Technically, there’s no known cure yet for Raynaud’s disease, a medical condition in which certain body parts feel numb or cold, but you can manage and relieve its effects so that it doesn’t get in the way of your daily grind.
If you’re curious about certain treatment options for Raynaud’s syndrome, read on!
1. Avoid Smoking
Whether it’s first-hand, second-hand, or third-hand smoking, these all tighten the blood vessels, so it’s important to avoid being around either kind. Stay away from smoking areas or wear a mask when you go out.
Working out isn’t only for burning fat and looking fit…
2. Do Some Exercises
Doing exercise routines increases blood circulation throughout the body, so it’s good for people suffering from Raynaud’s. It’s also ideal to exercise in warmer locations since cold temperatures might trigger a flare-up.
Speaking of climates, this next treatment has a lot to do with temperature…
3. Avoid Changing Temperatures
Coming from the hot outdoors to an air-conditioned place might cause your Raynaud’s to kick in again. So as much as possible, try to stay in relatively tepid areas to avoid any flare-ups.
This next treatment will help you learn to keep a calm and relaxed approach to things…
4. Control Your Stress
The blood vessels narrow down in times of stress. Learning how to work your way through stressful situations significantly helps reduce the number of Raynaud’s-induced spasms.
Thankfully, we have trusty pharmaceutical remedies to keep us going…
5. Medications
Physicians usually prescribe calcium channel blockers or vasodilators to patients suffering from Raynaud’s, as these medications help relax and dilate small blood vessels in the hands and feet, effectively reducing its symptoms.
Desperate times really do call for desperate measures, as this next treatment suggests…
6. Nerve Surgery
Some people with Raynaud’s resort to getting nerve surgery to avoid sympathetic activation. In this procedure, the sympathetic nerves in the hands and feet are cut to avoid the contractions of the blood vessels in your skin.
As far as other operations go, the following involves a less-invasive approach…
7. Chemical Injection
Doctors can also administer Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) to block sympathetic nerves in affected hands or feet, as well as soothe other Raynaud’s symptoms like skin ulcers and prickly pain.
This next treatment method also makes use of needles…
8. Acupuncture
Recent studies have shown that medical acupuncture is a promising remedy in improving blood flow and relieving pain levels and joint stiffness caused by Raynaud’s.
With this next treatment, you should never underestimate the power of the mind…
9. Biofeedback
Biofeedback therapy makes use of guided visual imagery and even the person’s body temperature to alleviate the symptoms of Raynaud’s. This method has been particularly effective in treating primary Raynaud’s disease patients.
What you eat makes a difference with this condition, too…
10. Dietary Changes
A healthy, balanced diet works like a charm every time! Diets containing foods rich in calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids, and magnesium are ideal for people with Raynaud’s disease. Food supplements with Ginkgo Biloba or fish oil also help reduce the symptoms and dilate the blood vessels.