Submersion eh?

I did some research and discovered a 'submersion' technique (used by the Army, I might add) that might cure or at least control my Raynaud's.


With the submersion technique you wear normal light-weight clothes and sit in a standard temperature room for 8 minutes with your fingers and toes in a bucket of 100°F water . Then, gulp, wearing the same clothes you go somewhere cold (a frozen tundra or walk-in freezer type deal) and repeat witht the same 100°F water. Repeat 4 times a day everyother day. It retrains your arteries, pretty much.

This doesn't exactly sound pleastant, but if it will help I'm all about it. It's not quite could enough where I live to use the outdoors for my cold place, but I'm looking into finding an indoor alternative. Worst case scenario I'll wait a few months to begin, living perched up on the Appalachian Mountains, it won't be long untill it's snowing.

I talked to Dr. David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Lab at nearby Appalachian State University, about the best way to chart my progress, when I do get started. He suggested (thanks, Dr. Nieman!) using the ranking system below. I'll rate my symptoms daily with 5 being high symptoms and 1 being no symptoms.

Cold fingers and toes: 1 2 3 4 5
Color change: 1 2 3 4 5
Numbness: 1 2 3 4 5
Pain/ prickly feeling upon relief: 1 2 3 4 5