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by Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

As numerous online and print articles declare, sauna bathing has helped countless people who suffer from asthma, bronchitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and many other physical ailments. And while the condition known as Raynaud’s disease has perhaps not received as much attention as those previously mentioned, credible sources suggest that sauna bathing can benefit its sufferers as well.

Raynaud’s disease is a condition that causes some areas of your body, such as your fingers, toes, ears, cheeks, tongue, and the tip of your nose, to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress. Named after Maurice Raynaud, the French physician who first described it in 1862, it is a disorder of the blood vessels that supply blood to your skin. During a Raynaud’s attack, these arteries narrow, limiting blood flow to affected areas.

Accurately discussing Raynaud’s can be challenging for some people, as two types of it exist, and each type has two names. What most laymen generically call Raynaud’s disease could be either primary Raynaud’s or secondary Raynaud’s.

Primary Raynaud’s, the most common form of the disorder, is what physicians and medical textbooks correctly refer to as Raynaud’s disease. According to MayoClinic.com, primary Raynaud’s is “Raynaud’s without an underlying disease or associated medical problem” that could provoke sudden constriction of a blood vessel, causing a temporary but dramatic reduction in blood flow. Primary Raynaud’s typically affects the digits of both hands and both feet. Although anyone can develop the condition, primary Raynaud’s mainly affects women between the ages of 15 and 40. It’s also more common in people who live in colder climates.

Secondary Raynaud’s, also known as Raynaud’s phenomenon, is caused by an underlying problem like scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome (both connective tissue diseases), lupus (an autoimmune disease), rheumatoid arthritis (an inflammatory disease), hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland), diseases of the arteries (such as atherosclerosis and Buerger’s disease), carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve damage, or chemical exposure. It has also been linked to smoking and various medications. As well, people in certain occupations, such as those who operate vibrating tools, may be more vulnerable to secondary Raynaud’s.

Most typically, cold temperatures provoke Raynaud’s attacks. Just taking an item out of your freezer, putting your hands in cold water, or exposing yourself to cold air could trigger one. For some people, however, cold is not even necessary; emotional stress is enough to instigate an episode. In both cases, the body seems to exaggerate its natural response of trying to preserve its core temperature by slowing blood supply to its extremities.

As MayoClinic.com points out, suffering from Raynaud’s is more than simply having cold extremities, and it’s not the same as frostbite. During an attack, which can last from less than a minute to several hours, affected areas of your skin usually first turn white. Then they often turn blue, feel cold and numb, and may appear slightly swollen. As your blood circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. Raynaud’s attacks may grow more severe over time.

If the condition becomes severe, blood circulation to your extremities could permanently diminish, resulting in deformities in affected areas like your fingers or toes. Also, skin ulcers or gangrene could develop if an artery to an affected area becomes completely blocked.

Depending on the cause and severity of symptoms, treatment can take many forms. Medications may include alpha blockers, calcium channel blockers, or vasodilators, all of which help relax blood vessels. For severe cases, nerve surgery, chemical injection, and amputation may be options. To help decrease attacks of Raynaud’s, sufferers are often advised:

- to not smoke or inhale secondhand smoke;
- to exercise regularly;
- to recognize and avoid stressful situations;
- to protect their hands and feet from injury, and
- to avoid workplace triggers.

Advice to help prevent Raynaud’s attacks includes dressing warmly outdoors, dressing sensibly indoors, wearing gloves or oven mitts when taking items out of the refrigerator or freezer, turning down the air conditioning, and considering moving somewhere with a milder climate (although Raynaud’s can still occur in warmer climates).

As for how sauna bathing can help people who suffer from Raynaud’s, as well as those who wish to avoid such suffering, both the traditional Finnish sauna and the far infrared sauna offer health benefits that are very relevant to this topic. For example, during a session in either type of sauna, the bather’s heart responds to the sauna heat by increasing blood flow and perspiration production to cool the bather’s body. In this way, sauna bathing is a form of cardiovascular exercise.

Perspiring in a sauna, especially a far infrared sauna, also helps the body rid itself of harmful toxins that have built up over time. With experts having already drawn the connection between nicotine, secondhand smoke and Raynaud’s, this benefit is certainly noteworthy.

As anyone who has stepped into a sauna seeking relief from muscle aches, sports injuries or ailments such as arthritis or fibromyalgia should already know, sauna bathing also offers a proven way to alleviate pain. A clinical study conducted at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Science Centers at the University of Toronto confirmed that far infrared therapy can bring about significant improvements in both subjective measures of pain and discomfort associated with Raynaud’s disease.

Lastly, sauna bathing fosters relaxation and stress relief. To those Raynaud’s sufferers whose attacks are caused by emotional stress, as well as to the innumerable Raynaud’s sufferers whose emotional stress is understandably caused by their attacks, this news is likely very welcome.

If you think you may be suffering from Raynaud’s disease or Raynaud’s phenomenon, be sure to discuss your concerns with a qualified health professional. Meanwhile, you’d be wise to investigate the many ways a home sauna, be it a traditional Finnish sauna or a far infrared sauna, can improve your health and happiness.