Raynaud’s is a disease of too much
sympathetic stimulation that affects the circulation to the hands and feet.
Sympathetic stimulation causes the small blood vessels, or capillaries in the
hands and feet to narrow. Your hands
turn bright pink or blue or white and then they stay that way for a period of
time after exposure to cold. Cold can be
20 below or as little as 70 degrees on the right day. Raynaud’s phenomenon is a similar condition
that is caused by complications of surgery, injury, frostbite, autoimmune
diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or some other underlying
condition.
The cause for Raynaud’s within
chiropractic understanding is that Raynaud’s is caused by an over reaction to
the sympathetic stimulation that is caused by pinched nerves and blood vessels
to the arms, legs, and abdominal organs.
The organs that maintain the
adrenal hormones are the liver, kidneys, digestive tract and the adrenal
glands. The combination of symptoms that
people get with this disease is a build up of mechanical stress to the blood
vessels of the arms and legs. When a person with Raynaud’s is
exposed to cold or any significant emotional stress the above will trigger a
reaction.
The arms and legs have many
joints. Each joint connection is
supposed to be tight and if it loosens this will cause the muscles to work
harder. There are many causes for loose
ligaments of the arms and legs but there is a similar treatment for most people
with this condition. The job of the muscles is to move the bones, not to
hold the bones together. The loose
ligaments cause the muscles to get fatigued.
These overworked tight muscles restrict the blood flow by causing a
compression restriction of the blood vessels.
An example of this would be how a flow of fluid through pipes can slow
by possibly 50% when you have a quick 90 degree turn. In cases of Raynaud’s you have a series of
these quick turns due to the loose ligaments in several joints. The full effect is a slowing of the blood
flow to the fingers and toes and also a slowing of the blood flow from the
fingers and toes back to the heart. People have about 10+ joints between the chest
and the end of the fingers and the same amount between the pelvis and the toes.
Cold exposure in a normal person creates a release of the sympathetic
hormones causing a vasoconstriction (contraction) of the blood vessels due to
the stress reaction in the body. The physical effect of this in a
healthy person is a faster flow of blood going to and away from the
extremities, hands, and feet. This moves
the heat from the inside to help to warm the small parts of the body such as
the toes and fingers. In a person with
Raynaud’s the blood vessels have tight spastic turns in them. Exposure to the stress hormones contract the
blood vessels so much that they get kinked.
Once the blood flow stops your body runs out of nutrients such as
oxygen, sugar, and heat. The sympathetic
hormones cause the blood vessels to be smaller and when you are exposed to cold
it is easier to have the blood get stuck in your hands, feet, nose, and even
kneecaps. This Raynaud’s reaction can
cause lasting damage if not treated properly.
The treatment I provide at the Powers
Chiropractic Clinic focuses on restoring ligament tightness to the arms and
legs. This is a Holistic approach so it
takes you on a journey of healing that involves a special diet, certain
supplements and use of a stretchable tape to restore resiliency to the
connection to the bones that are loose.
I also provide chiropractic adjustments to bring back the function of
the liver, kidney, adrenal, and digestive tract. I have been in chiropractic practice since
1983. I have had good success in
treating this disease with a few people.
I have seen them get somewhere between 40 to 60 % better with treatment
specifically for this in several weeks.
The kinesiotape unlocks the tight muscles by
tightening the loose connection between the joints. The ligaments being tight
allow the muscles to stay relaxed. These
relaxed muscles allow the blood vessels to be open and flowing so that on the
release of the stress hormones there is a normal faster flow of blood going to
and away from the extremities.
It will take several weeks to restore
function to the ligaments of the arms and legs, so you will improve slowly over
a period of time. Each case is unique,
so I will do a thorough consult and exam to see if you could respond well to
this treatment. You can get further
information about chiropractic, for this condition and other conditions at
