- With Mayo Clinic emeritus hypertension specialist
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
Dr. Sheldon Sheps, emeritus professor of medicine and former chair of the Hypertension Division in the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1960.
Dr. Sheps, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, is board certified in internal medicine and specializes in hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases. He developed a multidisciplinary approach with specially trained nurses, dietitians, technicians and educators to help form a team approach to the treatment of patients with abnormal blood pressure.
"I have always believed in involving the patient and family in their health care," he says. "I have asked for their understanding of the illness and issues and for participation in decisions. The Web is a natural extension of that, and now many more people can be informed."
Dr. Sheps chaired the sixth working group, and participated in the fourth, fifth and seventh groups, that developed the then-latest guidelines for hypertension under the auspices of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). He helped write the latest American Heart Association (AHA) report on blood pressure measurement. He chaired an AHA group that produced an online accreditation for blood pressure measurement for health professionals. He has co-authored books, newsletters, CD-ROMs and other Mayo Clinic health information material and joined Mayo Clinic's Web team in 1998. He was medical editor-in-chief of both editions of the "Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure" book; the last edition was published in 2003. He was also medical editor-in-chief of "Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure,'' published in 2008.
He was section editor for each of the first three editions of "Hypertension Primer" for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Sheps was also chairman of the Science Base Subcommittee, National High Blood Pressure Education Program, and was a consultant to the Hypertension Initiative of the World Health Organization. In 1997, he was honored with the Individual Achievement Award on the 25th anniversary of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program of NHLBI. In 2009, he was honored as a Distinguished Mayo Alumnus.
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
White, numb fingers: What causes this?
I often experience numbness in my fingers. When this happens, the skin on my hands turns ghostly white. What causes numb fingers?
Answer
from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.
You may be describing Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition that causes some parts of your body, such as your fingers and toes, to feel numb and change color. These changes usually result from exposure to cold temperatures, such as being outside on a cold day or even holding a glass of ice water. However, white, numb fingers or toes caused by Raynaud's phenomenon also can be triggered by strong emotions or stress.
Raynaud's phenomenon is a disorder of the blood vessels in the skin. During an attack, these blood vessels narrow, which restricts blood flow to the affected areas.
The exact cause of Raynaud's phenomenon can't always be determined. In such cases, it's referred to as Raynaud's disease. But Raynaud's phenomenon can be associated with:
- Diseases that affect blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans)
- Repeated trauma from vibrating tools such as a jackhammer
Treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon depends on the severity of symptoms and may include:
- Medications to relax the walls of blood vessels
- Avoiding cold exposure and use of vibrating tools
- Stopping smoking
- Managing stress
- Chemical injections, in severe cases
- Surgery, in severe cases
Treatment of any underlying condition also is important.
