Non-drug approaches to treating Raynaud's phenomenon

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) attacks are thought to be triggered by a number of factors, including changes in environmental temperature, trauma to the fingers, smoking, some medications, and emotional distress. The first step in treating RP typically involves lifestyle modification to reduce exposure to potential triggers. To be able to understand and reduce or prevent exposure to triggers and to, thus, reduce the frequency of attacks, patients should be educated about RP and possible precipitating factors for episodes. Non-drug approaches to treating RP, in addition to or as part of patient education, could potentially include: (1) avoiding exposure to cold and maintaining whole body and digital warmth; (2) avoiding medications that may trigger attacks; (3) smoking cessation; (4) behavioral interventions to manage emotional stress; and (5) other approaches, such as laser therapy or acupuncture. In this chapter, evidence related to possible non-drug approaches to treating RP that have been suggested or tested is discussed