Stress

Hazelbird · Post by **Hazelbird** » Sun Dec 04, 2016 6:47 pm

As I sit back and analyze my LC and its onset, I've realized that stress played a major part in it.

At age 65 my husband and I decided to sell our country home and most of our possessions and become full time RVers. We accomplished this in 2 months late last summer. While I was 100% in favour of this, it was ultimately extremely stressful, giving up so much in such a short time. My LC and WD started the VERY day that we drove away in our RV leaving our former life behind! The adjustment to drastically downsizing and living in a very confined space continued the stress. It was a huge change, good or not!

I know that I had experienced arthritic symptoms during the summer and was on Aleve (Naproxen) which definitely aggravated my gut.

Has stress been a common initial trigger for other people here? And does stress continue to be a trigger for flare ups? Will living a calm, quiet life with minimal stress help maintain remissions? If so, what are fellow MCers stress-relieving techniques?

This MC journey certainly has a steep learning curve!

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:11 pm

Stress definitely plays a large factor in this disease. My symptoms started the week my only child left for college....no coincidence. I still have a lot of stress in my life and I walk every day and read and color in the evening before bed. Listening to soothing music also helps.

Hazelbird · Post by **Hazelbird** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 7:55 am

Thanks for sharing, Marcia. An empty nest is definitely a stressful change in life!

I walk and read too but soothing music would be a good addition. I used to have colouring books too

but gave them away when we downsized.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 8:03 am

Yoga Nidra, Amrit yoga, yoga classes for senior citizens (even if you are not senior), yoga classes that emphasize meditation/breathing

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:39 pm

Stress have been and still is a major trigger for my MC / digestion issues

during my MC journey and doing lots of reading I know it is;
-the excess adrenalin /cortisol can be a bit of toxin to my gut
- another reason, the depletion of key nutrients like zinc and B6 impacts methylation cycle and immune system
- the inflammation depletes the Vit D3 and magnesium

in periods of stress, I will increase intake of these key nutrients to minimise the impact to my gut..
Stress can be any or all of the following, mental stress, physical stress and emotional stress.

one of the key parts of the MC management plan is to know our limits for this and managing it a bit ie if you have a known stressful event coming up, plan time before and after to prepare the body and let the body recover
I organise dental appointments etc later in the week when I dont have to go to work the next day

etc

Sylsmith · Post by **Sylsmith** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 3:49 pm

I am new to this sight and have been learning some interesting things. I firmly believe stress is a huge factor in the onset and relapses of my microscopic colitis. I have been working with a holistic nurse practitioner who has helped my immensely with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. I was doing great until several stressful issues occurred at once and the symptoms returned. I have a hard time telling if I have food intolerances, but I always have problems when there is too much stress. In addition, I have fibromyalgia and take a couple of antidepressants that help with pain and with sleep. I can't imagine giving these up even though I understand they could be a trigger. (I have, however, been taking them for 10 years and did not have MC problems until the last year or so.) I am at a loss as to what to do next because there is so much conflicting information out there. I have tried Budesonide, and like some other readers, had great success the first time around, but not the second time. I have 50 capsules left but I hesitate to start them because they are so expensive and ultimately not good for you. I am open to any suggestions, information, insights, etc. Thanks for listening.

Post by **tex** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 5:03 pm

Hi Syl,

Welcome to our Internet family. You are quite correct. The book Microscopic Colitis has an entire, long chapter detailing how and why stress is a major trigger for MC. It's quite possible that stress may be a prerequisite for the activation of MC.

Based on the information you posted, I offer these observations for your consideration:

1. Chronic magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia.

2. Chronic magnesium deficiency is known to cause depression, pain, sleep problems (insomnia), and other neurological issues.

3. Stress depletes magnesium.

4. Magnesium deficiency causes inflammation.

5. Inflammation causes fibromyalgia, MC, and all other AI diseases.

6. Antidepressants deplete magnesium.

7. Magnesium treats pain by relaxing muscles.

8. Magnesium treats depression and other neurological issues.

9. It's estimated that at least 80 % of the general population is magnesium deficient.

10. Most of us here take take a significant magnesium supplement daily in order to help control our symptoms by treating our magnesium deficiency.

For more information about how magnesium resolves pain and depression, please see the articles at the following links:

Inflammation and Pain Management with Magnesium

Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment

And here's a link to an article that describes how chronic magnesium deficiency causes inflammation:

How a chronic magnesium deficiency can cause inflammation, and how antibiotics can amplify the problem

Again, welcome aboard and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

Erica P-G · Post by **Erica P-G** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:30 pm

Yes....stress I would have to say was the promoter in my MC demise. I never took but a handful of ibuprofen in my whole life so I don't really attribute that to the cause, and the only thing I may have over eaten were chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast every morning for many years....other than that I've been a picky eater and for the life of me couldn't understand what I could have been doing to myself to have created the MC monster.

I've never dealt with stress very well my whole life, when the heart rate climbs, when decisions needed to be made, when kids grew and got into troubles that I never imagined I would have to deal with, and the list just kept going on and on...not to say life wasn't really good in lots of parts but those stress times must have been enough to accumulate within me and here is where I am now.

Luckily I'm progressing slowly and understanding myself little by little. I do know now that our rambunctious grandsons can set my MC off if I have to monitor them for very long, the noise, the screaming, eventually sets my nerves on edge...and as much as I love them to pieces I know my body is freaking out on the inside...I have to come to terms with that and make sure I adjust my time spent with my grands, whether my mind says otherwise.

crervin · Post by **crervin** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:32 pm

Stress (along with med) definitely caused mine. I was on an antibiotic for a sinus infection the same week I found out my 36 yr old husband had cancer. 2 days after last pill, never been the same.

No exercise here except for chasing 3 kids around. Magnesium has helped my stress. It took 6-8 months for it to kick in for me.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:57 pm

Syl
as per Tex's reply, resolving magnesium deficiency resolved majority of my fibromyalgia symptoms.

what we have seen over the years, the ability of most medications to work well for MC, is reliant on the body having good Vit D3 and magnesium levels.

take the time to read the articles posted by Tex, and invest in a good quality magnesium. With the right eating plan and a few months of magnesium supplementation you will see vast improvements in your wellness.

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:58 am

In line with stress causing this disease and our symptoms, I've been learning a lot about the conflict basis of disease. In German new medicine they are connecting how the brain gives the body dis ease when it can't deal with certain situations. Its the brain's response to keeping the body alive. And the disease state is actually the recovery phase. I thought that was a beautiful way of looking at it. We sometimes forget that we all have within us an innate ability to heal ourselves.

It goes a lot deeper than that, and can be a conflict our parents or ancestors had as far as 5 generations back. Now that is getting into the Quantum Field type energy stuff however, Bruce Lipton's work with the Biology of Belief is a good place to start. And of course MAGNESIUM!

Hazelbird · Post by **Hazelbird** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:04 am

So many commonalities here! All stages of life have their stresses, don't they? And we all need to learn how to survive and thrive nonetheless.

Such wise words: "stress can be any or all of the following, mental stress, physical stress, emotional stress."

Lifelong perfectionism hasn't done me any favours.

I'm relaxing and mellowing somewhat in my 60s as I realize that I've managed to come through many, many stressful times in my life. I'm still here and still enjoying life. Perhaps things weren't as crucial as I believed at the time.

Yoga is my go-to form of relaxation, both physically and mentally. I do it at my senior's pace, outdoors whenever I can, and end with a meditation.

Breathing is soooo important! I TRY to interrupt my 'monkey mind'...my runaway thoughts...during stressful times with deep breathing. I'm training my husband to remind me to be calm and breathe.

Off to read more about magnesium since it sounds like a key component to living well with MC.

Thanks for sharing everyone!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:43 pm

The current environment of our 'world ' 24 hrs news, hyped up media, social media, financial stress, health stress, family stress, career stress, toxin stress
what i learnt on my MC/wellness journey - life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react

Unless we live in a remote place, in an isolated bubble, we cant avoid stress.
so we have to change how we react to stress, to minimise its impact on our health.

another former perfectionist here...am now pretty much converted, I am content each week if I get my work hours done, washing done, cook up for the week done, have time for some photography and spend time in nature. Anything I achieve beyond this is a bonus..

Sylsmith · Post by **Sylsmith** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:23 pm

Thank you all for your replies and ideas. I like the magnesium idea and am looking into purchasing a type of topical magnesium, which hopefully will bypass the effects of the antidepressant I take and the malabsorption caused by the MC. I will continue to watch this site and report any progress I make with the magnesium treatment. It is very encouraging to find such a wide range of experience with this disease and it's remedies because doctors just don't seem to know what to do except prescribe medicines your body reacts to in some other way. Thank you again!

Sylvia

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:31 pm

Sylvia
spend some time reading the member success stories area - Many here have benefited from the eating plan changes, and resolving magnesium deficiency.
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=71

happy healing

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