Ways To Treat Raynaud's Disease

Raynaud's disease, commonly referred to as Raynaud's phenomenon is a vascular illness characterized by blood vessel spasms. During an 'attack' caused by this illness, the blood vessels narrow and blood circulation is slowed down or even completely restricted causing the affected area to first turn white to blue and then red once the blood returns. As a result, a person may experience numbing, stinging, and mild to excruciating pain.

While other areas of the body can be affected, Raynaud's disease mostly targets the fingers and toes, and cold climates or stressful events mostly trigger its attacks. The cause of this disease has not yet been identified, and unfortunately, there is no actual cure available. Although you cannot completely rid your body of Raynaud's disease, there are many ways to ease its symptoms and avoid frequent attacks.

Medications

As with most illnesses, there are medicines patients can take to treat this disease. For mild cases of Raynaud's disease, medication isn't necessary, but if you suffer from a severe case or experience frequent unbearable pain, consult with a doctor. Generally, a doctor would recommend a vasodilator, such as losartan or prostaglandin, to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure or a calcium channel blocker, such as amlodipine or felodipine, to relax constricted blood vessels.

Topical nitroglycerin ointment can also be applied directly to the affected area to lessen symptoms by promoting better blood circulation and decreasing blood pressure. Also, you can purchase blood thinners like acetylsalicylic acid or dipyridamole over the counter and take them in small doses. These medications will make it easier for the blood to squeeze through the constricted vessels. While these medications will better your circumstances with Raynaud's disease, unfortunately, are not a cure.

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Surgery

Because Raynaud's phenomenon is an illness of the nervous system, simply cutting certain nerves in the body can prove to be an effective treatment. If medications fail to the improve symptoms of this disease, your doctor may suggest undergoing a surgical procedure instead. The surgery method used to treat Raynaud's disease is called a sympathectomy. During a sympathectomy, a surgeon makes small incisions to strip the nerves from the blood vessels to decrease the pain and frequency of attacks. This procedure is minimally invasive and only requires local anesthesia. While a sympathectomy holds a fair success rate, unfortunately, it may not work for everyone.

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