Ever Wonder Why Your Toes Are Cold?

Have you ever had your toes turn white, red or blue or be all of sudden cold or numb? This could be due to a condition known as Raynaud's. Raynaud's is a health condition that occurs as a result of  your blood vessels clenching up, also known as vasoconstricting. When this phenomenon occurs, you are unable to get blood to those areas and you will feel cold at the tips of your toes or fingers because they are not receiving the heat that would normally be brought to them by your blood.

There are two different forms of raynaud's, one is raynaud's disease and the other is raynaud's phenomenon. The manifestations are the exact same in both conditions, but the cause is different. Raynaud's disease has no underlying cause and there is no risk involved with the condition. Raynaud's Phenomenon is associated with autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune disorders are the result of your body recognizing yourself as being a foreign substance that needs to be fought off, and so  your body is essentially doing battle with itself. There are many different manifests of autoimmune diseases and Raynaud Phenomenon is one of them. It is commonly associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Lupus and Sjogren's.

In each of these forms, Raynaud's is typically exacerbated by cold weather or stress. Both of these causes are similar because they already cause your blood vessels to vasoconstrict, so the only difference is that Raynaud's is further exacerbating this event. As a result, you are unable to get warmth to your finger tips and toes.

Raynaud's itself is a fairly insignificant condition, but if it is associated with autoimmune diseases, these are very important conditions that need to be properly managed to allow you as much comfort as possible and delay the effects. If you or someone you know has been experiencing any of these symptoms, our office staff would be more than happy to help you set up an appointment and get to the bottom of this. Dr. Wachtel serves the Methuen, Tewksbury, Lowell, North Andover and Boston, Massachusetts areas and would be more than happy to work with you, to get you back up on your feet again.