Ask Dr. Cassandra: Treatment for Raynaud’s Disease

Dr. Cassandra, do you have any experience in treating Raynaud’s syndrome with acupuncture?

I haven’t treated Raynaud’s disease with acupuncture, but it would be worth a try. Although it doesn’t make sense in Western medicine, the goal with acupuncture is to bring balance to your body by bringing balance to your energy system. We may choose specific needle points for specific diseases, but the goal is more about bringing the entire system into balance. Look for an acupuncturist in your area who is appropriately licensed and ask around for word-of-mouth recommendations if you’re not sure about who to choose.

Another aspect is to look at is what you can actively do to heal yourself.

Don’t just depend on a practitioner (whether it be a Western medicine healthcare provider or an alternative practitioner) to fix you. You may not realize it, but you have more power than you can imagine to heal yourself.

Step back and think about the big picture. First think about the causes of Raynaud’s disease. Sometimes it’s caused by things like smoking or repetitive use. If you have one of these preventable causes, think about what you can do to improve the situation. How can you stop smoking or stop the repetitive use?

Another aspect of Raynaud’s disease involves the disease process itself — constriction of the blood vessels in areas like the hands and feet. What you can do to avoid or decrease vasoconstriction? To start you can do meditation and relaxation techniques. By consciously relaxing yourself, you may be able to relax the smooth muscles around the affected blood vessels. There is probably also a nervous system component, and relaxation techniques can help relax the nerves in the affected areas. You may choose to see a psychologist or other healthcare provider for guidance with these types of techniques.

If you are open-minded and want to take this further, you can do the work in my course.

You can work with aspects of your inner self — including your thoughts, emotions, and intuition — to approach healing on a whole new level.

Maybe you’re really stressed and caught up in unhealthy thought patterns telling you to push yourself when you should relax. Or maybe you’re subconsciously trying to suppress emotions, like anger or fear. These things can lead to physical changes, like vasoconstriction, that can exacerbate Raynaud’s disease. When you learn to recognize and heal unhealthy thought patterns, you change your body. When you learn how to feel your emotions in a healthy way without blocking them or projecting them, you change your body.

Finally, as you work with your thoughts and emotions in a healthy way, you’ll be able to hear your intuition — your own best expert who always knows what is best for you in every moment. Your intuition will tell you what treatment is right for you. It will guide you on your healing journey. You’ll know if you should try acupuncture, get a second opinion from another physician, or try a new brand of socks or mittens to keep your feet or hands warm.

There are many aspects of healing. Don’t let yourself be limited to the medications and procedures your physician offers.

Open your mind to your own potential to heal yourself. Every time you find yourself feeling hopeless as you look at your hands reacting to the cold, say “This may not make sense to me yet, but I believe I can heal myself. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but my intuition will guide me.” Give yourself permission to feel the emotions that come up (remember to do this in a healthy way, without hurting yourself or anyone else). And act when the time is right.

Remember, you have more power than you can imagine — power to heal yourself and change your life — starting from the inside out.