HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR RAYNAUD'S DISEASE

Raynaud's  disease causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas (vasospasm).

Women are more likely than men to have Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud or Raynaud's phenomenon or syndrome. It appears to be more common in people who live in colder climates.

Treatment of Raynaud's disease depends on its severity and whether you have other health conditions. For most people, Raynaud's disease isn't disabling, but can affect quality of life

Causes- Doctors don't completely understand the cause of Raynaud's attacks, but blood vessels in the hands and feet appear to overreact to cold temperatures or stress.

Blood vessels in spasm

With Raynaud's, arteries to your fingers and toes go into vasospasm when exposed to cold or stress, narrowing your vessels and temporarily limiting blood supply. Over time, these small arteries may thicken slightly, further limiting blood flow.

Cold temperatures are most likely to trigger an attack. Exposure to cold, such as putting your hands in cold water, taking something from a freezer or encountering cold air, is the most likely trigger. For some people, emotional stress can cause an episode of Raynaud's.

Primary vs. secondary Raynaud's

There are two main types of the condition.

Primary Raynaud's. Also called Raynaud's disease, this most common form isn't the result of an underlying associated medical condition that could provoke vasospasm.

Secondary Raynaud's. Also called Raynaud's phenomenon, this form is caused by an underlying problem. Although secondary Raynaud's is less common than the primary form, it tends to be more serious. Signs and symptoms of secondary Raynaud's usually appear later in life — around age 40 — than they do for primary Raynaud's.

Causes of secondary Raynaud's include:

Connective tissue diseases. Most people who have a rare disease that leads to hardening and scarring of the skin (scleroderma) have Raynaud's. Other diseases that increase the risk of Raynaud's include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome.

Diseases of the arteries. Raynaud's phenomenon can be associated with various diseases that affect arteries, such as the buildup of plaques in blood vessels that feed the heart (atherosclerosis) or a disorder in which the blood vessels of the hands and feet become inflamed (Buerger's disease). A type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries of the lungs (primary pulmonary hypertension) can be linked to Raynaud's.

Carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition involves pressure on a major nerve to your hand (median nerve) producing numbness and pain in the affected hand. The hand may become more susceptible to cold temperatures and episodes of Raynaud's.

Repetitive action or vibration. Typing, playing piano or doing similar movements for long periods and operating vibrating tools, such as jackhammers, can increase your risk of developing Raynaud's.

Smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels and is a potential cause of Raynaud's.

Injuries. Injuries to the hands or feet, such as wrist fracture, surgery or frostbite, can lead to Raynaud's phenomenon.

Certain medications. Some drugs — including beta blockers, which are used to treat high blood pressure; migraine medications that contain ergotamine or sumatriptan; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications; certain chemotherapy agents; and drugs that cause blood vessels to narrow, such as some over-the-counter cold medications — have been linked to Raynaud's.

Symptoms- Signs and symptoms of Raynaud's depend on the frequency, duration and severity of the blood vessel spasms that underlie the disorder. Raynaud's disease signs and symptoms include:Cold fingers or toes-Color changes in your skin in response to cold or stress--Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief

During an attack of Raynaud's, affected areas of your skin usually first turn white. Then, the affected areas often turn blue and feel cold and numb. As you warm and circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. The order of the color changes isn't the same for everyone, and not everyone experiences all three colors.

Although Raynaud's most commonly affects your fingers and toes, the condition can also affect other areas of your body, such as your nose, lips, ears and even nipples. After warming, it may take 15 minutes for normal blood flow to return to the area

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

AGARICUS 30-Agaricus is an excellent medicine  for raynaud’s disease. It is indicated when the blood flow to the fingers and toes is compromised on being exposed to the cold atmosphere. This leads to numbness, coldness, blueness in the fingers and toes. The condition may be followed by pin or needle-like pricking sensations in the fingers and toes

CARBO VEG 30-Carbo Veg is another  wonderful  medicines for raynaud’s disease. It is indicated for bluish, marbled cold fingers and toes followed by redness. Carbo Veg is also well indicated for gangrene of the fingers and toes.

SECALE COR 30-Secale Cor is one of the excellent  medicines for raynaud’s. The guiding symptoms for using Secale Cor are icy cold and numb fingers and toes from vasospasm. Formication, tingling in the fingers and toes are also well noted. It is also suitable for slow developing gangrene.