By Jack Williams, Sentinel Staffwriter

Sensitivity to Cold Might Be Affliction :
Raynaud's Phenomenon

Most times, there's no reason to back down from a cold front, or at least what passes for one in the mild seasons of San Diego.

But in air that's cold enough to bleach your breath, you may encounter another phenomenon that gives a new meaning to chilling out: fingers that stiffen, cramp or tingle (maybe even all three) in the cold.

Call it polar paralysis, San Diego style.

Those icicle fingers also may turn red, blue or ghastly white. They're cold to the touch and, in some cases, numb.

If those symptoms sound familiar, you may be among the nearly 10 percent of women and more than 8 percent of men who suffer Raynaud's phenomenon, which shunts blood away from the extremities to keep the vital organs warm.

While fingers are the primary victims, toes, nose and ears are susceptible, too.

The scary part is that Raynaud's phenomenon is suffered by 95 percent of those with scleroderma, a tightening and thickening of the skin that can kill half its victims within five years.

Fortunately, the percentage of those with Raynaud's symptoms who develop scleroderma, a disorder that primarily strikes women of childbearing age, is quite small.

In addition to cold temperatures, emotional stress can trigger the Raynaud's response. The body, it seems, reacts much the same way to stress as it does to cold.

In most cases, the condition is no more than a nuisance that can be dealt with by wearing warm clothing and avoiding extreme temperatures. In rare instances, though, ulcers and even gangrene may develop.

For the cold-sensitive exerciser, a pair of gloves and a little extra insulation, as un-San Diegan as that may seem, is in order. A turtleneck may come in handy, too. Nerves in the neck control the blood vessels in your hands.

To minimize the effects of cold weather, avoid substances that constrict the blood vessels. Among them: caffeine, nicotine and decongestants.

The same advice goes for those with hypoglycemia, which produces a sharp drop in blood sugar that impairs the blood's ability to heat the body.

Cold sensitivity also heightens if you're deficient in iron.

A few years ago, when researchers at Tufts University monitored women who consumed one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for iron, they found that the iron-deficient women lost 29 percent more body heat than those with normal iron stores.

This diminished body heat can trigger cardiac problems, especially among the elderly and those who are coronary prone. Because arteries in the heart constrict and blood pressure rises in cold weather, heart attacks are more common this time of year -- 53 percent more so than in the summer.

Regardless of your sensitivity to the cold, staying in shape during the winter months when daylight is at a premium, is a challenge.

"The main reasons to stay in shape in the winter are to keep your weight down, your mental health up and maintain your cardiac fitness," says Dr. Ed McFarland, a sports medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

Face it: The more you slack off in winter, the more prone to injury you'll be when the longer, warmer days of spring roll around.

Says McFarland: "The big problem is that most cardiac events and musculoskeletal problems begin when people try to get back in shape, particularly if they try to do it too fast."

Among the most common injuries suffered after prolonged layoffs: tendinitis and stress fractures.

Personal Options

The personal fitness trainer population is growing faster than a crowd at a beanie baby give away.

In the last seven years, IDEA's personal trainer membership mushroomed more than 800 percent, from 791 to more than 8,000. IDEA is a San Diego-based organization for fitness professionals.

As IDEA points out, however, there is no single, standard qualification required of a personal fitness trainer.

National certification organizations that provide continuing education to their professionals would seem to offer the best options. Among them: the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.

Jack Williams can be reached at (619) 293-1388; by fax at (619) 293-1896; or by e-mail at jack.williams@uniontrib.com



Home

© 1998-2008 Fur Commission USA