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What might help to deal with Reynaud’s disease?

Posted by kaps2065 @kaps2065, Dec 30, 2025

Do you have Reynaud’s disease or Reynaud’s syndrome? Is there anything you’ve found that decreases severe pain in fingers and toes? Do you find that the caffeine in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, or sodas makes the pain of Reynaud’s disease or Reynaud’s phenomenon worse? Or does caffeine not affect you??

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bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | Feb 20 4:38pm
In reply to @kaps2065 "Do you take flax oil internally as a soft gel? Or use it topically as a..." + (show)
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Do you take flax oil internally as a soft gel? Or use it topically as a rub?

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@kaps2065

I take it as softgels. 3 x 1000mg at lunchtime and 2 x 1000mg at bedtime. About 1986 or so I had the issue with stifness in my hands and fingers. Saw an orthopedic surgeon and a rheumatologist. I ended up being referred to Mayo in 1987. Saw a rheumatologist there who sent me to a hand specialist. He did some surgical diagnostic stuff on both hands with no therapeutic benefit. After that I saw the stuff about flax oil and tried it. Now my hand are as good as new.

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stitch25 | @stitch25 | 5 days ago
In reply to @jlharsh "Hi @kaps2065 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. If you are comfortable sharing it will help..." + (show)
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Hi @kaps2065 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. If you are comfortable sharing it will help others to read more about why you ask how to decrease pain with Raynaud’s. As you state, there are a couple different types depending on the root cause. Your best option is to work with a doctor to figure out what is behind yours. Different things will help depending on why it is happening.

I am familiar with Raynaud’s, though I don’t quite understand enough to give you a concise answer. My coworker has a type of Raynaud’s where individual fingers will turn bright white, then go away. No pain, no nothing else. Mine has been not so clear cut.

I was referred to Mayo Clinic when I hit a circulation crisis and seeking care from providers locally did not help. My primary care provider told me docs I had seen did not believe I had Raynaud’s. He sent me to:
- a podiatrist to look at my feet, who referred me to PT for plantar fasciitis and dermatology for an open sore on one ankle. The dermatologist looked at my phone photos and told me my fingers were Raynaud’s.
- vascular surgeon, who looked at my feet and confirmed.

Medication is what initially helped me. Amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) and Nitro-Bid nitroglycerin ointment on my foot offered relief. Follow-up at Mayo Clinic where I found integrative care has been game changing.

Definitely protecting skin from weather is important. More information about both types of Raynaud’s is provided in this link:
- Raynaud's Summary https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20363571

Do you know what type of Raynaud’s you have? What does it look like, and what symptoms are you having?

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My podiatrist helped me figure out that my problem was Raynaud's. Extremely painful when my feet and hands would freeze. Sometimes it would happen in the middle of summer. The freezing is not limited to just my hands and feet. It crawls up my arms and legs sometimes too.
The opposite: swelling up and overheating. Sometimes in the dead of winter. Obviously my inner thermostat does not work properly.
I always wear wool socks, pretty much year around. I always layer clothes in the winter, and always keep a pair of gloves nearby and a sweatshirt no matter what time of year.
After studying what triggers attacks: a game changer for me has been to be very disciplined about my diet. I have done away with all inflammatory foods. This took a lot of will power cause I eliminated all forms of sugar (including anything that has high-fructose corn syrup). I went completely gluten free and took it a step further to grain free. The differences with my Raynaud's have been NIGHT and DAY. It has been so worth it for me to not be struggling with nerve pain near as much. Raynaud's is still with me as it always will be, but these changes helped me tremendously.

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kaps2065 | @kaps2065 | 4 days ago

Thanks for your note! If you’ve eliminated all of those, what do you eat? What diet or regime are you on?

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Janell, Volunteer Mentor | @jlharsh | 1 day ago
In reply to @kaps2065 "Thanks for your note! If you’ve eliminated all of those, what do you eat? What diet..." + (show)
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Thanks for your note! If you’ve eliminated all of those, what do you eat? What diet or regime are you on?

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@kaps2065 I am tagging @stitch25 to have a better chance of seeing your question about what they do eat.

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