Raynaud's+Dis-ease

=Raynaud’s Disease and Phenomenon=

Western Diagnosis: Spasm of arterioles of digits with pallor and cyanosis --occ in nose and tongue

Etiology
1. idiopathic - Disease 2. secondary - Phenomenon ---ct disorders ---obstructive arterial diseases ---neuro lesions ---d. trauma 3. 60-90% of Raynaud's //Disease// in young (15-30y/o) women

Signs and Symptoms
1. from vasospasm of digital arteries and arterioles 2. from exposure to cold or emotional upsets 3. pallor, cyanosis, redness 4. only distal to mp joints 5. paresthesias 6. uncommon to have pain 7. ulcers on tips of digits 8. + Allen test

Treatment
1. stop smoking 2. biofeedback 3. stress reduction 4. Vitamin E 400 IU BID 5. EPO 2gm TID 6. Mg 600-800 mg/d 7. quercetin 500 mg before meals [found naturally in onion skins and in grapefruits - the white part below the peel] 8. niacin 300 mg TID 9. food sensitivities

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=================================================================== IBIS:

Definition:
spasm of the arterioles, especially in the hands and feet, with the characteristic color changes of pallor, cyanosis, and rubor, respectively

Etiology:
There are two classifications of Raynaud's: disease and phenomenon.

• Raynaud's disease: This term is used to describe Raynaud's when it begins idiopathically. It is seen most often in young women and rarely causes tissue necrosis. Cold is often a stimuli to initiate the spasms, which may last from minutes to hours.

• Raynaud's phenomenon: This term is used to describe Raynaud's when it occurs secondary to another disorder. Primary conditions associated with Raynaud's include connective tissue disorders (e.g. scleroderma, RA, SLE), myxedema, trauma, primary pulmonary hypertension, and neurogenic lesions (e.g. thoracic outlet syndrome). If it becomes frequent and chronic, the digits may become smooth, shiny and tight from the loss of subcutaneous tissue (sclerodactyly). In severe advanced cases, the arterial intima may become thickened and lead to thrombus formation. Distal ulcerations of the fingers can occur. Factors which suggest that Raynaud's is associated with underlying disease include: abrupt onset with acute tissue death; onset late in life (> 50), especially when a male is afflicted; unilateral or asymmetric involvement; and concurrent development of symptoms associated with another condition..

Somatic Therapies:
• tai qi chuan • qigong

Nutrition:
specific foods » Stagnant Liver Qi or Stagnancy in the Liver channel: • citrus peel, figs, honey • liver-cleansing foods: beets, carrots, artichokes, lemons, parsnips, dandelion greens, watercress, burdock root • foods rich in Magnesium • foods that invigorate the Qi, Liver foods, sour foods, Dispersing foods, foods that open channels

avoid: • meat, alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty foods, rich foods, salty foods

specific foods: » Spleen Yang Xu (Deficiency): • foods that are Warming, tonify the Spleen and Yang

avoid: • Cold and Cooling foods, raw foods

fresh juices: • carrot juice (Walker, p. 145) • carrot and spinach (Walker, p. 145) • carrot, beet, and cucumber (Walker, p. 145) • lemon juice in warm water (Shefi)

Botanicals
• Ginkgo biloba (standardized extract): increases peripheral blood flow; conditions involving vascular spasm (Weiss, pp. 178, 179) • Selenicereus grandiflorus (toxic): icy cold hands (usually for heart conditions) (Boericke, p. 138) • Xanthoxylum americanum (bark): circulatory stimulant (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 237)

consider (depending upon the cause):

warming botanicals: • Capsicum frutescens: spasmodic affections (Felter and Lloyd, p. 436) • Cinnamonum zeylanicum • Zingiber officinale

nervines: • Avena sativa • Hypericum perforatum • Passiflora incarnata • Scutellaria lateriflora • Valeriana spp.

Chinese Formulae
• Bupleurum and Cinnamon C. (Chai Hu Gui Zhi Tang); Ease 2 (patent): Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Invading Spleen: gastrointestinal weakness, joint pains (Bupleurum and Cinnamon: Hsu, 1980, p. 117; Dharmananda, 1986, p. 134; Bensky and Barolet, p. 138; Ease 2: Fratkin, p. 277) • Bupleurum and Chih-shih F. (Si Ni San): Liver Qi Stagnation: irritability, chest tension (Hsu, 1980, p. 112; Yeung, p. 216; Bensky and Barolet, p. 145) • Tang Kuei and Jujube C. (Dang Gui Si Ni Tang): Cold in the Channels with Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency): long-standing cold hands and feet (Hsu, 1980, p. 321; Yeung, p. 79; Bensky and Barolet, p. 216) • Tang Kuei, Evodia and Ginger C. (Dang Gui Si Ni Jia Wu Zhu Yu Sheng Jiang Tang): Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) and Kidney Yang Xu (Deficiency): vomiting, abdominal bloating (Hsu, 1980, p. 319; Yeung, p. 78; Dharmananda, 1986, p. 326; Bensky and Barolet, p. 217) • Millettia 9 (patent): Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) (Dharmananda, 1990, p. 51)

Acupuncture
after assessing the person and palpating, consider these patterns: Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Invading Spleen; Cold in the Channels; Xue (Blood) Deficiency; Kidney Yang Xu (Deficiency)

» therapeutic note: some Japanese acupuncturists such as Kiiko Matsumoto have hypothesized that chronically cold extremities can be part of a pattern of Liver and Kidney Yang Xu (Deficiency) resulting from birth trauma; in such cases there will be a tightness upon palpation left of the navel in the area of Kd-16, Kd-17 and St-25.

» illustrative combinations: • CV-4 and UB-23 (D): strengthen the foundation; reinforce the Kidney; mobilize Yuan (Original) Qi; excite Yang Qi; dispel Cold and Damp; treat cold extremities (Finkelstein, p. 44, 85); • ba feng, ling hou and St-36 for numbness of the lower limb or toe (Shanghai, p. 299) • CV-4, Sp-6 and LI-11 (-): remove Obstruction of the channels, activate Xue (Blood) circulation, and treat Xue (Blood) diseases (Finkelstein, p. 85) • GV-4 and CV-4: warm the Kidney Yang (Finkelstein, p. 78) • Lv-5 and CV-4: strengthen Yang "at the base", i.e., Kidney Yang (Finkelstein, p. 74) • CV-4, GV-4, UB-23 and Kd-3 (D): support Kidney Yang (Finkelstein, p. 86) • CV-4, CV-6 and Sp-6 (+): reinforce Qi, nourish Xue (Blood, and overcome Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency) (Finkelstein, p. 85) • LI-4 and Lv-3: open the Four Gates; expels Wind, esp. from the face; stops pain; regulates Qi and Xue (Blood) circulation; removes Obstruction of the channels; opens the Orifices; releases bodily tension; relaxes clenching of jaws; frees constraint; calms the mind; relieves mental cloudiness; provides sedative and analgesic effect to calm the nervous system; pacifies Liver Yang (Finkelstein, p. 7; Flaws, 1989, p. 76) • Sp-4 and PC-6: open and regulate the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) which is the Sea of Xue (Blood) and the source of Qi for the channels. Liver Stagnation is often due to Chong Mai blockages, which be located by abdominal palpation (Seem).

Homeopathy
• Agaricus muscarius: itching of toes and feet as if frozen; pain in limbs with numbness; nails blue; points of fingers blue, fingers itch, burn and look red as if frostbitten • Ailanrus glandulosa: limbs feel as if they were asleep; numbness of arm; tingling of arm and fingers on awakening; feeling of uneasiness and aching restlessness in limbs; left leg feels numb; with tingling and pricking pain in foot and toes; severe pain in left foot; tension while walking • Arsenicum album: spasms, gangrene; burning pains; burning ulcers on tips of fingers, festering ulcers on soles of feet and toes; cold feeling in soles of feet; cramp in calves • Bacillinum: great weakness; < night and early morning; < cold air • Carbo vegetabilis: toes red, swollen, stinging as if frosted, tips of toes ulcerated; ulcer on leg, burns at night, gangrene burning; < from warmth, but not > from cold; hands burn, icy cold; tips of fingers covered with cold sweat • Cactus grandiflorus: edema of hands and feet, icy cold hands; formication and weight in arms; numbness in legs and feet; pain in muscles of calves and soles of feet • Ferrum metallicum: feet cold, numb, stiff; edema of feet; cramps in calves; hands cold, stiff, numb; palms hot; fingers stiff, numb; swelling of hands and legs up to knees • Lachesis: numbness of fingertips (morning); cold sweaty hands, bluish, mottled appearance of hands; ulcers, gangrenous ulcers on legs and toes; icy coldness of feet; tingling in toes • Ranunculus bulbosus: cold hands; frequent tingling in single parts of fingers; stinging and soreness in feet and toes; chilblains • Ruta graveolens: tendons sore; thigh pains when stretching limbs; hands numb and tingling after exercise; burning and biting pains in bones of feet during rest • Secale cornutum: numbness, fingers and feet bluish, shriveled; loss of sensation in tips of fingers; gangrene of toes and fingers; tingling of toes; prickling feeling in tips of fingers; sensitive to cold; swelling of feet and hands • Sepia: restlessness in all limbs; coldness of legs and feet; ulcers on upper parts of fingers and toes; lower limb goes to sleep when walking; cold sweaty hands • Veratrum album: violent electric shocks in legs; hands and feet icy cold; hands blue; tingling in hands and fingers

Subtle Support
• notes: A#, B, C, D#, E, G, G#

• chords: diminished 8th, C Major, D# Major, G# Major (Gimbel, p. 116)

cardiovascular: • The Barcarole • The Blue Danube • Chopin's A minor Waltz • Tango music • Humoresque • Cui's Orientale • Song of India • Donna e Mobile • Oley Speak's Sylvia (Heline, p. 18)

Mind/Body
• Person wants to take some hostile physical action (such as hitting) but does not know what the actual act should be. (Gentry, p. 43) • Blood represents joy in the body, flowing freely. (Hay, 1984, p. 156) • Narcissistic, dependent personalities often reported in Raynaud's disease. Exacerbations seem to occur with frustration of dependency needs. Suggestion that as patient acquired more responsibility and fulfilled a more important role, the illness abated. (Locke, 1986, p. 109) • Chronic overconformity, fear of retribution, emotional restraint, and a compulsive, often stiff way of life were found as group characteristics in Raynaud's syndrome. (Locke, 1985, p. 127) • "The blood is an expression of a person's general dynamism. It arises out of the mutual effects of the behavior of the liquid blood on the one hand and the behavior of the limiting walls of the blood vessels on the other. When considering the blood pressure we always need to bear in mind these two mutually contradictory components: the fluid and the flowing on the one hand, and the limitation and the resistance on the other. To the extent that the blood corresponds to our own inner being, the walls of the vessels correspond to the limits that the unfolding personality sets upon itself and the resistances that stand in the way of our development." (Dethlefsen, p. 195)

• Liver ~ Gan is the home of the Hun (Ethereal Soul); it relates to decisiveness, control, and the principle of emergence; stores the Xue (Blood); maintains smooth flow of Qi and Xue (Blood); controls the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, especially the contractility of the muscles and moistening of the sinews; and reflects emotional harmony and movement. » Healthy expressions are kindness, spontaneity, and ease of movement. » Liver Xu (Deficiency) signs include impotence; frigidity; pain in thighs, pelvic region, and throat; ready tendency to "the blahs" (Seem, p. 28); timidity; depression; irritability; vertigo; pruritus; dry eyes, skin, and/or tendons; asthma; aching at the waist; hernia; and difficulty raising head up and down. » Liver Qi Stagnation reflects and accentuates emotional constraint as the Liver's function of facilitating smooth flow in the body is constricted. Stagnation is associated with frustration, irritability, tension, and feeling stuck. With time this pattern tends to produce a gloomy emotional state of constant resentment, repressed anger or depression, along with tightness in the chest, frequent sighing, abdominal tension or distension, and/or a feeling of a lump in the throat with difficulty in swallowing. (Maciocia, p. 216) Liver Qi Stagnation often combines with Liver Shi (Excess) to "invade" the Stomach and Spleen.
 * Chinese psychophysiology:**

• Spleen ~ Pi governs digestion and manifests in the muscle tissues; transforms food into Qi and Xue (Blood); governs the Xue (Blood); and relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel centered and balanced. » Healthy expressions are fairness, openness, deep thinking, and reminiscence. » Spleen Xu (Deficiency) signs include slightness (deficient "form"); abundant elimination; morning fatigue; cold, wet feet (Seem, p. 28); abdomen taut and distended like a drum; craving for sweets; flatulence; nausea; mild edema; memory failure; heavy feeling in legs; pale lips; loose stools; muscular weakness; and, indirectly, obesity. Spleen Xu (Deficiency) increases the susceptibility to "invasion" by the Liver. » The excessive use of the mind in thinking, studying, concentrating, and memorizing over a long period of time tends to weaken the Spleen and may lead to Xue Yu (Blood Stasis). This also includes excessive pensiveness and constant brooding. (Maciocia, p. 241) Likewise, inadequate physical exercise and excess consumption of sweet and Cold foods will also deplete the Spleen. Environmentally, the Spleen is highly susceptible to attack from external Dampness and Cold.

• Kidney ~ Shen stores Jing (Essence) and governs birth, growth, reproduction, development, and aging; houses the Zhi (Will); expresses ambition and focus; provides the "Fire of Life" through its Yang functions for the digestive processes and the functions ascribed to the adrenals; carries the constitutional endowment from the parents; and displays the effects of sexual dissipation, overwork, aging, chronic debilitation, and extreme stress. » Healthy expressions are gentleness, groundedness, and endurance. » Kidney Xu (Deficiency) signs include indecisiveness; confused speech; dreams of trees submerged under water; cold feet and legs; abundant sweating (Seem, p. 28); fearfulness; apathy; chronic fatigue; discouragement; scatteredness; lack of will; negativity; impatience; difficult inhalation; low sex drive; lumbago; sciatica; and musculoskeletal irritation and inflammation, especially when worse from touch. As always, chronic Yin Xu (Deficiency) predisposes to Empty Heat and/or acute inflammation. » Intense or prolonged fear depletes the Kidney. Overwork, sexual dissipation, parenting, simple aging, and a sedentary or excessively indulgent lifestyle all contribute significantly to Kidney Xu (Deficiency).

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========================================================================================================================= Raynaud's disease is a condition that causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers, toes, tip of your nose and your ears — to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas. Women are more likely to have Raynaud's disease. It's also more common in people who live in colder climates.

Orthomolecular Treatment
-Omega-6 -Resveratrol