chilblains- please help!

I have been suffering from what I think are chilblains for the last couple of weeks. My toes are red, swollen, and intolerably itchy. I had this last year, but "cured" it by making sure that I dried my feet well after showering or exercising, and didn't wear my socks as often, since chilblains are caused both by cold and damp. I now live in an unheated house, so not wearing socks is not really possible. Since entering my juice fast a few days ago, my toes have gotten incredibly worse and am now driving me crazy! I am wondering if fasting could have changed my body temp enough that the chilblains have gotten worse? Or is it possible that this is a sign of detox? I know this topic isn't particularly raw, but any advice or condolences are much appreciated.

Comments

  • ZemphiraZemphira Raw Newbie

    Anyone else having problems with Chilblains? Parsley did you ever find a remedy that worked for you?

    I've been raw for I guess about 3 months now and I've recently been diagnosed with Raynaud's disease/phenomenon! . I've been to a couple doctors (general practitioner and arthritis specialist) and they haven't been able to help me. Sure, they've taken tons of blood and ran several tests for mainly autoimmune diseases and found nothing.

    Here's my thing, I can deal with the Raynaud's episodes (fingers going white, then numb) despite how annoying and uncomfortable they can be, but what's getting to me is now I'm starting to develop chilblains on almost all my fingers. It started with just one finger, then another and now, pretty much all my fingers have them. I'm using some homeopathic remedies (Florasome creme and Traumeel) to try and deal with them and I've bumped up my cayenne pepper and ginger intake in hopes of improving my circulation.

    I guess my question here, aside from if Parsley or anyone else has any suggestions on how to deal with this, is it possible that this is part of detox? I had Raynaud's episodes before, I remember the numbness/white fingers last year although, not this severe or frequent. And until now, I was never officially diagnosed with it but again, it wasn't this much of a problem for me. And I've never had the chilblains nor have I ever been so sensitive to the cold - which according to my research, is a part of the early stages of going raw.

    I hope my body adjusts quickly, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of being cold all the time and the chilblains have got to go!

    I did read on another thread someone recommended some ACV with a quarter teaspon of cayenne. I plan on implementing this into my diet ASAP. Any other suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks all.

  • carrie6292carrie6292 Raw Newbie

    I'm interested in this as well. I have been recently diagnosed with Raynaud's too... haven't been to the Rheumetologist yet, but will be there in 3 weeks. I had a bad fall and have a bad contusion on my foot/ankle and because of this, the Raynaud's was brought on worse than in the past - my toes were really purple and quite scary to me! I'm trying to keep my toes/feet warmer, but that seems impossible most days! Anyone have any good suggestions??

    Thanks!

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    I too have Raynaud's, and though I've by no means kicked it, I've found the following to help:

    Staying hydrated - If my fingers have that dry wrinkly winter look, then I'm way more likely to have a Raynaud's episode. I drink an embarrassing amount of water in the winter. Not only does it help with Raynaud's, but my skin is less dry and my lips less chapped.

    Staying warm - I wear fingerless gloves at work, drink very warm water, and I've invested in some high-quality fleece socks. When it's really cold, I'll wear my Moon Boots--they look ridiculous, but my feet stay really warm. I also have some Earth Cloud slippers--they're the warmest slippers I've ever had, and when I'm home, I'm wearing them. Ski gloves are great for when you're outside. A small space heater can help if you work at a desk. I have this one from Amazon, and really like it for under the desk: http://www.amazon.com/Optimus-H-4110-9-Inch-Dish-Heater/dp/B000GG8DTS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265167584&sr=8-4

    That's about it. I've tried eating spicier foods and taking ginkgo, but nothing consistent enough to be sure that they help--or don't.

    Oddly enough, I did have chilblains (which are very different from the original poster's description, by the way) earlier in the season, but they've subsided.

  • I have Raynaud's as well (self diagnosed). No chilblains. My Raynaud's started about 6 years ago and each winter got progressively worse. Last winter I got frostbite from staying too long outside shovelling snow. According to what I've read there isn't much you can do about it except for RAW food!! This winter instead of getting worse it has been very mild. I attribute it to RAW. I've been eating about 90% since Nov. 2007 and hope to be free of it by next winter.

  • I too have Raynaud's. I keep my hands and feet warm at all times--before it was diagnosed, my toes got so bad that the skin was sloughing off at the tips. (I was going barefoot around the house all the time). Now I wear slippers and socks at home all the time, fingerless gloves at work, and heavy-duty mittens when I am outside in the cold. I also eat spicy food, and drink warm water. Since doing these things, and going raw a couple of years ago, I have not had an outbreak like the ones I used to have.

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