Lichen Sclerosus Remedies

I was just recently diagnosed with Lichen Schlerosus. Fortunately, caught it very early because I was itching for a couple of weeks, thought it was a yeast infection and treated it that way but still made an appointment with my OBGYN. He immediately diagnosed it as LS. I was surprised because nothing had changed in my life, not even my soap, but he said it happens often post-menopausal because of a general thinning of the tissues around the vaginal area due to drop in estrogen, etc. (Of course, this doesn't explain those who have it pre-menopause). However, this list has served me greatly because I believe in tackling the symptoms somewhat aggressively early with a little western medicine (the steroid cream) and then figuring out how to holistically stop the cause internally. Based upon this list (thank you very much) I drink red clover tea twice a day (which supplements the immune system and provides a little estrogen to the post-menopausal body), eliminated sugar and dairy (which I had started to do anyway prior to this event), take Black Seed Oil (which supports the immune system and provides a whole host of other amazing benefits, take a probiotic to replenish the good bacteria, take a teaspoon of Carlsson's lemon-flavored Cod Liver Oil (also a host of amazing benefits for women) and eating whole organic foods (no processed foods). I also use organic coconut oil as a regular lubricant in between the steroid treatments and take a daily sitz bath infused with organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother). I have been feeling much better and it's just been the third day. In addition, I got rid of my regular panty liners and got organic chlorine and plastic free cotton ones from the health food store. I believe we are subjecting our bodies to so many chemicals in an unregulated fashion...at some point the body is going to rebel. While the OBGYN said this condition is relatively common, you have to ask yourself why? It makes no sense to me but I'm going to treat the symptoms and my system and have faith it will clear up. At the end of the day, the body tells us we have an issue with what we are doing. If we listen and address both the symptoms and the suspected cause we are only going to benefit ourselves in the long run.

Hello, thanks to all of you for the many comments and helpful suggestions re. L.C. I am 60 yrs old and have been diagnosed 3 years ago with L.C.

I read and re-read many of your suggestions and for the last 4 days I have had some relief with the following suggestions: 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar in bath and soak for 15min. It has cut down on itching and I'm less inflammed.

Zinc oxide seems to work on decreasing redness and itching ( applying 2x a day) However is it OK to use continually on vaginal tissue?

Also applying cold water after each time I urinate. Started Essiac tea but too soon to access.Thanks, Moira, N.Y.

Wanted to let everyone know... I started using Niacinamide and Lycine (mixed it in a small bottle of pure water) spraying it on the LS and then applying Argan oil, my symptoms have decreased by 60%. I also quit drinking coffee and the skin on the backs of my arms and legs cleared up. Not sure if this was an allergy and LS is connected but am not ruling it out.

This is such an awful disease. Hang in there.

I have had symptoms of LS for 2 years now and have finally found a way to keep it under control. The symptoms started after menopause with extreme vaginal dryness. Then the vulvar skin breaking, bruising and vaginal atrophy began. I work for a GYN doctor so I knew what was happening to me. I did try Perrins cream which helped a little in the beginning. I vas very reluctant to use any prescription medication, but after suffering for so long I finally tried a very small dose of Estrace cream vaginally once or twice a week which has helped alot. (I did not want to use Steroids). I also apply pure vitamin E oil (found at Target for $5.00) to the vaginal/rectal area everyday after bathing/soaking. I use only natural soap very gently in that area, no bleach on underwear, avoid any perfumes or strong dryer sheets that irritate, no underwear when at home and only lightly blot when using toilet paper. These things have helped me tremendously. Avoiding sugar and taking high potency probiotics do also help. I hope and pray that a natural cure can be found and that the cause of this awful condition will soon be discovered. I have been doing my own research and taking note of the similarities in women who have this condition. Hope this helps someone.

I am 28 years old female who was diagnosed with LS in Aug 2010. After 2.5 years of continuing Yeast infection and Strep B bacteria since my honeymoon in Caribbean.

I believe after taking many antibiotics and Diflucan, my body collapsed!

I had a blood test and my natural path informed me that I am Lactose intolerant and I have to avoid Dairy and Gluten. I am taking Probiotic and Fish oil (Omega 3) and L-Glutamine (I guess to clean my liver. ) I have not seen any major changes to LS in my vulvar area. Yet, I can feel less gas (stinky gas), diarrhea, bowel movement and no more Yeast and Strep B bacteria.

Treatment:

Yeast: after unsuccessful 2 years of using Antibiotic, I used Boric acid and soaked my body in Baking soda every day for a few weeks which have been very very helpful. Even my husband did it too. I am free of yeast or bacteria now.

LS: I have been using lower dose of Topical cream which was useful at the beginning but not after 3 months. After the flare up and no sexual intercourse for a while because of the pain and itchiness, doctor gave me another higher dosage of cream, I have been using this for 3 weeks now and it is helping a lot. But I don't want to be dependent on this at all. I am young, still have another 50 years to go, can't use the cream for the rest of my life. I don't have any kids yet either.

My research shows that Omega 3 (fish oil), and probiotic are great to use to balance your body and create healthy skin. Healthy diet is another one, have a test or look at your blood group type and see what is better to eat for your body type. I did a cleanse in summer which helped my body to normalize and of course got rid of the yeast.

Also, I have found that Neem oil, Calendula oil, Emu oil are helpful. I have heard from a few professionals about Neem oil and Calendula, but rarely about Emu oil. So I was reluctant to buy Emu oil for my LS. Apparently, some people used Emu oil and it worked but not many professionals know about it.

Yesterday was the first night I used Neem oil and hoping to be helpful.

If anyone has any other suggestions, Please let me know.

Jen

Lichen Sclerosus is a condition that I self-diagnosed myself with a few years ago, after much internet research and no help from my doctor. This is still such a mysterious condition, with little concrete medical data out there to refer to, but here are some of my observations and some things that have helped me quite a bit.

First, I believe that it is caused by hormone imbalance and/or auto-immune issues. Most people notice their symptoms begin with hormone shifts. For me, it was at the beginning of peri-menopause, and came along with other, more common symptoms of that. Along those same lines, the symptoms are always worse at the end of my cycle (pre-menstrually) and better towards the beginning of the cycle. Also, I notice my symptoms flare up (and have heard others report the same) when my immune system is run down or strained, especially if I'm fighting a virus (cold, etc... ). Interestingly, as several others here have mentioned, I also have a history of adrenal fatigue/chronic fatigue. So seeking natural hormone balance and a healthy, balanced immune system are, in my opinion, key to going into permanent remission.

Topically, I have found the most success with a cream called Perrin's Cream Complete, found on the Perrin's website (you'll find it if you google it). It immediately relieves discomfort and seems to help quite a bit overall with other symptoms. It is a soothing antioxidant cream that is very healing as well. It was originally developed to help prevent and reverse skin cancer, so for a condition with an increased cancer risk associated with it, this cream is a good one to have on hand. Also evening primrose oil has been helpful topically.

I have tried to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet to help with the auto-immune aspect: no sugar (very inflammatory and noticeably worsens LS), fried foods, junk foods, processed foods/fast foods, margarine or shortening. About a month ago I also eliminated gluten (mostly found in wheat) and either it's a coincidence, or that was truly helpful because it's better now than it's been in years. A whole foods diet that is loaded with vegetables and healthy fats and protein (which includes SATURATED fats: coconut oil, eggs, butter and meat from healthy, pastured cows, etc... ), fish, krill, or cod-liver oil, and low on grains (especially wheat). Try to eat more like your great-grandparents ate and you'll be doing much better than if you follow the USDA food pyramid! The Weston A. Price Foundation has great info on healthy traditional diets and how our modern, western diet and food preparation has damaged our health (westonaprice.org). Learning about food sensitivities/allergies would also be essential for reducing systematic inflammation. If you can't afford allergy testing, try checking your pulse before and after eating suspected foods. If you notice a marked rise in your pulse after eating a particular food, you are probably sensitive if not allergic to it.

Also avoiding chemicals as much as possible in your environment (cleaning products, unfiltered city water), and food (genetically modified and/or pesticide laden foods) is also important. I know there are lots of supplements that help with inflammation: turmeric, fish oil (or krill or cod liver), vitamin D3 (current recommendations are extremely low, so probably around 5, 000 mg. daily, or better yet, get your levels tested and aim for therapeutic levels--check out http://mercola.com for more info on vit. D), and many more.

There are also supplements designed specifically for reducing inflammation. Chinese mushrooms and herbs have been used with incredible success for a variety of inflammatory conditions, so that would sure be worth checking out. Fungi Perfecti has a product line called Host Defense and a product in that line called My Community that looks very intriguing. It's a very reputable company and scores of people with serious immune and/or cancer issues swear by their products. http://iherb.com seems to have the best prices. Searching out anti-inflammatory diet and supplements should provide lots of good ideas. Hopefully there's something of use in all that!

If I discover a magic pill, I will certainly share my discovery, but my guess is that it's really about getting your hormonal and immune systems balanced out, which involves a more holistic approach to diet and lifestyle than what one pill can provide.