Winter is a tough season and for many people, it may also become miserable. Days with little or no sunny days turn out to be depressing for many people. But there are also people who hate this season because of a disease they have, Raynaud’s Disease.
This is a disease that causes certain parts of the body, mostly fingers or toes, to change color during the cold weather and they turn white or sometimes also blue.
The circulation of blood in these areas of the body is very limited and this is why these parts change color. It may cause pain to the person as soon as that area starts to become warm. It can also cause numbness.
In the cold weather the body redirects its blood to the vital organs like the lungs and the heart and during this process, the extremities of the body, like fingers and toes, suffer the lack of blood.
One of the people who suffer from this disease is Rachel Smith. She is 32 years old and experiences it in her fingers and ears which turn very pale and she can not feel anything in those areas. She eventually starts to feel pain later.
Her fingers become white not only when she goes outside and it’s cold, but it also happens when she opens the fridge or when she is holding a drink that is cold.
Every time she goes outside she has to wear a beanie since she knows that her ears will turn white right away. She describes it as one of the worst pains.
She also likes to emphasize that it is a real disease and that people don’t understand this sometimes and treat it as if she is just a very delicate or fragile person.
In America, about 5% – 10% of the population suffers from this disease. Women are way more likely than men to be affected by it. There is no current cure for this disease but it is possible to manage it by covering your body’s extremities when you go outside or soaking in warm water in the affected areas.
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