Dental/Raynaud's Disease Connection

In my clinical experience since 1969, I have come to the realization that 70 to 90% of all medical problems have a dental link and Raynaud's disease is no exception. The primary dental whole body connection comes from the direct effect of oral infections, toxic root canal teeth, leakage of mercury from mercury fillings, galvanic currents from mixed metals in the mouth and use of incompatible dental materials on the thyroid. Basic anatomy documents that ALL dental structures (gums, lips, tongue, jaw bone, floor of the mouth) are drained by the lymphatic tissue (sewage system of the body), which ultimately takes its contents through the thyroid gland. Once trapped in the thyroid this endocrine gland becomes under-active. The symptoms related to hypothyroidism are many:

It is this author's belief that many of the symptoms of Raynaud's Disease are directly caused by an under-active thyroid. Because an under-active thyroid lowers metabolism the body automatically shunts blood away from the hands and feet in an attempt to raise the core body temperature. Exposure to cold exacerbates the condition because the body has to conserve heat. The muscle spasm associated with Raynaud's is directly caused by the muscle weakness caused by a low functioning thyroid. Although there are other potential causes for Raynaud's Disease (see list below), this author's experience is that most cases are caused by an under-active thyroid, which is not being diagnosed because traditional blood tests ARE NOT SENSATIVE ENOUGH! It is this author's belief that many Raynaud patients are suffering needlessly because of inaccurate testing procedures and failure of the physician to interpret the patient's cluster of symptoms common to hypothyroidism.

43 years suffering from Raynaud's Diease
resolved in less than two weeks.

One of my students who took a recent post-graduate seminar (October 2007), mentioned that she suffered from Raynaud's Disease. As a dentist who had numerous mercury fillings in her own mouth from childhood and also had excess exposure to mercury vapors from removing mercury fillings from patients throughout the years became burden with mercury. The excess mercury became concentrated in her thyroid resulting in hypothyroidism. She demonstrated many of the signs and symptoms listed on the Mayo Clinic's web site for Raynaud's Disease. The dentist also had an infection in her upper left bicuspid tooth, which further burdened her thyroid. She was tested for the appropriate chelating nutrients and immune support for the infection and in less than two weeks her Raynaud's symptoms disappeared. The video testimonial (above) substantiates her case.

The following discription of Raynaud's Disease appears on the Mayo Clinic's web site: www.mayoclinic.com.

Signs and symptoms

"Raynaud's disease is more than simply having cold hands and cold feet, and it's not the same as frostbite. Signs and symptoms of Raynaud's depend on the frequency, duration and severity of the blood vessel spasms that underlie the disorder. Signs and symptoms include:

• Sequence of color changes in your skin in response to cold or stress
• Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or relief of stress

At first during an attack of Raynaud's, affected areas of your skin usually turn white. Then, the areas often turn blue and feel cold and numb, and your sensory perception is dull. The affected skin may look slightly swollen. As circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. The order of the changes of color isn't the same for all people, and not everyone experiences all three colors.

Occasionally, an attack affects just one or two fingers or toes. Attacks don't necessarily always affect the same digits. Although Raynaud's most commonly affects your fingers and toes, the condition can also affect other areas of your body such as your nose, cheeks, ears and even tongue. An attack may last less than a minute to several hours. Over time, attacks may grow more severe.

Causes

Doctors don't completely understand the cause of Raynaud's attacks, but blood vessels in the hands and feet appear to overreact to cold temperatures or stress. Editor's Note: any change in weather or physical activity will over-burden an underactive thyroid.

When your body is exposed to cold temperatures, your extremities lose heat. Your body slows down blood supply to your fingers and toes to preserve your body's core temperature. Your body specifically reduces blood flow by narrowing the small arteries under the skin of your extremities. In people with Raynaud's, this normal response is exaggerated. Editors Note: The response is exaggerated because the body is already functioning below normal and any event that "threatens" unbalancing the body's homeostasis is met with an exaggerated response. Stress causes a similar reaction to cold in the body, and likewise the body's response may be exaggerated. Editors note: Any stress to the body (physical, emotional or chemical) will over-burden an underactive thyroid.

With Raynaud's, arteries to your fingers and toes go into what's called vasospasm. This constricts the vessels, dramatically but temporarily limiting blood supply. Over time, these same small arteries may also thicken slightly, further limiting blood flow. The result is that affected skin turns a pale and dusky color due to the lack of blood flow to the area. Once the spasms subside and blood returns to the area, the tissue may turn red before returning to a normal color.

Cold temperatures are most likely to provoke an attack. Exposure to cold can be as simple as putting your hands under a faucet of running cold water, taking something out of the freezer or exposure to cold air. For some people, exposure to cold temperatures isn't necessary. Emotional stress alone can cause an episode of Raynaud's."

"Some researchers are studying whether Raynaud's may be partly an inherited disorder.

Primary vs. secondary Raynaud's_Raynaud's occurs in two main types:

¥ Primary Raynaud's. This is Raynaud's without an underlying disease or associated medical problem that could provoke vasospasm. Also called Raynaud's disease, it's the most common form of the disorder. Primary Raynaud's typically affects the digits of both hands and both feet. ¥ Secondary Raynaud's. This is Raynaud's caused by an underlying problem. Also called Raynaud's phenomenon, secondary Raynaud's usually affects both of your hands or both feet. Although secondary Raynaud's is less common than the primary form, it's often a more complex and serious disorder.

Causes of secondary Raynaud's include:

• Scleroderma. Raynaud's phenomenon occurs in the majority of people who have scleroderma — a rare disease that leads to hardening and scarring of the skin. Scleroderma, a type of connective tissue disease, results in Raynaud's because the disease reduces blood flow to the extremities. It causes tiny blood vessels in the hands and feet to thicken and to constrict too easily, promoting Raynaud's.
• Lupus. Raynaud's is also a common problem for people with lupus — an autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of your body, including your skin, joints, organs and blood vessels. An autoimmune disease is one in which your immune system attacks healthy tissue.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. Raynaud's may be an initial sign of rheumatoid arthritis — an inflammatory condition causing pain and stiffness in the joints, often including the hands and feet.
• Sjogren's syndrome. Raynaud's phenomenon can also occur in people who have Sjogren's syndrome — a rare disorder that often accompanies scleroderma, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The hallmark of Sjogren's syndrome, a connective tissue disease, is chronic dryness of the eyes and mouth.
• Diseases of the arteries. Raynaud's phenomenon can be associated with various diseases that affect arteries, such as atherosclerosis, which is the gradual buildup of plaques in blood vessels that feed the heart (coronary arteries), or Buerger's disease, a disorder in which the blood vessels of the hands and feet become inflamed. Primary pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects only the arteries of the lungs, is frequently associated with Raynaud's.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in your wrist that protects a major nerve to your hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which pressure is put on this nerve, producing numbness and pain in the affected hand. The affected hand may become more susceptible to cold temperatures and episodes of Raynaud's."
• "Repetitive trauma. Raynaud's can also be caused by repetitive trauma that damages nerves serving blood vessels in the hands and feet. In fact, nerve damage is thought to play a role in many cases of Raynaud's. Some people who type or play the piano vigorously or for long periods of time may be susceptible to Raynaud's. Workers who operate vibrating tools can develop a type of Raynaud's phenomenon called vibration-induced white finger.
• Smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels and is a potential cause of Raynaud's.
• Injuries. Prior injuries to the hands or feet, such as wrist fracture, surgery or frostbite, can lead to Raynaud's phenomenon.
• Certain medications. Some drugs — including beta blockers, which are used to treat high blood pressure; migraine headache medications that contain ergotamine; medications containing estrogen; certain chemotherapy agents; and drugs that cause blood vessels to narrow, such as some over-the-counter cold medications — have been linked to Raynaud's.
• Chemical exposure. Some workers in the plastics industry who are exposed to vinyl chloride develop an illness similar to scleroderma. Raynaud's can be a part of that illness.
• Other causes. Raynaud's has also been linked to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) and, rarely, to certain cancers."