Welcome to our Winter 2024 RA Q&A column. These columns share our responses to the inquiries we receive about Raynaud’s symptoms, products, treatments, doctors and more. We hope you’re finding them helpful in addressing questions you may have about Raynaud’s.
My daughter has Raynaud’s. She was just diagnosed with cancer and must start chemotherapy. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a serious side effect that is highly prevalent among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Her doctors have advised her to wear frozen gloves and socks (cryotherapy) to prevent or reduce CIPN. Her doctors are not familiar with Raynaud’s. What can she do? Should she utilize cryotherapy with Raynaud’s ?
You’re right to question the use of cryotherapy on someone with Raynaud’s, particularly in a situation where your daughter will be getting chemo treatments. Chemo is known to cause or aggravate Raynaud’s symptoms on its own, so adding cryotherapy is going to be a double dose of aggravating treatments.
Nearly every search on the web for “who should not do cryotherapy” includes Raynaud’s sufferers. Neuropathy will be the least of your daughter’s worries if she loses a digit in trying to prevent it!
I would suggest you coordinate your daughter’s care with a rheumatologist. These are the specialists who are most knowledgeable about Raynaud’s, as they treat the autoimmune diseases closely associated with the condition. You don’t state whether your daughter’s Raynaud’s is the primary or secondary form. If it’s secondary, she may already be under the care of a rheumatologist. But with chemo treatments coming up, she could be a candidate for some of the treatment options (oral and topical meds) that can help alleviate any increased symptoms that may arise from the chemo. And a rheumatologist will be a good resource in responding to your daughter’s medical professionals who are suggesting the cryotherapy treatments.
Best wishes on your daughter’s recovery!
What do you recommend for Raynaud’s sufferers who wish to ski? My hands and feet are affected and was wondering if heated gloves and socks are the best way forward. Thanks for your time.
There’s no “specific prescription” of warm products for those who ski with Raynaud’s, but there are a lot of heated options:
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- Heated Boots – These are really a godsend! It’s been years since I did downhill, so I’m not sure if they still sell boots already set up with built-in heating elements. Now, I think ski shops can take any ski boot and install aftermarket heaters. The batteries are rechargeable and last for hours. But to be safe, I got an extra set of batteries that I kept charged and took them with me in case I needed more time on the heat or for added security in case something went wrong with a battery. Some days I would also include the disposable heat packs like Hot Hands.
- Heated/Non-heated Socks – If you choose heated boots, you won’t need heated socks. I wore thick wool boot socks with my heated boots. We’re also getting great reviews on the insulated socks from Heat Holders. Their manufacturing process creates a sock proven to be seven times warmer than cotton socks. The one issue is that they are really, really thick (like soft pillows!). So you’ll need to allow for extra room in your boots to use them, but it’s worth the extra planning! Here’s our product review and discount info: https://www.raynauds.org/product/heat-holders-thermal-socks/
If your preference is for heated socks over heated boots, be sure to get ones made by reputable manufacturers vs. inexpensive ones from China sold on Amazon, as you want them to be both reliable and safe. Gobi, Volt and Gerbing are brands you can trust. Here’s our product review on Gobi’s heated socks: https://www.raynauds.org/product/gobi-heat-socks-glove-liners/. - Heated Gloves or Mittens –Gerbing, Volt and Gobi make several models that are excellent. The fleece gloves from Gerbing offer a bit more dexterity if that’s important to you, but mittens in general offer greater warmth. We recently tested heated leather gloves from Chaval and they were wonderful, but pretty pricy. Here’s our product review and discount code: https://www.raynauds.org/product/chaval-heated-gloves-mitts/.
Another option is heated glove liners. Most of the heated glove manufacturers also offer a liner option. These are thin, stretchy gloves that can fit inside a pair of warm outer mittens or gloves if they are large enough to accommodate them. The liners offer good heat and a lot dexterity, but for skiing you’ll need a cover mitt or glove to keep them windproof. One benefit of using heated liners is that you can remove the cover mitt or glove and still have a heat source to warm your hands and fingers if you need to use your phone, adjust your boots, etc. We reviewed Gobi’s heated glove liners on the same page as their heated socks: https://www.raynauds.org/product/gobi-heat-socks-glove-liners/. Most brands are similar in design, it just depends on the comfort of the battery placement and fit. - Warm Skin Cream – This cream doesn’t offer immediate warmth or relief. Instead, it helps insulate your skin from the cold. It’s used by NFL players, Arctic explorers and U.S. Postal workers, all pretty good credentials. Here’s our product review with purchase information: https://www.raynauds.org/product/warm-skin-all-weather-guard/
If you try any of the products mentioned above, please share your feedback!
I am at a loss in figuring this disease out for my daughter. She is suffering from this in her feet and I am concerned this will progress to an unfortunate outcome. I am looking for a doctor who may be able to provide her some relief and is an expert in this field. I understand there is no cure but there must be something that can be applied in reducing the pain. Unfortunately we have tried the local doctors but it has been a challenge. I was hoping to find s clinic outside of our area that would be into new research or trials. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.
So sorry to hear about your daughter’s painful Raynaud’s symptoms.
Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any clinics in the U.S. specifically focused on Raynaud’s research and treatment. However, there are treatment centers for scleroderma, an autoimmune disease associated with Raynaud’s. While very few Raynaud’s patients will suffer from scleroderma, the large majority of scleroderma patients (over 90%) will also suffer from Raynaud’s, and Raynaud’s is often the first sign that there’s a medical issue to be explored.
You can find scleroderma treatment centers listed by state at this link: https://scleroderma.org/treatment-centers/. The center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore is headed by Dr. Fredrick Wigley, considered one of the top specialists on Raynaud’s. He was a charter member of our Medical Advisory Board, and is well respected in the medical community. There are also scleroderma treatment centers at the Medical University of South Carolina and at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Both groups include current members of our Medical Advisory Board so we’d highly recommend these sites, as well.
I hope you locate a good resource for your daughter. She’s very fortunate to have such a caring father!
I have primary Raynaud’s and I’ve read a lot about the benefits of vitamin B-3 but there are so many different types when I look on Amazon. What type do you recommend and what dosage? Thank you very much for any and all help!
Niacin, also known as Vitamin B-3, can potentially cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow to the skin; however, it’s not been clinically proven to alleviate Raynaud’s symptoms. As I’m not a medical professional and don’t have any research specific to niacin’s use for the condition, I unfortunately can’t address your question about dosage.
I would be cautious in making your doctor aware if you plan to use niacin or any other supplement products, as they can interact with other medications or have certain potential side effects to be aware of. Specifically for niacin, I’ve seen the following warning:
Large doses of niacin can cause liver damage, peptic ulcers, and skin rashes. Even normal doses can be associated with skin flushing. It can be prescribed as a treatment for elevated total cholesterol and other types of lipid disorders, but it should only be used with medical supervision due to its potential for severe side effects.
Wish I could be more helpful, but there are still a lot of unknowns about Raynaud’s.
My daughter has Raynaud’s. I was told to look for gloves that had silver infused in them. Do yours have that silver?
I’m not sure what you’re referencing as “yours,” as we don’t sell gloves. We offer product reviews for manufacturers and retailers who sell them, and they are published on our website’s Product Showcase.
While silver is known for its temperature regulating properties, we don’t currently feature gloves with silver content. One brand with silver we tested years ago are called Agloves. They are thin, stretchy gloves made more for warmer and transitional seasons or to be used as liners.
However, there are several excellent alternatives you might consider, including FiberHeat Gloves. They have a special technology woven into the fabric that helps maintain body warmth when exposed to the cold. Also Öjbro Wool Gloves and Mittens have several layers of insulation, including merino wool which is known for it’s temperature regulating properties.
Here’s our blog post titled Best Gloves (or Mittens) for Raynaud’s Sufferers that outlines several factors to consider in choosing gloves along with links to products that may be of interest, including the two gloves mentioned above.
We’d appreciate your feedback on our Winter 2024 RA Q&A column. Have questions for us? We’re not medical professionals or the Good Housekeeping Lab when it comes to testing products, but we’ll do our best to provide fellow Frosties with answers. Write to us at info@raynauds.org.
