LS and exercise

Thank you deb, I kinda thought that it didn't take long. Well with 8 grandkids, 4 kids, and a husband, I am stressed a lot.  I have got to work on being less stressed. 

Thanks Yvonne. You are so thoughful even with all that you are going through. I appreciate you taking the time to respond .  Judy

Norma, that makes sense.. how they are connected .  I am really uninformed but am going to read up on it.  Like I've said, I'm learning so much from you ladies.  In some ways, having LS may actually make us healthier if we watch our diet, watch our stress. My skin may even improve, I put emul oil not just on my privates but arms, legs, face.

judy..A lot of guess work is all we seem to have to go on as the message seems to be that no one really knows what causes LS...It could be a collection of knock on effects but trying to pin point what actually kicks it off is like chasing one's tail. Certainly if tired adrenal glands have not been the culprit they don't help the condition. I get the impression a lot of sufferers have have long term stress that drains the adrenal glands. When adrenals have been running high on cortisol for a lengthy period cortisol production becomes drained and drops low. If this happens it causes a pathway for the production of cytokines( small partical proteins) which promote inflamation in cells. This then creates autoimmune conditions and many times if a person has one autoimmune condition they go on to have more.  So yes take good care of the adrenal glands and avoid as much stress as possible. Both emotional and demanding physical actions place a need on the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. It is a problem if adrenal glands are functioning below par. 

Thank you Norma, that cleared up some of my issues.  I have mall functioning adrenals (as well as LS) for which I take medication.  Ever so now and then where skin is under pressure, from wearing clothes, underwear, bra, a red line swells up.  

Wow hanny, you are reacting if uneven pressuure from clothing is causing inflammation. I don't like the idea of long term medication as that can bring a different set of problems but sometimes it has to be if the root cause of a problem can't be fixed. I don't know what started my LS or how long I had it before I realised. I diagnosed myself before I saw a doctor so I was quickly seen by a doctor then a consultant gyneocologist. A biopsy confirmed LS. I have got the steroid ointment but I am loath to use it. I have used it for 3 weeks but I have stopped as I don't have any symptoms apart from the typical white areas. As the steroid is for itch and inflammation I don't think I need it for that or I would use it. It's the white patches due to cell changes in the tissues I am aware of that don't seem to have worsened but if they do I will use the steroid ointment again. I've approached ever angle from diet to physical and emotional stress to you name it. I believe it is low hormones related in my case and I keep thinking being on synthetic HRT for 17 yrs. my have altered the hormone receptors in my vulva tissue.I am so anti-synthetic now but years ago we didn't have much education about the damaging effects. So many things to consider isn't there so I am cleaning up my act and realising I can't just do what I want.(cutting down on caffiene and alcohol is a sacrifice). We use cortisol for every thing we do and low cortisol leaches from other hormones. For every action there is a reaction. Good Karma and take care.    

Well, you have added another piece of the puzzle and thank you for that.  I hadn't thought of the adrenals 'under pressure' that it would sit on my skin, but had no other answer either.  Now I do.  Thanks. 

Yep, Adrenals are  major hormone produces and if they are out of balance it can affect any part of the body. Too much adrenaline (inflammatory) and not enough cortisol (anti-inflammatory) can cause inflammation in any organ. You seem to have inflammation higher than desirable in your body and the skin is a big organ so not good to be having skin outbreaks. A lot is talked about what not to do but what do we have to do to combat inflammation.....Slow down metabolism( raised metabolism causes inflammation)  by consuming cooling non-stimulating food and drinks. Eatig more Omega3 rich foods and less Omega6 foods. Omega6 is inflammatory Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory. Being in the agitating sympathetic nervous system for too long is not good for adrenals. Ideally we should be predominately in the calming parasympathetic nervous sympathetic that runs parallel to the sympathetic system. I suppose what I am saying is avoid anything that is over stimulating and stresses your adrenal glands( food and drink,actions and other people causing stress). If you have damaged adrenals then you will need medication but if you support your adrenals it can only help.You may of course already know all this but f you can find what helps to calm the inflammation in your body it will also ease the LS inflammation. Good Luck.   

 

I've had so much stress in the last 2 1/2 years. We had a traumatic event happen at the beginning of that time frame and for about half a year to a year I cried so much and had a heap of negative emotion. It's almost 9 months now that we are no longer very stressed but I was also drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day and heavy on the sugar. Maybe I should stop wondering why my previously low key LS (undiagnosed at that time), went crazy! My stress now is my LS mostly! Maybe by pampering and caring for my body with diet (have greatly cut back on sugar and caffeine) I will again have milder symptoms.

Question: should I be taking something natural to clear my adrenal glands?

Trapped in a stressful situation for a lengthy period takes it's toll there is no doubt. It can knock your hormonal endocrine system for six. On top of that we comfort ourselves with all the wrong things that cause rebound stress and on it goes in a vicious circle. You can't always avoid stress with personal responsibilities but resist taking on more than you can cope with. Cutting down on sugar and caffiene is a good move. Last year I had a fancy for home brewed percolated coffee so I  bought an elec percolator, ground my own coffee and made endless coffees every day for months. I went to have my bloodpressure checked and my bloodpressure had shot up! It had to be the percolated coffee so that got kicked into touch. Stopping the excess coffee brought my bloodpressure down and now I only have a couple of weak cups of instant coffee in the mornings. What I drink now is quite a bit of red bush tea which doesn't contain any caffiene. Not sure what you mean by something to clear your adrenal glands! If you mean to balance them then placing less demand on them is what helps to balance things. Adrenal glands are hormone glands that produce and send chemical messages to organ tissues but we don't want to over work them or that's when they become unbalanced and too much of any type of stress will do that. Adrenal glands are not selective about where the stress is coming from,it's still stress even if you are have a great time partying. Thats why anyone living too fast a life can end up with burn out. Try leaning to a more alkaline diet as acid food is inflammatory. Proteins and starchy carbohydrates are acid forming..Most fruit and veg are alkaline...Fats are neutral...All the naughty but nice things like sugar, coffee, alcohol, chocolate are stimulants and acid forming..damn..Don't obsess though sandra just aim for moderation. Even if trying to stay on an even keel doesn't cure us from LS it may ease the symptoms.Hope you keep sailing on calmer waters.

Tried to reply to you sandra but reply is waiting to be moderated!! Don't know why!!

Accidently I was doing the Omega3 thing already for the LS.  Not knowing it would be of help for my adrenals as well.  Though I'm on a medication for the adrenals called Cortef. I have changed my life drastically over time and live in mostly a relaxed non stressful way.  Also avoiding aggravating foods, that also helps ease living with LS. Sometimes a person is not fully aware that one person often 'collects' inflamatory illnesses - more than one raging through the system at the same time, and when not fighting it hard, collecting even more varieties of it. (ha) (no it's not really funny, is it.)

Thanks again for this insight.  

No it's not funny hanny and autoimmune disorders like to bring their friends along to join the party. All we can do is try to pacify the beast and hope it will give us some space. I'm all into approaching the problem of LS at source, I just need to know what the source is! For now I am working on minimising anything that disturbs the endocrine system, part of that is reducing demand on adrenals and food that is thought to aggravate leaky gut. A lot of it is guess work and any thing I can glean from researching but I feel I am being positive about tackling the problem and not just sinking to my knees with my head in the sand.(Makes me feel better dealing with it this way).

I've certainly learnt a bit since discovering I have LS and making endless cups of ground coffee in a percolator has been kicked into touch. Now it's a couple of weak instant coffes in the morning and I mean weak. I'll get used to it ,no going back now. A bottle of wine with hubby in the evening has stopped and I only have the occasional glass now..boo..hoo. No more pounding my treadmill it has gone to my grandson and been replaced by some feeble attempts at tai chi. I'm hoping it's all in a good cause. Sorry that you are having to take Cortef for your adrenals but it's good that you have turned a better corner with your lifestyle. Keep your chin up hanny and keep searching for solutions that helps to get the better of LS

Ok well hopefully it passes. Need all the help I can get.

Thanks for that brilliant explanation. I honestly don't know much about the adrenal glands. Should do more research but appreciate your clear explanation. A positive with this condition is the rest of my body should thank me for the healthy changes to my diet. .

Pleased if I have helped in any way sandra....