Do you think lichen sclerosis can be cured with diet? If so which protocol would you advise? – CJ

Great to hear from you CJ! 

When it comes to lichen sclerosis, there are a few theories about it which could sway your healing direction in more than one way. I will outline those here in order to present the differing sides.

Firstly, lichen sclerosis is a condition that creates white, patchy skin that is thinner than normal, healthy skin. The condition is most often found on the vulva and anus in women. 

Here are the theories of why this condition may come about, and some healing suggestions. 

As far as what I believe, I can’t speak to cures for legal reasons, but I can say I’ve seen great success in women who find their underlying cause(s) and follow a lifestyle and nutrition change to support it. 

Autoimmune

In women with lichen sclerosis, there are often high levels of circulating autoimmune antibodies. Not to mention is often coexists with other autoimmune conditions such as autoimmune thyroid conditions and lichen planus, another unpleasant vaginal condition. 

Inflammation

Inflammation and your immune system go hand in hand, so it’s hard to separate them. Rather I believe it most likely a combination of autoimmune and inflammation in many cases. However, inflammation is present in many women with lichen sclerosis, as they have a proliferation of monoclonal T lymphocytes (aka fancy white blood cells).

Natural Remedies

Please note that I am in no way saying the following will help your particular case, these are just suggestions that have shown promise. Always take the advice of your primary health care practitioner. 

• Address leaky gut
  • If you have symptoms of gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, skin issues, or mood irritability- your gut may be impaired. 
  • Gut health is of the utmost importance in any natural healing regime
  • Drink lemon water on rising to help set your digestion for the day
  • Don’t eat crappy food- this ends up undigested and sending potentially harmful (and inflammatory) substances into your blood stream
• Eliminate food sensitivities (might consider IgG test or elimination diet)
• Reduce stress: Stress freaks your body out and chronically can increase inflammation, muck up your hormones and perhaps lead to autoimmune-related conditions. 
  • Do something to reduce your stress every single day. Rotate to keep yourself interested, or based on the time you have. Yoga, meditation, gardening, walking outdoors, reading and having a bath are all great choices. 
• Balance sex, stress and thyroid hormones: We’ve seen that autoimmune thyroid issues are often present in women with lichen sclerosis. 
  • Try hormone balancing herbs like those in my Detox Tea to rebuild your hormonal pathways and support your immune system. 
  • Walk outdoors daily at the same time, to bring your sex hormones naturally into rhythm 
  • Enjoy high mineral foods like dark leafy greens, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, bone broth and sea vegetables like arame, wakame, nori, kelp, dulse and others to support your thyroid gland. 
• Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet or some principles of the autoimmune paleo diet
  • Remove foods your are sensitive to
  • Consider reducing foods like tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, potatoes and other night shade vegetables which can be inflammatory
  • Enjoy an abundance of dark green, red, purple and orange vegetables to support the whole shebang 
  • Use good amounts of healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, flax oil, walnuts, coconut milk and oil, ghee, fatty fish like salmon and sardines, etc

The last thing I will mention is very important. Before making any drastic change in diet or adopting any specific protocol, it is best to consult with a trained natural health practitioner to make sure you are on the right track.

Have you experienced this uncomfortable condition? What natural remedies did you try?

Got a question? Great! Write to me for the next Ask The Diva post!

Hi, 

I just weaned my third child cold turkey at 15 months because of herpes on my nipples. Let’s say birth pains are nice compared to that stuff going on… Now i have some serious hormone fog going. I am extremely moody, irritable and easily angry. I feel tired too. I know that one can get similar symptoms like post part depression after weaning… From my experience it will all be fine once my period starts but that can take 3 months from now like my former weaning experiences… my question is do you know anything that could help my body adjust quicker…? Basically I want to help my hormones get back to normal. I suppose I need to get rid of excess prolactin and oxytocin and get higher levels of estrogen. Now that I wrote it I should probably just have lots of sex,… No serious, any ideas? – Lydia F.

• Pelvic floor muscle damage
• Fatigue and muscle strain
• Rapidly shifting hormone environment
• Stressed out adrenal glands
• Nutrient deficiencies: possibly Folate (B9), Vitamin B12, Calcium, Iron, Selenium, Zinc, Omega-3s
• Sex hormone drop after birth- both estrogen and progesterone

Foods

• Gut healing: bone broth, grass-fed collagen protein powder, organ meats (especially liver)
• Vitamin C foods for tissue repair + adrenal (stress) health: citrus, strawberries, rose hips, leafy greens
• Zinc foods for immune and mood balance: pecans, seame seeds, cashews, dates, flax, oyserts, cacao, crab, poppy seeds, beef, eggs
• Omega 3 foods for inflammation and mood balance: fish of all kinds (especially fatty fish like salmon and sardines), GRASS-FED beef, eggs
• Balance of protein, fat and carbs with EVERY meal- avocados, collagen protein powders, healthy meats/fish, coconut products, nuts/seeds- avoid processed grains (products using flours, even if GF), as many green vegetables as you can eat

Detoxification

• Primarily eat organic foods- with as much green as possible
• Include gentle exercise- yoga, pilates, barre classes, gentle strengthening with bodyweight or exercise bands
• Be mindful and practice stress reducing techniques like meditation or yoga
• Herbs- milk thistle is very helpful, and even safe while breastfeeding- it helps to repair/regenerate liver cells for proper hormone metabolism + mood balance
• Get 5 more tips for happy hormones and happy detoxing after taking the Detox Quiz 

Stress Reduction

• Get help/support with your baby whenever possible. Have others cook, do laundry and run errands so you can rest.
• Meditation/deep breathing/yoga
• LOTS of sleep- whenever you can, even if it’s short naps
• Monitor hydration – aim for your bodyweight in ounces of water per day
• Implement a laptop curfew (no technology 2 hours before bed), stick to a bedtime routine, sleep in complete darkness 
• Cognitive behaviourial therapy has been shown helpful for mood issues after baby
• Regular sex- you are absolutely right that sex is important! Have it as often as possible to restore hormonal balance, reduce stress and encourage proper vaginal tissue tone

Bring Back Your Period

• There is some evidence that parsley tea can be helpful in bringing on a missing period. Assuming no kidney issues or possibility of pregnancy, 3-4 cups daily can be consumed.
• Reduce stress as much as possible with the suggestions above
• Blood sugar balance- your ovaries have a very finicky relationship with blood sugar, and having too many dips and spikes (from poor diet) will prevent a period (and ovulation) from happening
• Cinnamon and/or ginger daily. Both help to increase blood flow and reduce stagnation in the reproductive system. They can be consumed as tea, powder used in cooking or you can try capsules.

Supplements

• The nutrient deficiencies mentioned at the beginning- you may want to supplement and focus on foods with these nutrients
• Parsley tea, up to 3-4 cups daily
• Cinnamon and ginger, as tea, used in food or capsules
• Turmeric- for inflammation, also very helpful for mild depression (1000mg per day)

Do YOU need a post-baby detox? Find out with the Detox Quiz plus discover 5 Ways to Get Started!

“I am 48 years old, in menopause and it seems like once a year I go through this itching stage to the point that I break out in hives. Have you heard of this and what can you do about it?”

At 48, big changes are happening in your body. As you go through the menopause transition, you may notice a lot of symptoms including differences to your cycles like longer or heavier cycles, lack of sex drive, and skin problems like itchy skin, dry skin and vaginal dryness.

The reason for this is that your estrogen is declining. When we are fertile, our ovaries make the majority of the estrogen we produce. Once we begin menopause, our adrenal glands take over most of the hormone production. Our adrenal glands are our major stress hormone producers, so when they have to take over with reproductive hormones as well, they often aren’t able to make as much or in the right times.

This leads to a decline in all sex hormones, but especially estrogen. When estrogen is in balance, we feel:

• juicy and lubricated in our joints, vagina and skin
• able to roll with any stressful situation that might arise with ease
• well rested from sleeping deeply at night
• sexy and ready for the no-pants-dance
• clear and focused without foggy brain

Estrogen regulates our levels of skin-smoothing collagen, and so the itchiness and dryness comes with low estrogen. The hives may be the result of an inflammatory reaction as your body adapts to changing hormone levels.

It is also possible that time of year (i.e.: allergy season) or specific foods could cause hives.

What can you do about it?

1. Take note of the time each year this happens and track how you’re feeling. This will go a long way to seeing if it’s environmental, stress-related, cyclical with your cycle or linked to specific foods or activities.

2. You can also try gently increasing your estrogen naturally with phyto-estrogen foods. You can use ground flax, chia and pumpkin seeds liberally for this purpose. Or try seed-cycling, which balances both estrogen and progesterone. Some black cohosh, red clover or motherwort tea may also be helpful.

3. With your diet, try to include more anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, the seeds above, oily fish, non-starchy vegetables, berries and other high-colour foods. Healthy fats like butter or ghee, coconut oil, olive oil and the oils from the seeds mentioned above are fantastic.

Do YOU have a burning question? Submit your Q to Ask The Diva below! 

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