It is not me It's the disease

02/04/2026

My blog... please read and feel free to comment...

Chronic Illness/Pain Advocate & Patient Blogger & Writer to share my journey as an Advocate/Voice for ALL Dementia, Lupus, RA,Sjogren's & Epstein-Barr

01/27/2026

First book by author Ms. Rhia Steele. Through her poetry, prose & writing she tries to give hope to those with Lupus, Chronic Pain and other autoimmune illnesses, such as she, herself suffers with.

01/27/2026

2nd book from Ms. Rhia Steele, as she flows forward to give each of you a look through the "Reflecti

01/27/2026

Advocacy, Chronic Pain, Published Author, Lupus/RA "All Things Autoimmune," & Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Functional Medicine Practitoner

01/27/2026

I am finishing up my Functional Medicine Practitioner Certifications, becoming a Patient Influencer, and writing my 2nd book in the series." It’s Not Me... It's The Disease"

03/02/2024

Thank everyone for the encouragement on the book! The Poetry book is almost complete and the secone book of my illnesses etc is getting there....

02/01/2024

▪️Raynaud’s syndrome is a medical condition in which the spasm of small arteries causes episodes of reduced blood flow to the end arterioles.

▪️ Typically, the fingers, and less commonly, the toes, are involved. In rare instances the nose, ears, or lips are affected.

▪️Episodes of Raynaud’s classically result in the affected part turning white and then blue. Often, numbness or pain occurs. As blood flow returns, the area
turns red and burns.

👉 As you can see in my photos, I am experiencing the last stage of Raynaud’s in which the blood flow is returning and my skin is red and mottled looking. And YES! It hurts! 👈

▪️ Episodes of Raynaud’s typically last minutes but can last several hours. Episode of Raynycan be very painful.

▪️Episodes of Raynaud’s are often triggered by cold or emotional stress.

▪️Primary Raynaud's, also known as idiopathic, means it is spontaneous, or of unknown cause, and unrelated to another disease.

▪️Secondary Raynaud's occurs as a result of another medical condition. Secondary Raynaud's can occur due to a connective-tissue disorder such as scleroderma or EDS, RA, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Hypothyroidism, injuries to the hands, prolonged vibration, smoking, thyroid problems, and certain medications, such as birth control pills.

▪️Diagnosis is typically based on the symptoms.

▪️ Unfortunately there is not a typical treatment approach for Raynaud’s.

▪️ For Secondary Raynaud's (if possible) managing the underlying medical condition causing it can reduce symptoms/episodes. For both Primary and Secondary Raynaud's, avoiding triggers such as cold, emotional and environmental stress, vibrations, repetitive motions, avoiding smoking and sympathomimetic drugs can help alleviate symptoms.

▪️ The most important aspect of Raynaud’s is to have a medical professional provide ongoing oversight of a patient, to monitor for worsening of symptoms, or increased risk of developing skin sores or gangrene.

▪️ Approximately 4% of people have Raynaud’s. Raynaud’s is more common in cold climates and is often dubbed the “disease of being allergic to the cold.”

02/01/2024

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2024/1/15/fda-finds-credible-scientific-support-for-use-of-ma*****na-as-pain-reliever

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor It took a lawsuit to prompt its release, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has finally made public a lengthy FDA review explaining why it thinks ma*****na should be rescheduled as a Schedule III controlled substance. Such a move would make it lega