Raynaud Phenomenon

       by Katya Amina


"It's a good sign to have one's feet grow cold when [s] he is 
writing. A great writer and speaker once told me that he often 
wrote with his feet in hot water; but for this, all his blood 
would have run into his head, as the mercury sometimes withdraws 
into the ball of a thermometer." Holmes, O.W.  THE AUTOCRAT OF THE 
BREAKFAST TABLE. 
That sounds quite similar to a disorder that affects the 
blood vessels in the fingers, toes, ears, and nose. The small 
blood vessels in your digits such as fingers, toes, nose or ears 
that feeds on the skin and therefore will cause the skin to 
constrict (narrow). Although estimates vary, recent surveys show 
that Raynaud Phenomenon may affect five to ten percent of the 
general population in the United States." National Institute of 
Arthritis Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) about five 
percent of the population has this condition know as Raynaud 
Phenomenon. Women are more likely than men to have the disorder no 
one including researcher knows for sure behind the cause of this 
disease. 
 Researchers believe that it has some correlation with our 
body's reaction or overreaction to cold. Contact or exposure to 
cold may perhaps cause abnormally reduce blood flow to your nose, 
lips, ears, fingers and toes. "When a person is cold, the body's 
normal response is to slow the loss of heat and preserve its core 
temperature. To maintain this temperature, the blood vessels that 
controls blood flow to the skin surface move blood from arties 
near the surface to veins deeper in the body." (N.I.A.M.S) 
This disorder can transpire by multiple attacks such as episode 
attack, called vasospastic a process that doesn't allow blood to 
flow smoothly. When blood flow return, the skin/nail color might 
fluctuates between three colors Red, blue and White. White=Pallor 
meaning that blood flow returned and the skin turns white to blue. 
Whiteness my response backs to spasm of the arterioles. 
Blue=Cyanosis lack of oxygen rich blood reaching the digits. The 
patient could have tingling and swelling of the extremities 
symptoms could last from minutes to hours. Finally, as the 
arterioles dilate, to red/pink signifying that the blood flow is 
back to normal. 
 Thermal Biofeedback is an application that requires various 
relaxation techniques and it also reduce stress. Biofeedback 
trains you challenge your physiology processes and also vasodilate 
blood vessels.  "Biofeedback increases the treatment options 
available for medical and psychological health care 
practitioners…Biofeedback, therefore, is biological information 
which is returned to the sources that created it so that source 
can understand and have control. …Today, biofeedback training 
includes how to use biofeedback instruments not only for 
relaxation training, but also for treatment of hypertension, 
cardiac arrhythmias, migraine headaches, Raynaud Syndrome, tension 
headaches, test anxiety, seizure activity, stomach acidity, 
incontinence, and elimination of subvocal reading" (Donald E. 
O'Hair, PhD)
	There are two different types of Raynaud Diseases. Primary 
Raynaud's phenomenon and Secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Majority 
of individual whose has Raynaud phenomenon will have the primary 
form. The Diagnostic Criteria for Raynaud's Phenomenon; Periodic 
vasospastic attacks if pallor or cyanosis, normal nail fold 
capillary pattern, negative antinuclear antibody test normal 
erythrocyte sedimentation rate and absence or pitting scars or 
ulcers of the skin, or gangrene (tissue death) in the finger or 
toes. (NIAMS) Primary affects both hand and the feet however 
circulation to the body is still normal. Primary Phenomenon 
indicated that the client has no associated diseases. Some 
prescriptions and over the counter drugs may also cause Primary 
Raynaud such as some heart and blood medication such as beta 
blockers or migraine headache medication such as ergotamine 
medications could be one reason for Primary Raynaud Phenomenon.
	Secondary Raynaud Phenomenon is less common than primary 
Raynaud. Secondary Raynaud is connected to some sort of medical 
complication such as Scleroderma- a thicken and hardening if the 
skin and other body tissues, systemic lupus- a chronic 
inflammation of the skin and organ system, rheumatoid arthritis-a 
chronic inflammation and swelling of the tissue and joints, blood 
flow reduction- problem that slow or stop blood flow in a vessel. 
/ These include inflammation and hardening of the arteries 
(Arteriosclerosis), nerve problems, pulmonary hypertension- a 
condition in which the blood pressure rise in the blood vessels of 
the lungs.
	Wayne State University, School of Medicine Behavioral 
conducted a study during the 1980's in their laboratory studied 
the effects of biofeedback in individuals with Primary Raynaud's. 
Using temperature Biofeedback. Training involved a light or tone, 
which was activated by change in skin temperature. The optimum 
number of training sessions was found to be ten biweekly sessions. 
Other methods of biofeedback which were found to be less effective 
in controlling skin temperature in Raynaud's patients are: 
Autogenic training, frontails EMG feedback, and simple 
instructions. Temperature biofeedback studies did not report the 
same success for those individuals with Secondary Raynaud's for 
reason unknown.

International Scleroderma Network (ISN)(1998-2003) 
RAYNAUD'S: MAIN MENU. Raynaud Rewarmng Techniques. 
http://www.sclero.org/medical/symptoms/raynauds/rewarming.h
tml Retrieved Sunday, May 11, 2003 9:20 PM


PersonalMD your lifeline Online National Institute of 
Arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin disease. (1997). 
More Than a Tingle: Raynaud's phenomenon October 19, 2000 
http://www.personalmd.com/news/reynauds_1019200.shtml 
Retrieved May 13, 2003 

Medical College of Wisconsin 2002.  Raynaud's Phenomenon 
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/926255412.html Article 
created: 1999-05-07 Article Updated: 1999-05-07

Better Health channel (ND) Raynaud's phenomenon 
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au Date Retrieved May 13, 2003

Dr. Celeste DeBease certified biofeedback therapist. Ph.D 
BioNeurofeedback Treatment Center www.bioNeuroFeedback.com

National institute of Arthristis	 and Musculoskeletal and 
Skin Disease (May, 2001) Health Topics 
http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/raynaud/ar125fs.htm

Copyright © 2003, Dr. John M. Morgan, All rights reserved - This page last edited May 13, 2003
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