I am a rheumatologist and often see new referrals for blue fingers. While the majority of the cases of RP are benign and very common in society running from 10-20%, there are very rare instances that this condition may require additional work up. What is described as RP is the ischemic phenomenon where the small vessels in the end organs, such as fingers, nose, ears, toes sometimes tongue’s vessels get constricted which may be accompanied by unpleasant sensation of pain, numbness, tingling and discoloration from white, blue, blotchy and finally with the warming phase that extremities, hands, toes become red, then pinkish or natural color again.

If you want to find the best what there is in wellness and be kind to yourself do not hesitate and learn to meditate. It may be good to start with a video or an app, but after a while you will realize that there is so many ways to meditate, whether it’s a walk away from busy traffic, closing your eyes at your desk for few minutes, creating an art and getting lost in that project or reading a poem and contemplating its meaning and textures. Go for a walk and listen to the religious service or music. With time it will become such a natural state of being for which you will reach again and again because it feels so good.

I recently enjoyed a quiet evening at home, with a light dinner of shrimp cocktail with a side of canapes with fresh garden lettuce and herbs (more in DocOnFood). I could not prevent thinking of my many patients who call me with complain of gouty swollen big toe, and after a few rounds of questions they finally admit that they had a gout attack provoked by a leisurely meal of seafood, shrimp included. Shrimp are loaded in purines that when digested by humans produce a lot of uric acid which is responsible for gout and gout flares. We do not have uricase, the enzyme that helps to reduce uric acid to soluble allantoin, which then can be excreted by kidneys. There is many reasons why any of us can be afflicted by gout, but the more common reasons are male sex, certain medicines, like diuretics, metabolic dearangements and obestiy among others. So what is the connection between shrimp and cherries one might ask?There is quite an interest expressed by my patients in natural remedies to prevent and fight gout attacks. Even my dentist shared with me story that will weave well into this post: one day she woke up with a nasty gout attack in the foot, she barely drove to grocery store, got a bag of cherries that she consumed on way to work when her attack was much eased, possibly due to cherries. Cherries have a uric acid lowering effect, according to some animal studies, along with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action of anthocyanin abundant in the fruit.

What I recently discovered, and what works great is air humidifying with any warm liquid, even while waiting for tea to cool. Just few days ago I was researching throat sooting natural recipes when I came across the whole cloves. I started adding them to my tea brew.