sympathectomy

For people with severe Raynaud’s, a physician may recommend a sympathectomy, a procedure performed by incision or injections that destroys the nerves that trigger narrowing of the blood vessels.

“There are a select group of patients who really after trying everything, they don’t get relief from sweating, and it’s these patients that come for a thoracic sympathectomy,” he says.

The Evidence: Scientists agree that malfunctioning sympathetic nerves contribute to chronic pain but sympathectomy remains controversial.