Fibromyalgia And Weight Gain
There is not significant research at this time to support that Fibromyalgia as a condition is the sole cause of weight gain. Fibromyalgia is a generalized pain condition. However, due to the pain associated with this condition along with fatigue, patients may find exercise and daily physical activity more difficult. Lack of exercise can naturally result in weight gain. In addition, there are various other conditions that may closely mimic fibromyalgia that can cause weight gain. The most common of these would be hypothyroidism or low thyroid hormone. This condition can be identified via diagnostic blood tests which may be requested by a health care provider before confirming a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Preventing Weight Gain
Crohns Disease And Ulcerative Colitis
Crohns and ulcerative colitis are collectively known as irritable bowel disease, or IBD. These autoimmune diseases cause inflammation in various parts of the digestive tract. Both commonly cause weight loss and malnutrition. Inflammation in the small intestine can make it difficult to properly digest food and absorb nutrients, and inflammation in the large intestine makes it difficult to absorb water and electrolytes, according to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation.
On top of that, the symptoms can mess with your weight, Dr. Apovian says. Abdominal pain and diarrhea are typically associated with weight loss, but depending on what you can eat, you may gain weight,she says. If you have abdominal pain after eating healthy foods like fruits and veggies, you may avoid them and eat a lot of unhealthy foods that dont cause pain.
Some people can control their IBD with medications, but some might need surgery to get everything under control.
Arthritis As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue
The breakdown of fluids between the joints is responsible for rheumatoid arthritis . In the initial stages, the condition tends to be more severe during the morning hours. However, the pain gradually worsens and makes the patient feel uncomfortable for the most part of the day. This is also accompanied by exacerbating fatigue. Rheumatoid arthritis will affect the joints in the wrists, hands and elbows as well as the neck and shoulders. It should also be noted that in the lower extremities, the condition tends to affect the hips, ankles and knees in addition to the joints in the toes. The irritation that tends to affect the joints is responsible for the release of cytokines into the system. This is one of the common causes of fatigue which a person undergoes. This apart, a poor appetite which is common among those suffering with arthritis pain adds to the level of fatigue. Due to a massive loss of stamina, a lot of people tend to feel more fatigued. This is one of the reasons why they restrict the amount of activities they engage in.
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The Stress That Kickstarts Adrenal Fatigue Can Be:
- Physical: You experience infections or suffer allergies and food sensitivities. Excessive sports like marathon running and over-exercising can cause or worsen adrenal fatigue.
- Emotional: Caused by issues like work pressures, financial or relationship problems. Past unresolved trauma and abuse. Feeling unworthy, not good enough, pushing yourself to over-achieve all the time.
- Chemical: Your liver is overloaded by toxins coming from xenoestrogens, antibiotics, prescription drugs or you have lived or worked near places that are highly toxic. Chemo and radiation can also contribute.
- Spiritual: You feel a lack of purpose or direction in life.
- Dietary: A period spent overloading on caffeine, carbs and high-sugar foods can stimulate repeated cortisol release, setting up the adrenal fatigue pattern. Chronic gut issues like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, IBS, leaky gut and unaddressed food sensitivities can also cause adrenal fatigue.
Whatever the trigger, if the resulting hormonal imbalances are not corrected and the stress continues, your adrenal glands may end up completely and utterly taxed and worn out. Then the very hormones meant to give you energy and keep you alive if youre under threat, can start to compromise your health. And eventually, they become depleted.
How Is Lupus Diagnosed
Doctors diagnose lupus by asking about symptoms and doing an exam. They’ll also do blood tests to look for:
- anemia and other blood problems
- proteins such as antinuclear antibodies , which are present in many people with lupus
Diagnosing lupus can be hard because it can affect almost any organ in the body, and symptoms vary widely from patient to patient.
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How Is Lupus Treated
Treatment for lupus depends on the organs involved. There is no cure for it, but treatment can help control symptoms. Often, a patient with lupus has a health care team with specialists such as:
- a rheumatologist
- a nephrologist
- an infectious disease specialist
- a dermatologist
- a social worker
- a psychologist
Medicines can help lower the risk of flare-ups and improve symptoms. Someone with lupus may take:
- corticosteroids to control inflammation
- immunosuppressive drugs to lower the body’s immune response
- antimalarial drugs to help treat skin rashes and joint pain
- acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen or naproxen, for joint and muscle pain
Doctors may also recommend that people with lupus:
- Avoid the sun as much as possible and wear sunscreen and protective clothing when outside to help reduce the number of flare-ups.
- Get regular exercise to help with tiredness and joint stiffness.
Try This Quick Iris Test:
Your eyes are not just the window to your soul, they are also the window to your levels of arousal and stress. An article by Scientific American magazine, gives a good rundown on the science of pupillometry.
A similar study is also looking into this area.
But you can also conduct a simply little eye experiment at home. Heres how:
- Go into a dark room that has a mirror and allow your eyes to adjust for a few minutes this allows your pupils to dilate.
- Stand close to the mirror or hold it close to your face.
- Using a penlight or a weak flashlight, shine light across your right eye.
- Watch your right pupil for about 30 seconds to see what happens.
It should quickly contract when exposed to the light. If, within seconds, it dilates again, this is a sign of adrenal fatigue. Rest your eyes, get accustomed to the dark again and repeat with the other eye.
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Sex Fertility And Pregnancy
Women with Sjögrens syndrome can sometimes have a dry vagina, which can make sex painful. Lubricants and creams made from the female sex hormone, oestrogen, can help with this. Treatments for infections such as thrush are available from chemists.
The condition doesnt affect fertility in men or women. However, there may be a higher risk of miscarriage in women who have anti-Ro or anti-La antibodies. Your doctor might suggest low-dose aspirin in the early stages of pregnancy to reduce this risk.
There arent usually any problems during or after pregnancy, and you may be able to carry on with some treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine, during pregnancy.
However, a very small number of women may pass anti-Ro or anti-La antibodies on to their baby during pregnancy. The baby could then develop symptoms, such as rashes and abnormal blood tests after birth.
These will clear up once the mothers antibodies have been lost from the babys blood. This can take anything from a couple of weeks to a few months.
In some cases, the antibodies affect the babys heart, causing it to beat slowly. If you have these antibodies, you should tell your obstetrician, as your babys heartbeat will need additional monitoring in the womb.
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What Causes Autoimmune Diseases
The precise cause of autoimmune diseases is unknown. However, there are risk factors that may increase your chances of getting an autoimmune disease. Risk factors include:
- Some medications. Talk to your healthcare provider about the side effects of medications for blood pressure, statins and antibiotics.
- Having relatives with autoimmune diseases. Some diseases are genetic they run in families.
- Smoking.
- Temperature sensitivity.
Is Your Thyroid Working Properly
A simple blood test through your primary care physician can check your thyroid function, and many thyroid conditions can be managed with medication. If you think you may have thyroid trouble, request an appointment with a Keck Medicine of USC physician through the online form, or by calling USC-CARE.
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Phase : Tired But Wired
Once constant pressures or a taxing situation puts you under chronic stress, the repeated triggering of your adrenal glands can cause high cortisol release one moment and low another. You cant get going so you start to rely more and more on coffee and tea to try to boost your flagging energy levels. But this article explains why the caffeine only causes further hormonal imbalance.
How Stress Steals Your Other Hormones
Normally pregnenolone works as a precursor hormone to help produce testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and DHEA . When your body is struggling to keep up with stress, it diverts an important hormone called pregnenolone to making more cortisol instead of progesterone. This reaction is known as the pregnenolone steal see the chart below:
The classic example is a woman stressed about getting pregnant who then adopts a child as her stress levels go down with the new baby, she gets pregnant with her own child. Im sure you have heard of stories like that. As her pregnenolone is not longer directed to over-produce cortisol, she can now also produce sufficient progesterone and get pregnant.
Lupus As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue
Lupus can be best described as a rheumatic disease that results from an abnormality in the immune system. The disease also causes joint and muscle pain as it becomes progressively worse. The disease is diagnosed after a person goes through a period of severe fatigue, weight loss and weakness. It is also accompanied by a rash on the face. A person affected by Lupus tends to feel joint pain in the hands, elbows, wrists and knees first. A person will experience swollen or warm joints. This apart, the joints tend to be stiff when a person wakes up in the morning. Some people afflicted by lupus also tend to suffer from joint pain and chronic fatigue, while others will experience periodic flare-ups of the existing symptoms.
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Research And New Developments
Were funding several studies to improve understanding of Sjögrens syndrome and develop new and more effective treatments for the condition.
In people with this condition, immune cells form structures called tertiary lymphoid organs . Were currently funding a study to understand why TLOs are present, and whether removing them could improve the condition.
We are also supporting research to uncover what causes lymphoma to develop in a small number of people living with the condition. This research may allow doctors to predict who will develop lymphoma, which means people can be treated early.
Were also funding the SALRISE study, to establish whether electrostimulation of the salivary glands using a small electronic device can be used to treat a dry mouth.
This research will improve understanding and could allow new treatments to be developed.
How Do Autoimmune Diseases Affect You If You’re Trying To Get Pregnant
Some autoimmune diseases can affect your ability to get pregnant and some have adverse effects on pregnancy. You may need fertility treatments to get pregnant. You might also want to wait until your disease is in the remission stage to try to conceive.
There is a higher risk for stillbirth or preterm birth if you have lupus. If you have myasthenia gravis, you may experience trouble breathing.
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Lupus Signs Symptoms And Co
Lupus affects everyone differently, but certain signs and symptoms are common. In addition, other conditions, such as fibromyalgia, occur commonly in people with lupus but are not directly due to disease activity. These co-occuring conditions are known to doctors as comorbidities. Several signs, symptoms, and comorbidites of lupus are detailed below.
Address Root Causes Of Your Stress
- Seek counseling: if you need to help heal from unresolved trauma or need support for depression.
- Reduce lifes daily stressors: These can add up to big adrenal impacts if they continue day after day. That might mean you get up just 15 minutes earlier so you dont have to rush and have time for breakfast. Or it might mean that you try pull back your mortgage payments so you have more money to get through the week.
A while ago, a woman from our Hormones Balance community contacted me for help with stabilizing her hormones. When she wasnt improving we tried to identify hidden stresses that may be standing in the way of her hormonal balance. She identified that she was suffering stress every morning when she had to walk through an area where she didnt feel safe on her way to work. Once she took a different route, even though it took her a little longer, her stress levels significantly reduced and her hormonal health substantially improved. Its a potent reminder of just how much we are hardwired for survival and as a result, how big even seemingly small stressors can be.
- Address relationship problems and potential abuse: Make time for more intimacy and improved communication with your partner. If youre not in a good place together, read some self-help books together or attend couples counseling. I did a call about abusive relationships , watch it here.
Dont:
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Im Always Getting Sick Or I Take A Long Time To Recover
Blame it on: High adrenalin and cortisol
Apart from stress management, the adrenals are also responsible for regulating your immune system. Remember a problematic project at work or a family crises that took time to resolve? You had sufficient energy and focus to get through the hard time . But, as soon as it was over, you fell sick. Sound familiar?
Ongoing stress can weaken the adrenals so much so that they are not able to sufficiently stimulate the immune system to keep you healthy. Im not just talking here about superficial conditions like cold and flu but more serious ones like cancer or autoimmune conditions.
I vividly remember my interview with Dr. Veronique , of The Breast Cancer Conqueror, who in spite of being that super healthy person, developed breast cancer.
How Will Sjgren’s Syndrome Affect Me
Though the symptoms can be uncomfortable and last quite a long time, you should be able to lead the life you want if the condition is treated properly. For most people, the condition only affects the tear and saliva glands, but some people may experience other symptoms, such as fatigue and joint inflammation.
If dryness of the eyes isnt treated, the front of your eye could become damaged and cause permanent sight problems. Seeing an optician regularly and using treatments for dry eyes can help stop this.
People with Sjögrens syndrome might be more likely to develop:
- hypothyroidism, when the thyroid gland is underactive
- Raynauds phenomenon, which causes the fingers to feel cold and turn blue
- inflamed blood vessels, known as vasculitis, which can cause reduced blood flow
- loss of feeling in the hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy
- IBS, causing tummy pain, diarrhoea and constipation
- kidney problems
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Exercise Smarter But Not Harder
- Walk briskly: Studies show that walking has many, many health benefits.
And the scenic stimulation of blue sky and nature, means that you come back from your walk usually feel uplifted, not depleted.
- Move at a moderate pace: I recommend exercise like weight training, use of kettle bells and dancing.
- Do more gentle forms of exercise: It may seem counter-intuitive to slow your exercise pace to get more benefit but it really is important. Think about animals they dont go on marathon runs or head to the gym every day.
- Calm your brain with yoga: Yoga is like a moving meditation that connects your mind, breathe and body and induces a relaxation response which helps lower your cortisol levels. At the same time it boosts your alpha brain activity, which promotes greater calm.
Dont:
What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About Autoimmune Diseases
Its helpful to have some questions ready to ask before you see your provider. Examples to consider include:
- Do I have an autoimmune disease?
- What tests should I go through?
- What type of autoimmune disease do I have?
- Do I need to see a specialist?
- What specialist should I see?
- Whats the best treatment for me?
- Should I let my family members know that I have an autoimmune disease?
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Multiple Sclerosis As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue
Multiple sclerosis affects the immune system by attacking the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord, say experts.
The disease also destroys myelin, the sheath that protects and covers the nerves. This hinders signals between the brain and the body. This can results in numbness, pain and tremors common symptoms of the disease.
In fact, MS can resemble lupus as well as Lyme disease. It can also cause fatigue and joint pain. One of the common symptoms include numbness and a tingling sensation.
Studies suggest that a majority of Americans have MS with the diseases affecting people between 20-40 years. Women are more likely to fall prey to MS as opposed to men.
