2 Freaky Ways Winter Can Wipe You Out

The cold, crisp days of winter can trigger a couple of conditions that can range in severity from painful and debilitating to fatal. Here’s the dastardly duo:

Chilblains (a.k.a. pernio) is the inflammation of small blood vessels in your skin that occurs in response to sudden warming after exposure to cold temperatures. Signs that you’ve been struck include itchy, red patches, swelling, and sometimes blistering, most often on your fingers, toes, ears, and nose. Chilblains generally clear up within a few weeks if you follow these guidelines:

• Use mild skin lotions to alleviate swelling and itching.
• Clean the affected skin daily with a natural antiseptic, and cover it to prevent infection.
• Keep the afflicted area(s) warm but away from heat sources.
• Don’t scratch!    

To prevent trouble, stay warm at all times, especially if you’ve suffered chilblains in the past.

Raynaud’s disease (a.k.a. Raynaud’s phenomenon) is a disorder in which the blood vessels narrow in response to cold air, thereby reducing blood flow to the fingers, toes, and often the ears, lips, and nose. The affected body parts turn white, blue, and then red, generally accompanied by burning pain when the blood begins flowing back to the stricken areas. There is no cure and, so far at least, no known prevention. If your extremities begin to feel tingly or numb and start to lose color, suspect the onset of Raynaud’s. Hightail it to a warm place where you can quickly raise your body’s core temperature and get your blood flowing normally again. If you already have the disease, do everything you can to protect yourself from the cold, whether that entails bundling up to the Nth degree or, if possible, moving to a warmer climate.