• Home
    • Blog
    • About
      • Contact
      • Press n’ Praise
      • Contribute
  • Getting Started
    • Happy Hormones Sisterhood Community
    • UNBREAKABLE Program
    • Recommended Products & Resources
  • Tea Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout

Ask The Diva: How Can I Help My Lichen Sclerosis?

Monthly Archives: January 2016

Ask The Diva: How Can I Help My Lichen Sclerosis?

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!

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

Balancing Your Mood: Are You Forgetting This Nutrient?

Mood problems are crippling. Whether you’re so “hangry” that you’re ready to tear the world apart or chronic depression has stolen everything you love- we’ve ALL experienced a mood issue at one time or another. It is probably the #1 thing that women come to me for. Recognition and action on my mood problems pretty much fixed me.

 

It can with you too, Lovely.

 

There is one fat-soluble vitamin that could help make LASTING change. Vitamin D (which is actually more like a hormone) is something I started experimenting with in nutrition school. I had heard about it before, being touted at the next cure all for this or that thing.

 

One day in class the topic was mood problems and brain health. I found out here that vitamin D could help my moods. I thought- this school is fucking stressful, so I’m going to give this bad bitch a try and see what happens.

 

A good friend of mine, and myself embarked on this. We ended up feeling light as a feather, sunshiny and laugh-jokey. After only a few weeks! I was totally amazed.

 

Ever since then (off and on when I remember!!) I take Vitamin D. Sometimes I get it through cod liver oil supplementation, and sometimes just the straight D. Living in Canada, 6 months of the year we have very few hours of sunlight, and it’s not like Caribbean sun when it comes either- it’s a tease or a poke through the sky leading us to buying vacations. . .

 

Here’s some of the evidence for this awesome nutrient:

 

Depression

There are several studies that have looked at the possible link between low levels of vitamin D and depression. While this connection hasn’t 100% been proven yet the literature  does show that supplementation with vitamin D can improve mild depression and is somehow connected into your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is good news for your stress.
 

PMS/PMDD

In a study done on women with PMS or PMDD characterized as moderate to severe mood Swings, anxiety and/or depression cyclically, vitamin D levels were correlated with self-rated symptom severity.
 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

One female study has shown that women tested in fall had higher vitamin D levels and reported fewer symptoms of mild depression versus those tested in winter and spring who had lower vitamin D levels.
 

Sources:

 

Food

Vitamin D is difficult to get through food. The most dense dietary source of vitamin D is seafood. Fish, shellfish– it’s all great! Beyond this, organic, free-run/out in the sunshine eggs can provide some vitamin D as well as mushrooms.
 

Sunshine

The amount of time one needs in the sun to get adequate vitamin D is still debatable, but mostly about 20-30 minutes. This is ONLY if you live in the mid- or lower United States and have sufficient skin showing. Sunscreen will block vitamin D synthesis in your skin though- you need to be absorbing the UVB rays from the sun to make the conversion.
 

Supplements

Traditional vitamin D supplements are soft gels with a liquid centre. This is what you want- vitamin D is fat-soluble, and having it in a liquid capsule that contains a little fat will help with absorption. Looks for vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. 
 

You can also supplement cod liver oil to get your vitamin D. I prefer liquid CLO to soft gels because you have to take lots of the pills vs. like a tsp of liquid. Your choice! Just look on the label to see how much you need to take to get your desired vitamin D dosage. Note that other fish oil supplements do not have adequate levels of vitamin D to be considered a supplement.

 

What’s your story with Vitamin D and your mood? Have you tried it? Would you? Did it work?

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

Creating Sleep Rituals for Restorative Sleep

 

Sleep is something I get asked a lot about. So many of us can’t fall asleep because the mind is running, or wake constantly through the night and never get refreshed. Listen in and read below for my top tips for creating a successful sleep ritual.

Causes

  • Cortisol/stress hormone imbalance
  • Low progesterone
  • Anxiety and running thoughts
  • Poor sleep environment: Everything from darkness, sound and temperature can effect you
  • Liver congestion: If you wake between 1:00-3:00am, Traditional Chinese Medicine says you’re liver is overloaded (time for a detox!)
  • Low melatonin production due to age

Here’s what you need to know to create your own sleep ritual.

Food

Before supplements, always put your focus on food. There are a number of nutrients (and even more foods) that can help your sleep.

  1. Magnesium Foods: Magnesium helps with muscle relaxation, promoting sleep
    1. Leafy greens of all types, nuts and seeds, fish, avocados, brown rice, and dried figs
  2. Tryptophan Foods: This amino acid (protein building-block) promotes good sleep quality because it is used to make sleepy chemicals like serotonin and melatonin
    1. Turkey, chicken, pumpkin seeds, fish, crab, rolled oats, white beans, eggs
  3. Tart Cherries: One of the only food sources of melatonin, eating cherries or taking tart cherry juice could help your slumber. 
  4. Pre-Bed Protein Snack: Having protein (extra points for using a source of tryptophan) will help to stabilize your blood sugar during sleep to prevent stress hormone imbalance and waking during the night
    1. Turkey rolled in lettuce with avocado
    2. Small smoothie with protein powder, pumpkin seeds and non-dairy milk
    3. White bean dip with veggie sticks or a few gluten-free crackers
    4. Sleep herbal tea (see my sexy examples below) mixed with collagen protein powder and consumed 1-2 hours before bed

 

Self-Care Practices

Self-care is awesome and fun- you ARE doing it, right? If not, or if you need something a little more exciting than your current ‘self-care’ routine of a glass of wine and Facebook scrolling . . .

Get my list of best self-care ideas for sleep in my free Creating Sleep Rituals Guide. 

My Sleep Rituals

Creating a ritual for sleep can help lessen the overwhelm of daily life, and achieve seriously restorative sleep. Here I’m sharing my personal sleep rituals, to give you an example of what it could look like.

 

  1. Tea- lavender, tulsi or lemon balm usually
  2. Deep Breathing/Mediation
  3. Protein Snack
  4. Legs Up The Wall Pose on my Acupressure Mat
  5. Laptop curfew- I read after this until I fall asleep
  6. Lavender essential oil on pillow, temples, nape of neck and wrists
  7. Magnesium Foot Cream by Cook’s Organics (and Magnesium supplement if necessary)

 

 

By Robyn - Check out my quiz

The Biggest Causes of Being Too Tired to Exercise, And How You Can Fix It

Before I became a nutritionist I became certified as a personal trainer. I hoped that it would help me with my own exercise consistency. That ended up turning to shit and I still wasn’t consistent. 
 
Part of the reason for that is whenever I would start to exercise- I would GO HARD. Working out at the gym, or lifting weights at home 5-7 days per week. After my workouts, all I would want to do is sleep for the rest of the day. Usually I did end up having naps. 
 
I didn’t realize at the time that I wasn’t exercising right for my body. My (undiscovered at the time) hormonal imbalance was keeping me tired. Not only that, my iron was low. Is all this sleepy talk making you yawn? I’m seriously do that as I write this, looking out on a dark, cold night. 
 

Detox Tea | The Hormone Diva

 

Causes of Low Energy

There are numerous causes of low energy, too many to describe here. What I’m going to mention are the causes that I see most often.
 

Hormonal Imbalance

Any number of hormones could be making you sleepy. If your thyroid is underactive, you may feel fatigued all day long. If your adrenals are involved, you may be sleepy all day and have trouble sleeping at night. If your sex hormones are involved, you may be sleepier before and during your period. 
 

Toxicity

Toxicity is no joke, ya’ll. Years of medications, chemical personal care and household products, processed ‘food’, juice overload and using plastic ALWAYS I had a body full of toxins. I have been doing seasonal detoxes for several years now and I still find I feel just a little bit better after each one. The truth of the matter is that you have many organs helping your body to get rid of junk. Your organs work so hard, and definitely get overloaded with too much work and too many unidentifiable substances to keep up. 
 

Immune Deficiency

If your immune system is compromised, whether from infection, allergies or autoimmunity, you’re running on empty. 
 

Dehydration

Do you drink enough water?
 
Seriously. . .are you drinking enough water?
 
Dehydration slows all processes in your body. Drink the cleanest water you can get your hands on, and NEVER drink it from plastic. Aim for about your body weight in ounces of water every day. 
 

Anemia

There are many different types of anemia, and all can be related to fatigue. The most common is iron-deficiency anemia. Low stamina, hair loss and fatigue are associated with this. 
 

Nutrient Deficiency

We need every nutrient we can get our hands on in food form. The problem is that much of our food is grown on nutrient deficient soil, is picked underripe (when nutrients are at their best), or are loaded with pesticides and other chemicals. Eat the richest sources (NOTE: they’re the brightest colours) of nutrients you can find and eat a lot of them. Some common nutrient deficiencies associated with low energy are the B vitamin family, vitamin C + D, Magnesium, Folate, Iron, and others.
 

Detox Tea | The Hormone Diva

I want to make changes, and start exercising- but I’m SO TIRED.

 

How to do it

 
  • Start Small
    • 1-3 days per week
    • 10-20 minutes duration
    • Low Intensity
      • Think walking, stretching, gentle yoga, recumbent stationary bike, MAYBE some bodyweight exercises like squats or using light weights (~2lbs) for small movements like bicep curls, calf raises, leg lifts, pelvic tilts and chest press. 
      • Keep your mind on your breath while exercising. Do not hold your breath, rather breathe with each movement.
  • Check in with yourself over the process
    • Before: What kind of exercise does my body need today? You might have a hard time answering this one until you’ve tried several types/intensities of workouts. When did I eat last? Have I had some protein, fats and carbs to sustain my energy during my workout?
    • During: How am I feeling? Do I feel strong? Do I need water?
    • After: How am I feeling? Do I want to take a nap or am I energized for the next tasks of the day? Do I need water? Food?
    • Next day: Am I sore? How sore? How tired am I?
  • BREATHE
    • Before exercise
    • During Exercise
    • After Exercise
    • . . .Always! 
    • Doing regular breathing exercises like meditation, the three-part breath, or alternate nostril breathing can help increase your lung capacity.
    • Not only this, the increased oxygen will go a long way to helping you feel more energized and ready for intense exercise.
 
 

Is your energy low? Do you know why? What holistic remedies have you used?

By Robyn - Check out my quiz
Next   

Shop

  • PCOS Tea | The Hormone Diva PCOS Tea $12.99 – $23.99
  • Detox Tea | The Hormone Diva Detox Tea $10.99 – $23.99
  • Stress Tea | The Hormone Diva Stress Tea $6.99 – $16.99

Follow me on Pinterest!

Visit The Hormone Diva's profile on Pinterest.

Tags

about me Acne Adrenal Fatigue ask the diva Audio Blog birth control cravings depression detox diet Digestion Diva Cup endometriosis estrogen Estrogen Dominance exercise Fatigue food guest blog Hair Loss health heavy flow Herbal Medicine hormones irregular cycle lifestyle low carb Menstrual Cramps menstrual cycle mood swings natural health pcos pms recipe recipes self care Sleep stress stress management supplements The Diva Dishes Thyroid weight gain weight loss yoga




The Hormone Diva
  • Home
  • About Robyn
  • Work With Me
    • Happy Hormones Quiz
    • Happy Hormones Project Detox
    • Private Coaching
  • Blog
    • Blog Archives
  • Shop
  • Press n’ Praise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

  • Lab Testing (At-Home!) for PCOS & Endo
  • PCOS Fertility Latte Recipe
  • [Case Study] Raelene Got Her Period Back, Lost 10 Pounds + Increased Her Confidence With PCOS Bootcamp

Website by Poe Designs

© Hormone Diva. All rights reserved