Raynaud's disease also known as Raynaud or Raynaud's phenomenon or syndrome affects more women than men. It causes some areas of the body — most often the fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. This is because smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin contract(vasospasm), limiting blood supply to affected areas when exposed to the cold or stress. Over time, these small arteries can thicken slightly, further limiting blood flow.
Symptoms of Raynaud's disease include: cold fingers or toes; color changes in the 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 the skin usually first turn white. Then, they often turn blue and feel cold and numb. As you warm and circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. Although Raynaud's most commonly affects fingers and toes, it can also affect other areas, such as the nose, lips, ears and even nipples.
Cold temperatures are most likely to trigger an attack. Exposure to cold, such as putting the hands in cold water, taking something from a freezer or being in cold air, is the most likely trigger. For some people, emotional stress can trigger an episode.
Acupuncture is effective for Raynaud's disease. This was proved by research. For example, a study investigated the effect of acupuncture on primary Raynaud’s syndrome. Seven acupuncture treatments were offer to the patients with Raynaud's disease. The result has shown that there was a significant decrease in the frequency of attacks; the mean duration of the capillary flowstop reaction decreased.
References
Appiah R et al J Intern Med. 1997 Feb;241(2):119-24.
