Raynaud’s Syndrome: Hidden Root Causes and Top Healing Strategies

Raynaud’s syndrome is often dismissed or managed only at the surface level. Today, I’ll break down what Raynaud’s really is, possible hidden causes and underlying risk factors, and what you can do to address underlying causes, improve circulation, prevent further dysfunction, and feel your best.

What Is Raynaud’s?

Raynaud’s syndrome is a chronic condition primarily characterized by episodes of reduced blood flow to the extremities, which results in very cold fingers and/or toes that change color (white or blue when cold, and often red when they warm up). Fingers and toes may feel numb in the cold and then tingly or sore when circulation returns. 

There are two main types of Raynaud’s. (1) The first is primary Raynaud’s disease, which is when the condition occurs on its own (not clearly connected to another chronic illness). This is usually the milder of the two types.

At a basic level, primary Raynaud’s involves blood vessels that are “overreacting” to mild stress. 

It’s part of our normal physiological response for blood vessels in the extremities to constrict when the skin is exposed to cold, to help reduce heat loss from the body.

In the case of Raynaud’s, this blood vessel constriction is happening in a more excessive way and in response to even minor temperature changes. This blood vessel constriction and reduced blood flow can also happen in response to emotional stress and blood sugar fluctuations. (2) 

Secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs when the condition is associated with another disease. Most commonly, these are autoimmune disorders and/or connective tissue diseases, especially scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. 

Secondary Raynaud’s tends to be more severe, likely because of the underlying autoimmune process. In some cases it can lead to skin ulcerations, tissue damage, cardiovascular problems, or circulatory system complications. 

Risk Factors 

Raynaud’s, which is typically diagnosed earlier in life (before age 30), is more common in females. 

Those who have an existing autoimmune disease, especially related to connective tissue, or who have a family history of Raynaud’s may also have an increased risk of developing the syndrome. 

Root Causes of Raynaud’s

There are often multiple underlying or contributing factors behind Raynaud’s. In the case of primary Raynaud’s, we want to know what’s driving excessive blood vessel constriction and impaired circulation. With secondary Raynaud’s, we’re also looking for the root dysfunction underlying the autoimmune disease process. 

Although these are different disease processes, some of the potential root causes may be similar. Zooming out, most chronic illnesses can really be traced back to a handful of underlying factors and imbalances. 

Here are a few possible root causes of Raynaud’s. 

Chronic Stress and Nervous System Dysregulation

Raynaud’s is most commonly associated with reactions to cold temperatures, but if you have Raynaud’s, you may find that you also experience blood vessel spasms in response to emotional stress. 

Even the response to cold is controlled by your body’s stress response. And beyond just being a trigger, I often find a history of trauma, chronic stress, and nervous system dysregulation underlying Raynaud’s. (3) 

When you’re in an actively stressful situation, the body redirects blood flow away from the extremities so that it can be focused on the big muscles you need to fight or run away from the danger. This is part of a normal and healthy stress response. 

But if your nervous system is dysregulated due to chronic or severe stress (which can be psychological and/or physiological), you can become essentially stuck in this sympathetic (fight or flight) state, which can lead to chronically impaired circulation.

Stress and trauma can also underlie the autoimmune disease process, impairing immune function and causing chronic inflammation throughout the body. 

Gut Imbalances or Leaky Gut 

Autoimmunity so often comes back to the gut. The majority of our immune system is in the gut, and when something is chronically out of balance or impaired in the digestive system, we often end up with inflammation and autoimmunity. 

Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and gut dysbiosis (an imbalance between beneficial and harmful microbes in the gut) are two of the most common problems that can drive autoimmune disease and secondary Raynaud’s. To get more specific, comprehensive stool testing can give us a detailed picture of what’s going on. 

Blood Sugar Dysregulation 

Blood sugar dysregulation can contribute to Raynaud’s in a number of ways. First, being on the blood sugar rollercoaster activates the body’s stress response, which impairs circulation and blood flow. 

Dysglycemia and insulin resistance can also damage the endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels, and can contribute to overall inflammation and oxidative stress which drive chronic disease of all kinds. (4) 

Low fasting glucose has also been found to be a risk factor for Raynaud’s, supporting the role that glucose regulation plays in the condition. (5) 

Toxin Buildup or Impaired Detoxification 

The liver filters our blood to separate nutrients, toxins, and metabolites from food, before that blood makes its way back to the heart. When the liver is overloaded and sluggish, it can slow down and negatively affect circulation. 

Liver toxicity and impaired detoxification can also lead to systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which can damage blood vessels. 

Lab Testing For Raynaud’s Root Causes

Comprehensive lab testing can help determine what’s really going on underneath the symptoms of Raynaud’s. Depending on individual factors and health history, some of the lab tests I might recommend would include: 

• Autoimmune screening and antibody testing (I would look for autoimmunity with primary Raynaud’s too, even if not associated with another diagnosed autoimmune condition) 
• Inflammatory markers
• Gut microbiome testing 
• Micronutrient panels 
• Fatty acid metabolism testing
• Hormonal balance testing 
• Comprehensive metabolic panel and other cardiometabolic testing 
• Testing for toxin buildup 

Functional Medicine Treatment Strategies 

The conventional medicine approach to Raynaud’s is very limited. (6) Most advice involves simply avoiding the cold or dressing very warmly and using hand or toe warmers (which can help with what they help with: managing symptoms). 

Some doctors will prescribe medications including calcium channel blockers (which work to relax blood vessels), but these can come with side effects and are not always effective. And, importantly, they don’t get at any possible root causes of Raynaud’s. 

A functional medicine approach involves identifying and addressing contributing factors, and supporting overall vascular health, liver function, gut health, and immune system function. 

An exact protocol will look different from person to person, but these are some of the most effective strategies we see in practice. There is very little research available on natural, alternative, or integrative treatments for Raynaud’s, including those I’ll detail below. However, many of them are known to support overall health and underlying processes that have been linked to Raynaud’s, and in our functional medicine telehealth clinic we’ve seen great results with these approaches. 

Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory, Blood Sugar Balancing Diet

The starting point for any healthy eating plan is choosing whole, unprocessed, anti-inflammatory foods, and getting a variety and balance of clean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables of different colors. 

From there, a few nutritional additions, tweaks, and tips that may help with Raynaud’s include: 

• Focus on blood sugar control. This is important for everyone, and can be particularly beneficial for those with Raynaud’s. Start by removing sugar, and focus on eating regular, balanced meals throughout the day to avoid spikes and crashes. It can be helpful (but not necessary) to use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in order to better understand how your own blood glucose is affected by different factors, just try not to obsess over the data. 
• Include more antioxidant-rich plant foods. Antioxidants support vascular health and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Overall, a largely plant-based diet (this doesn’t mean you have to avoid animal products altogether) is a great approach for getting tons of nutrients in. 
• Include enough fiber. Dietary fiber supports a healthy and robust microbiome and helps to balance blood sugar. Everyone’s ideal fiber intake looks a bit different depending on the current state of your digestive system and what you can tolerate without flaring symptoms. 
• Cut out alcohol (and maybe caffeine). Removing alcohol can have massive health benefits, including reducing inflammation and nervous system stress and helping to limit Raynaud’s attacks. Some people also find that eliminating or reducing caffeine helps to reduce the severity of episodes; this may be especially true if your nervous system is dysregulated. 
• Include warming foods. Warming spices including ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne, and root vegetables like squash and carrots can help to support circulation. 
• Consume plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce inflammation and they may also help to support circulation and reduce the severity of vasospasm in those with Raynaud’s. A few great sources include fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia seeds. 

Introduce Targeted Herbs and Supplements 

There are a few specific supplements and herbs that may help to support blood vessel health and overall wellbeing for those with Raynaud’s. These include: 

• Magnesium. Some research has shown that individuals with Raynaud’s are more likely to have low magnesium levels than healthy individuals. (7) Physiological and emotional stress (both of which can underlie Raynaud’s) deplete our magnesium stores, and we need magnesium in order to relax the muscles in the blood vessel walls and facilitate proper blood flow. For all of these reasons, magnesium supplementation may be helpful for Raynaud’s patients. 
• Ginkgo biloba. This herb may help to reduce episodes of Raynaud’s phenomenon and vasoconstriction, and support circulation. (8) 
• Omega 3 fish oil. In addition to including more omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, fish oil supplementation can help to reduce Raynaud’s episodes. (9) 

Other supplements or herbs may be recommended depending on underlying conditions or factors driving your case of Raynaud’s. 

Regulate the Nervous System and Stress Response

If your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic (fight or flight) mode, we want to get it unstuck and bring it back into balance. There are several different techniques that can be used for this. 

Incorporating a general stress management practice like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, nature walks, or journaling into your routine is one important step. 

If you’ve been caught in a chronic stress state for a long time or have a history of trauma or chronic emotional stress, therapeutic approaches such as somatic therapy or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can be very helpful. 

I also recommend taking note of what your emotional state and stress level is like when you experience Raynaud’s episodes. Do they tend to happen more frequently when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or are they worse in these cases? Simply being aware of this connection within your body and mind can help as you work on restoring nervous system balance. 

Heal Your Gut

To support immune function and reduce inflammation, it’s important to bring the gut back into balance. The nervous system approaches mentioned above can help with this via the gut-brain axis, and we also want to support digestive function directly. 

Testing helps guide us here by assessing the state of the gut microbiome and any prominent overgrowths, infections, parasites, or imbalances that need to be dealt with. Zonulin testing for leaky gut can also provide more information. 

But a starting point for digestive support may involve probiotics (healthy, live bacteria), prebiotics (food for healthy, live bacteria), and postbiotics (the waste products produced when probiotics consume prebiotics). These can be taken in through food and/or as supplements. 

READ MORE: How To Heal Your Gut: A Functional Medicine Guide To Restoring Microbiome Health 

Support Natural Detoxification 

Another crucial component of holistic Raynaud’s support involves addressing toxin buildup, liver health, and detox function. 

Depending on your health history and lifestyle factors, we may test for and then work to remove specific environmental toxins (such as those from mold). In other cases, rather than there being one clear source of toxicity, people may have an overall high burden from the many stresses of a modern lifestyle. 

In addition to reducing toxin exposure and buildup, supplementing with glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant, can help to support liver detoxification when it’s less resourced. 

A Root Cause Focused Approach to Raynaud’s 

Avoiding the cold is one thing, but if you’re dealing with primary or secondary Raynaud’s, there is more you can do to restore healthy circulation and immune function, and truly thrive. 

For more individualized support, you can book a consult with our functional medicine telehealth center right here. 

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

Sources

• Musa, R., & Qurie, A. (2023). Raynaud disease. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
• Irving, D., & Daniels, J. (2024). Psychological factors in symptom severity and quality of life in Raynaud’s phenomenon. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 52(4), 426-439.
• Lindberg, L., Brinth, L. S., Bergmann, M. L., Kristensen, B., Hansen, T. W., Hasbak, P., … & Jensen, L. T. (2022). Autonomic nervous system activity in primary Raynaud’s phenomenon: Heart rate variability, plasma catecholamines and [123I] MIBG heart scintigraphy. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 42(2), 104-113.
• Han, K. A., Patel, Y., Lteif, A. A., Chisholm, R., & Mather, K. J. (2011). Contributions of dysglycaemia, obesity, and insulin resistance to impaired endothelium‐dependent vasodilation in humans. Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews, 27(4), 354-361.
• Hartmann, S., Yasmeen, S., Jacobs, B. M., Denaxas, S., Pirmohamed, M., Gamazon, E. R., … & Langenberg, C. (2023). ADRA2A and IRX1 are putative risk genes for Raynaud’s phenomenon. Nature communications, 14(1), 6156.
• Malenfant, D., Catton, M., & Pope, J. E. (2009). The efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of Raynaud’s phenomenon: a literature review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology, 48(7), 791-795.
• Leppert, J., Åberg, H., Levin, K., Ringqvist, I., & Jonason, T. (1994). The concentration of magnesium in erythrocytes in female patients with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon; fluctuation with the time of year. Angiology, 45(4), 283-288.
• Muir, A. H., Robb, R., McLaren, M., Daly, F., & Belch, J. J. (2002). The use of Ginkgo biloba in Raynaud’s disease: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Vascular Medicine, 7(4), 265-267.
• DiGiacomo, R. A., Kremer, J. M., & Shah, D. M. (1989). Fish-oil dietary supplementation in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon: a double-blind, controlled, prospective study. The American journal of medicine, 86(2), 158-164.