form of Raynaud's Disease.

It usually not associated with another health condition. The symptoms are often mild and easily managed by the person.

It is believed to be caused by disruptions in how the nervous system controls blood vessels. But what causes these disruptions is unclear.

It is possible that primary Raynaud's may be an inherited condition - as it is often known to run in families.

Secondary Raynaud’s Disease

Secondary Raynaud's in many cases is linked to another underlying health condition that is causing the blood vessels in the extremities to overreact.

Often it is an autoimmune condition that cause the immune system to attack healthy tissue.

Autoimmune conditions known to be associated with secondary Raynaud's include:

scleroderma - which causes hardening and thickening of the skin
rheumatoid arthritis – which causes joint pain and swelling
Sjogren’s syndrome - where the immune system attacks the body's sweat and tear glands
lupus – which causes tiredness, joint pain and skin rashes [1]
atherosclerosis - the hardening of blood vessels
thyroid problems - control of temperature regulation
ulcerated colitis - inflammation of the lining of the bowel and rectum [3]

Complications can be linked with Secondary Raynaud’s including ischemia. Which if not treated can lead the person to develop ulcers and in the worst case scenarios the effected part can become gangrenous [5]

Other causes may include:

injury to the hands or feet e.g. frostbite or mechanical injury
cardio vascular disease
lung disease
carpel tunnel
repetitive strain injury
smoking
alcohol consumption
medications (blood pressure, chemotherapy, migraine) [6]

Raynaud’s is more common in women than men and although the cause is unknow in Primary Raynaud’s there is believed to be linked with oestrogen receptors [4].

Raynaud’s Disease and Gut Health

Secondary Raynaud’s disease is linked to a number of autoimmune diseases.

In autoimmune diseases the body attacks it’s own cells and tissues.

Links have been made between gut permeability (leaky gut) and autoimmune disease. [9]

Raynaud’s Disease and Diet

We need to have access to all the nutrients we are taking from our food.

This is done by being able to absorb the nutrients that we are eating.

This can only be done if the gut is working properly.

It is important to first work on supporting optimal functioning of the gut.

How Nutritional Therapy can help

As a nutritional therapist I would always compliment the work of you GP or specialist.

I would:

support any gut healing work you need
work with you to look for any nutrient deficiencies in the diet that you eat and support you to address these
look for food triggers or food sensitivities that could be making your symptoms worse
look to increase foods/nutrients that have warming properties that will support vasodilation e.g. herbs and spices that have a warming effect on the body or increasing the consumption of raw food - the body needs to work hard to digest these foods therefore increasing your body temperature
look to remove foods that have vasorestrictive properties e.g. caffeine
look to add more foods with anti-inflammatory properties
give you strategies to reduce stress via lifestyle recommendations

All work and recommendations would be personalised to you, taking into consideration all the information you share and what changes you are able to make at this time.

To get nutritional therapy support with your Raynaud’s then please get in touch via the link HERE

Lesley xx