Right on Time, Here Comes Mr. Raynaud

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Fall has arrived, and right on cue, Mr. Raynaud has come to visit. They used to call it Raynaud’s disease, but it’s not a disease, so they changed it to the more accurate Raynaud’s syndrome. Unlike other “syndromes” like IBS, Raynaud’s is more a nuisance than anything else. “Harmless” in the primary version (which is what I have), but a pain. Raynaud’s is a change in body color (usually the fingers) thanks to cold. I’m a party in the winter: give me some iced tea and we can watch my fingers turn white. The primary syndrome has no underlying cause, while secondary Raynaud’s (or Raynaud’s phenomenon) is caused by an underlying condition like rheumatoid arthritis. It was named for a 19th century French physician, Maurice Raynaud. How do you treat it? “Avoid the cold.” Well, duh! My personal treatment of choice is a big cup of hot tea. So, with the cooler weather that has arrived right at the autumnal equinox for a change, the tea mug and caffeine-free mint chocolate tea has been brought out from the summer storage. Ooh, that tea was good. Warmed my hands right up, too. Welcome, Autumn! Mr. Raynaud, you, on the other hand can go to Alaska and bug someone else.