Jenni Falconer's battle with Raynaud's Syndrome

If you are a breakfast television fan then it is likely that you have become familiar with Jenni Falconer's work while sipping your cuppa and nibbling your toast. Jenni is the face of GMTV's Entertainment Today, but as well as bringing a bit of glamour back to our mornings, Jenni suffers from Raynaud's Syndrome, a condition similar to Vibration White Finger.

Jenni was just 16 years old when she lost all sensation in her right index finger, causing her to lose control of her pen. She says, "It turned white, then bright red and was really painful." But it wasn't until she was 18 that she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Raynaud's. Raynaud's Syndrome is characterised by similar mechanisms to Vibration White Finger, in that it is due to bad circulation caused by tiny blood vessels in the hand restricting blood flow. The resulting symptoms are that the hands and fingers go numb, turn white as the blood flow is restricted, and turn red and begin to sting as the blood flow returns. Read more about Vibration White Finger symptoms.

Primary Raynaud's, which Jenni suffers from, is triggered by cold conditions or stress. Jenni commented, "With Raynaud's, the chill comes from the inside and goes into your bones, which end up aching." Although the underlying cause is unknown it is usually a hereditary condition. But as far as she knows, nobody in her family has suffered from Raynaud's.

The TV star says that her condition is worse during cold weather, but even on a warm day a slight gust of wind could trigger it off. Yet she refuses to let it ruin her life and her career. Jenni has stated that support and understanding from friends, family and co-workers has made it much easier to cope with her condition.

Jenni offered her own advice on how to cope with suffering from Raynaud's Syndrome symptoms, which hold good for Vibration White Finger too. Here are five steps as quoted in December 2006's edition of Company Magazine:

Wrap up warm
No matter how vain you are, take more pride in your health than your appearance. Wear lots of layers - it really is the best way to keep warm - and splash out on a pair of toasty Ugg boots, or any kind of sheepskin footwear (they're truly the warmest things!).

Keep hand-warmers in your pockets
They're cheap and can help warm your hands, particularly on cold days. This means you don't have to rule out any activity, like skiing, which, without the hand-warmers could be impossible.

Never put your hands straight into hot water
If you want to warm them up quickly, this is a bad idea, as it will be agony. Instead, always ease the temperature back up gently. Find someone nice to rub your hands for you!

Exercise
It really does help to get your circulation pumping. Just remember though, to always wear gloves if you exercise outdoors in the winter.

Do your research
Reading up about Raynaud's makes it so much easier to explain the condition to other people. The more people understand exactly what your condition is all about, the less you'll feel like a moaning Minnie! For more information visit www.raynauds.org.uk.

Make a claim for Vibration White Finger today
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