It’s a lovely cold winter day and you are having a great time outdoors with your loved ones. Then suddenly, you start to feel cold in your hands, to feel your fingers numb, tingling, you feel pain … These symptoms, linked to exposure to cold, are common in most people but they are accentuated and more conducive to develop for some people with Raynaud’s disease. Very short exposure to cold can cause pain that lasts for several minutes, even several hours after warming up. Here is in a nutshell what Raynaud’s disease is.
What is Raynaud’s disease?
It is a chronic disorder related to poor blood circulation caused by spasms in the arterioles (small arteries) that supply our extremities. The disease of Raynaud is therefore frequently manifested in the fingers, toes, lips or nose. During an attack of the disease, the fingers and toes (most often) turn white sometimes blue, cold and numb because the blood is no longer circulating in them. In the majority of cases, Raynaud’s disease does not cause damage to blood vessels or tissues, but cold tolerance is reduced and symptoms are very painful and usually occur after exposure to cold and can last for a few minutes … up to a few hours!
Raynaud’s disease usually affects healthy people, and the first manifestation of the disease is usually before the age of 30. Women, especially between 15 and 40 years old are more likely to have this disease (which affects about 5% of the population). Note that populations living in northern regions are also more at risk.
How to avoid manifestations of Raynaud’s disease?
Get warm! Avoid exposure to cold and drastic temperature changes and make sure your fingers, ears and toes are warm throughout winter. If you have not been able to prevent the manifestations of Raynaud’s disease and your fingers become white, cold or numb, the first thing to do is to warm up, in order to calm the spasm of blood vessels.
Our suggestions:
Even without having Raynaud’s disease, symptoms of cold exposure can be very uncomfortable. Our fingers, toes and ears are often the parts of the body that freeze first.
Here are our essential products that will certainly keep you warm all winter long.
The beaver boot offers the best thermal value of all of our outdoor boots. Laboratory tested, their thermal heat even exceeds maximum capacity
of the device, i.e. -60C. Pairing these boots with a pair of merino wool socks will guarantee to keep your toes warm.
We have a variety of sheep-lined beaver, seal, wildcat and rabbit fur mittens that are sure to keep your fingers warm all winter long.
Our fur hats will not only keep your ears from freezing, they will keep your head warm.
The Saute-Mouton company in Quebec also manufactures city boots that combine style and comfort. They are warmer than most boots on the market but cooler than our outdoor boots.
