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Hi all,

Just recently disgnosed with reynauds, it was only affecting one finger and only for the last 2 months. This past week, I have noticed another finger is showing symptoms

Does anyone else have this? My Dr did not give me any information about it, just to keep my hands warm and dry. Does anyone know if diet can help ? From what I have read on the internet, there are meds I can take (no thanks) and I also read to try cayenne pepper mixed with water, as it may help.

Thank you!
B.

Raynauds phenomenon is considered an autoimmune condition, and since this diet is helpful for a range of AI diseases, yes, it may possibly help!

The first step is to get rid of all animal products in the diet - that alone might do it for those whose disease is exclusively animal-protein sensitive.

After 2 weeks to 4 months of that, if no relief or abating of symptoms is felt, switch to an elimination diet as outlined here, near the bottom, although the whole page is infomrative:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_allergic.html

If that elimination diet does not have any impact after 4 weeks, a more aggressive elimination diet that Buress, a Star McDougaller, made work for him might be the next step. You can read about that here:

http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... ution.html

I have an autoimmune disease, and have been eating this way for 1 year - it is not a totally resolved issue, but there is major and definite improvement, and I have been on no medications for more that a year.

I personally have noticed that caffeine, alcohol, salt or refined sugar of any type increases my symptoms, so these are also things you might want to test for yourself.

Good Luck, and Welcome!

Nicole

PS - I see that you may have already stopped all animal product consumption, so the elimination diet might be best for you. Also - when I started this WOE, I contacted Dr McDougall via email, and he got back to me almost immediately with some helpful and encouraging information, so you may want to contact him for more advice. His email and other contact info is here:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/about.html

I've had it in one toe for a few years. I can turn my toe colors just from stepping on metal in the Dr.'s office, or wearing sandals in air conditioning. The diagnosis waivers between being real Raynaud's and being a sign of a greater circulatory issue (something to do with it being limited to a single digit; and I think because I hurt from my lower legs down in the cold).

Due to the last post, I'll throw this out: I also have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and a 1:640 antinuclear antibody, so I have some autoimmunity. Interestingly, the only other relative I know with Reynaud's is my 90 year-old grandmother with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease. (I think all of her fingers are effected.)

Here are things I've seen associated with Raynaud's: collagen defects (like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the Joint Hypermobility Syndrome - which I'll add, in case it could be related, can cause other circulatory issues); autoimmune diseases; and CREST syndrome. But it also occurs in people who don't have overt signs of disease or genetic abnormalities. So don't get yourself convinced you must have a disease you don't know about!! It occurs in a large % of women--I think often read estimates of around 5%.

I have a collagen defect and low BP. I wonder if the low BP couldn't on its own cause or contribute to Raynaud's; but maybe I'm off course.

My Dr. recommended a seat warmer in winter to help with my toe reacting while driving. (It plugs into my cigarette lighter.) Sometimes I use a disposable toe warmer in my boots. Even better, when at home I try to be good at warming up my old car 10 minutes before getting in.

I've read about a study where people were able to--eliminate or reduce?--Raynaud's with purposeful exposure to cold. But I don't remember the details nor source!

Also, this is another reason not to smoke! Smokers have a higher risk of Raynaud's leading to gangrene.

This should be a lot more helpful than I can be: http://www.raynauds.org/

Hi,

I have had Raynauds for many years as part of an autoimmune problem. As you are observing, it can progress. I started out with a few fingers on one hand and eventually it affected all my fingers to varying degrees. It is in my feet as well, though that hasn't changed much since the beginning. This WOE has done wonderful things for me in other areas, but I'm sorry to say it has not made an appreciable difference with the Raynaud's. Fortunately, though, there are many things you can do to cope and help minimize its impact upon you.

Keep a pair of gloves with you or in your glove compartment of your car all the time. You never know when cool/cold air will trigger it. I have a terrible time with the freezer cases in the grocery store, and it can be worse in the summer when the cold in even the regular refrigerated sections combines with the air condtioning.

If you live in the north, buy yourself a pair of really good down gloves, and better yet, mittens. Go to a ski store and look at the Gordini and/or Grandoe brands. They are expensive but it's been my experience that nothing else comes close, and I've tried pretty much everything. If you buy them roomy enough--they come in sizes--you can fit a pair of glove liners underneath, and liners are wonderful. I have a pair of North Face liners that have a microfleece lining with a smooth outer shell and they are amazingly thin and flexible. When wearing gloves and liners and you need more dexterity, you pull off the outer gloves, leaving just the liners, and you can still dial your phone or pick up change. The liners also scrunch up very small in a purse or pocket, so they are ideal to carry year round.

Buy yourself some hand warmer packets and put them in your pockets in situations when you will be outside and exposed for a longer period of time. They are available mostly everywhere. I buy them by the boxload over the internet and carry some with me all the time. They are also great for those times when it doesn't feel appropriate to wear gloves, like when you might be in inside in a room where the thermastat is kept at artic levels. You just discretely put your hands in your pockets every couple of minutes and your fingers won't be purple. Over the years I have handed them out to friends and strangers alike who happen to mention their hands are doing strange things in the cold. I recently gave some to the man who pumps gas at the local station and they made a huge difference for him.

There is a cayenne-based warming cream on the market. I have never tried it, but I know someone with Raynaud's who does use it and likes it. He also has battery-powered heated gloves and socks. They are too heavy and awkward for me, but he is a serious outdoor person who would would carry a stove on his back if it meant he could stay outside just a little bit longer.

All the above is, admittedly, a pain in the neck, but you do reach a point where it just becomes part of your regular routine.


Good luck to you.

HTH,
cyd

* Marieli, I just read your post after sending mine. Very good information and I agree that it all very murky as to the why and how of it. I have Hashi's as well (as does the friend I mentioned in my post) and have four out of five symptoms of the CREST syndrome which has improved over the years. Doctors have told me that if all someone has is Raynaud's, they call it Raynaud's disease, but if there are other autoimmune issues, they call it Raynaud's phenonmenon. Not that it means anything in particular except that it's clear nobody really understands it.
.

Thank you all so much for your replies!! I will email Dr McDougall and see if I can get any further info. My Dr was so uninformative...

I have had a tough time sticking to the program 100% , but after this diagnosis, having borderline high bp, and my cholesteral being 197, I am now determined and motivated to keep trying I am also about 30 or so pounds overweight, I am hoping with weight loss these health issues will resolve or get better.

Thanks again! I will keep doing my online research

I have had this problem for at least thirty years. Both my hands are affected. It happens both in winter and summer. When my fingers get cold they spasm and turn milk white and ache. The only remedy I found was to run warm water over my hands and you can actually see the blood gradually flow back into the hands and fingers. I'm 86 and I have been eating plant foods for thirty years so diet has not helped. In fact it's gotten worse with ensuing age. I don't bother anymore looking for a cure.

I have Raynauld's as well, and it displays in both my hands and feet. I have been vegetarian for over 20yrs, and have been lowfat vegan for about a year. This WOE hasn't helped my condition, unfortunately. I have found only one medicine that stopped the regression of blood from my extremities, and I do not have a good supply of it now. (I was traveling in China, asked through a fairly humorous rendition of sign language for some "aspirin" and was presented with a box of pills.) Those pills were "traditional chinese medicine" and while the did not cure my simple headache, they were for migraines and worked on the principle of moving wind out of the body. So when I was back in the states and winter rolled around after my symptom's of Ray. kicked in one day out of desperation (because I worked outside) I tried them. They worked, the blood did not leave my fingertips, however I cannot fully endorse these because they cause a decent amount of pain. I could feel the blood and the vessels trying to force the blood back to my core, and it caused about a 4 out of 10 level of pain in my hands. I have not been able to find the exact formula here, the one I took has not been authorized for import because it is "patent medicine". If you are interested and happen to have a Chinese practitioner nearby you I can email you the name of the stuff, and an herbalist might be able to make it, or a formula that would work even better.

I have an older sister with Raynauds. It was so bad she once missed a month of work and was in constant pain. She also suffered from insomnia as the pain was worse at night for some reason. She quit smoking and hasn't had a serious recurrence since. She does carry around a nice pair of warm gloves at all times and if she senses it even a little bit she avoids any contact with cold things including wind, frozen foods, and cold drinks.

~ Erin