A Natural Approach To Health

Living With Buerger’s Disease

I had a question the other day about Buerger’s disease.

Buerger’s disease is a disease of the arteries and veins in your arms and legs.

In Buerger’s disease, your blood vessels become inflamed, swell and can become blocked with blood clots.

This eventually damages or destroys skin tissues and may lead to infection and gangrene.

Buerger’s disease usually first shows in your hands and feet and may eventually affect larger areas of your arms and legs.

Buerger’s disease is rare in the US, but is more common in the Middle East and Far East.

Buerger’s disease usually affects men younger than 40 years of age, though it’s becoming more common in women.

Virtually everyone diagnosed with Buerger’s disease smokes cigarettes or uses other forms of tobacco.

Quitting all forms of tobacco is the only way to stop Buerger’s disease.

For those who don’t quit, amputation of all or part of a limb may be necessary.

Buerger’s disease symptoms include:

>Pain that may come and go in your legs and feet or in your arms and hands.

>Inflammation along a vein just below the skin’s surface (due to a blood clot).

>Fingers and toes that turn pale when exposed to cold.

>Painful open sores on your fingers and toes.

It isn’t clear what triggers Buerger’s disease.

It’s possible some people may have a genetic predisposition to the disease.

Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk of Buerger’s disease.

Heavy cigarette smokers (people who smoke one and a half packs a day or more) are most likely to develop Buerger’s disease.

People who smoke hand-rolled cigarettes using raw tobacco may have the greatest risk of Buerger’s disease.

It isn’t clear how tobacco use increases your risk of Buerger’s disease, but virtually everyone diagnosed with Buerger’s disease uses tobacco.

It’s thought the chemicals in tobacco may irritate the lining of your blood vessels, causing them to swell.

Although secondhand smoke isn’t thought to be a major risk factor, if you’re diagnosed, you should stay away from people who are smoking.

Secondhand smoke could worsen your condition.

Long-term infection of the gums also is linked to the development of Buerger’s disease.

Although no treatment can cure Buerger’s disease, the most effective way to stop the disease’s progress is to quit using all tobacco products.

Even a few cigarettes a day can worsen the disease.

To deal with Buerger’s disease it’s beneficial to:

*Quit all forms of tobacco.

*Drink 6-8 cups of purified water daily to hydrate and flush toxins.

*Increase exercise and movement as much as possible.

*Increase stress and relaxation techniques:  yoga, meditation, prayer, deep breathing, etc.  Consider energy medicine.

*Take care of your fingers and toes.  Check the skin on your arms and legs daily for cuts and scrapes.  Keep your fingers and toes protected and avoid exposing them to cold.

*Clean any cut with soap and water and cover it with a clean bandage.  Keep an eye on any cuts or scrapes to make sure they’re healing.

*Visit your dentist regularly to keep your gums and teeth in good health and avoid gum disease

*Increase fresh air, sunshine, connect with nature.

*Increase essential fats (flax oil, olive oil, Omega-3 oils).

*Increase fresh, raw fruits and veggies (organic when possible).

*Consider fresh juicing; consume fresh garlic and onions.

*Increase fiber intake; ensure good bowel function; avoid constipation; consider liver and/or colon cleanse.

*Consider an arterial cleansing program.

*Investigate use of herbs (hawthorn, valerian).

*Decrease any and all hydrogenated, trans fats, deep-fried foods, margarine, fast foods, etc.

*Decrease sugar, sweets, white flour products, processed foods.

*Decrease stress.

*Understand your medications and possible side effects.

*Eliminate MSG and all artificial sweeteners as they are neurotoxins.

*Decrease processed meats, deli meats (nitrates).

Recommendations:

It’s essential to use:  Vita-Lea, Protein, CoQHeart, B-Complex, OmegaGuard, Lecithin, Garlic, Vivix.

It’s important to use:  VitalMag, Vitamin E,  Vitamin D, Mental Acuity, Vitamin C, CarotoMax and/or FlavoMax.

It’s beneficial to use:  Herb-Lax, Fiber, Alfalfa, Optiflora, Cholesterol Reduction Complex.

email:  lenay@dickandlenay.com

PS:  If you have any questions about Buerger’s disease, and would like to know how supplements can help, give us a call at 715-431-0657.  We’re here to help.