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Raynaud's phenomenon

Introduction

Affected areas

Raynaud's usually affects the fingers and toes, but the ears, nose, lips or nipples may also be affected. People with this disorder are intolerant of cold. Exposure to cold or even strong emotions causes a brief interruption of the flow of blood to extremities such as the hands or feet due to spasmodic contractions of blood vessels. Affected areas will feel cold, numb, tingly or throb painfully for minutes, sometimes hours until the episode passes. In severe episodes, the pain may extend up the hand into the lower arm.

When an attack occurs, if you look closely, you may see the skin turn white when the blood flow is interrupted. Then the skin may turn blue while blood vessels dilate. When the flow of blood returns, the area may turn pink or red and then eventually return to normal color. Sometimes the affected skin will turn only white and red during an attack.

When Raynaud's occurs without any underlying disease, it can be caused from repetitive trauma such as working with vibrating tools that damage nerves and blood vessels.

Management

Suggested coping strategies are:

- keep hands and feet warm to prevent attacks. This cannot be overemphasized. This may mean staying indoors, dressing warmly, wearing gloves and socks and avoiding handling frozen food. If you know you have these symptoms, keep warm gloves with you all the time, just in case.

- soak hands and feet in warm water to reheat them quickly if they become cold. The longer they remain cold, the longer the episode will likely last.

- massage affected areas to help blood flow.

Biofeedback techniques are useful in training the client to increase the temperature of the affected extremity, ears, or nose. (source: The Free Dictionary)

I got the best relief of muscle tension, muscle cramps, nerve pain, and Raynaud's symptoms from the Epsom baths. I'm not a bath person so I started using my home made version and some store bought lotions/oils. Cathy 2016

Evidence of infectious cause

Raynaud's is a form of vasculitis (inflammationThe complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli such as pathogens or damaged cells. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. of the blood vessels) in which vessel spasms temporarily block the flow of blood.

Raynaud's Phenomenon can occur due to an underlying disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus or sarcoidosis. The ultimate treatment is to treat the underlying disease.

The attacks usually occur secondary to such conditions as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, thoracic outlet syndrome, drug intoxications, dysproteinemia, myxedema, primary pulmonary hypertension, and trauma. The condition is called Raynaud's disease when there is a history of symptoms for at least 2 years with no progression of symptoms and no evidence of an underlying cause. (source: The Free Dictionary)

Patient reports

For a few weeks now, I've been noticing that my Raynaud's-type problems have diminished to the point of having (almost) completely vanished! I'm no longer as cold in the extremeties (fingers and toes) as I used to be! I often bike to work. It's been in the 30's Farenheit in the last couple of weeks or so in the mornings when I bike in so I wear the same gloves I have in past years. When the temperature used to be in the 40's before and I had the same gloves on, my fingers would be ice-cold - so would my toes. Now, in the 30's, my fingers and toes are just fine with the same gloves and shoes. I also find I dno't need to wear slippers in the house anymore. I went winter camping a couple of times with a friend over the last few years and my toes would always be ice-cold while he had no problem. Now I know why. 5 months on MP Rico 2006

Rico now writes “although I had made some progress with that a few years back, it's much worse now. Not severely, but worse than it was.” hmmm

My Raynaud's is still retreating. I've had my 4th dose of Mino and at the moment I'm typing sans gloves….again. It is a very pleasant sensation. I am having very few herxes now. Quite the turnaround from this time last week. I am having just some minor aches and pains and slight word retrieval issues, but my light sensitivity seems to be decreasing. I just ordered the DVD's and I am hoping to spread them around. I know like this is working.

The Raynaud's aspect is particularly interesting to me because some of my friends who are on 200 mg of Mino bid (as I used to be!)say that the raynaud's is the last symptom to go. 2008 Elijuh 2 months on MP

Finger ulcers, a very common problem for 7 years after using a heavy in-line sander for a month, day in and day out, and triggered regularly by any form of chilling of limbs or body (Raynaud's comes to mind, but my dermatologist wouldn't go there) and that move very rapidly to bleeding cuts in something much less than an hour, went away almost immediately after starting the MP, except for one or two instances that had to be IP, as there was no chilling involved. It has not returned this cold season yet, even tho I have chilled my fingers to an icy severe pain breaking up frozen hamburger. Cynthia S 1 yr anniversary post

Juliette starts MP 2006 with SYMPTOMS: Raynaud's (10 yrs), peripheral neuropathy, migrating joint pain, food sensitivities, menstrual irregularities, swollen lymph nodes, photosensitivityAbnormal sensitivity to sunlight and bright lights. Also referred to as "sun flare" or "light flare."

It's crazy cold here and my fingers are not blue! Usually at this time of year, the cold feels like it grips my veins and makes them go into spasms- leaving my fingers white, then blue. This has happened for at least 15 years. My body temperature regulation has improved tenfold! Juliette Jan 25th, 2014

After exactly 2years and 4months of treatment, when everything seemed to go quite well…I ve come today to the point of asking myself if my SLE is not taking over again… Or if it's just an unexpected and very aggressive “normal” immunopathologyA temporary increase in disease symptoms experienced by Marshall Protocol patients that results from the release of cytokines and endotoxins as disease-causing bacteria are killed.… I feel that something is not right at all. Like about one month ago I started to have heart problems again, it actually started with something that looked like an old “ordinary”heart crisis with palpitations, strong tachychardia, followed by moments of strong sensations of weakness and Raynaud syndrome. Andreea 2015

Andreea, it is quite common to have many symptoms resolve in the first 1-3 years on MP, what we think of as the 'low hanging fruit' that renewing immune activity has gone after, followed 2 to 5 years later by intense immunopathology as immune activity really gets to work in difficult areas. Hopefully in the early stages, one learns to manage herx, because for most people management becomes quite a challenge. With heart issues, a reminder not to overdo anything just because of early gains.

Notes and comments

look in https://www.marshallprotocol.com/search.php?s=1&q=Raynaud%27s&forum_id=35 and Juliette https://www.marshallprotocol.com/forum35/9442-11.html

(after 4 yrs on MP) Some things have improved. Her rages (like Lyme rages) are gone. Her extreme weakness is gone. She seems physically stronger and healthier. Her raynauds seems marginally better. Debbie posting for Nassim 2011

In the past couple of days have had two instances of Raynaud's phenomenon with my fingers. Haven't had that for a couple of years.Continue to have air bubbles on scalp that pop with pressure of fingertip - nuisance! Feeling pretty good and have a little more energy today. after 3 months on MP 2008 Moonbeam

oddly enough my Raynaud's I was outside in freezing rain today pumping gas forgot my gloves and nothing… No flare up of it all.. 2012 ammc 2 yrs on MP

My regular symptoms, unfortunately, are not any more severe than they have been, only different. Every year, every month, and sometimes every week things have progressively gotten worse for four plus years.

The difference now (after 3 months) on the MP is that the discomfort is different and in areas that I know for sure are affected. For example, my Raynaud's and consequently, my coronary vasospasms have worsened, but not to the level of damage that I have had in the past. Rather than occurring simultaneously, they occur in an odd sequence. zdanr 2012

I have just completed my first year on the Marshall ProtocolA curative medical treatment for chronic inflammatory disease. Based on the Marshall Pathogenesis. and have made great progress so far. My doctor was very surprised in my overall condition so far in the recovery process. He said he was “astonished” at my recovery.

My Raynaud's is hit and miss at times, but much improved from original testing. Blood pressure is fine. RAge1 2013

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References

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