This February is Raynaud’s Awareness month and SRUK (Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK) are asking people to unite together to increase awareness and understanding of Raynaud’s.
What is Raynaud’s?
Raynaud’s is a syndrome where generally the fingers and toes over respond to cold or stress, causing these areas of the body to sometimes change colour, but not always, from white, to blue, to red. When this occurs it can be very uncomfortable and a possible painful process, making the easiest of daily tasks very difficult.
SRUK, the only UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with Scleroderma and Raynaud’s phenomenon, confirm that up to ten million people in the UK are thought to be affected by Raynaud’s but it often remains undiagnosed.
With this in mind we have listed some of the signs which SRUK advise can be associated with Raynaud’s.
- Cold fingers & toes
- Colour changes in the skin in response to cold or stress
- Numbness, tingling or pain in the fingers & toes
- Stinging or throbbing pain upon warming up or stress relief
What can you do to help Raynaud’s
- Try to keep your home warm
- Wear warm clothes when it is cold weather, especially on your hands and your feet
- Take regular exercise
- Eat a healthy diet
- If you smoke try to give up because this will improve your circulation
- Try to avoid caffeine as this is can affect Raynaud’s.
What cover is available on your Private Medical Insurance?
As there is not a cure for Raynaud’s, Private Medical Insurers would deem this condition to be chronic and would only look to cover tests/consultations up until the point of diagnosis. This is subject to policy underwriting and the insurer’s specific terms and conditions regarding this.
If you, or someone you know needs help, guidance, and advise about Scleroderma & Raynaud’s visit SRUK’s website linked below, where they provide useful information and support.
If you would like to know more about Private Medical Insurance and what benefits are available, then our experienced team will be more than happy to help you. You can contact us on 01245 929 129 or email enquiries@smphealthcare.com.
Information sourced from https://www.sruk.co.uk/