LAM: Lifestyle Management

Living well with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) includes seeing your doctor and care team for regular checkups, taking your medication as prescribed and adhering to your treatment plan. It is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle through eating, exercise, and coping with the emotional challenges of a chronic disease. Here are additional resources to help you.
 
Eating for LAM
Eat healthy meals that are balanced with vegetables, fruit, lean protein and calcium-rich foods. Limit sugars, fats and phyto-estrogens such as soy products. Your doctor will tell you if you need a special diet. It’s important to maintain a healthy weight.
 
Exercise and LAM
Exercise is important to maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels; decrease anxiety, depression and body fat; improve strength, stamina, balance, coordination, bone health and self-esteem. If you don’t regularly exercise, talk with your doctor before you start. Your doctor can help recommend an exercise plan for you.
 
Breathing Retraining
Learning new breathing techniques will help you move air into and out of your lungs. It is helpful to use effective breathing techniques with exercise to minimize shortness of breath and assure adequate oxygen to you working muscles. Coordinated breathing is also helpful to assure adequate oxygen to your working muscles and to prevent you from holding your breath. 
 
Coping with LAM
Managing your emotional health is important to your overall well-being. It is common to feel a range of emotions after being diagnosed with a rare disease and to need help in handling stress related to your diagnosis. Communicate with your care team and your personal support system about challenges you are facing and ask how they can help you through them.
 
Lifestyle Management for LAM
Other lifestyle changes that will help you are to quit smoking tobacco, marijuana or other drugs; get seven to nine hours of sleep each night; and get the flu, pneumonia and other vaccines your care team recommends.
 
Clinical Trials for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
You may want to consider participating in clinical trials related to LAM to learn more about your disease and help contribute to the field of medicine that may help others in the future. Here is the current list of clinical trials at National Jewish Health:
 
Additional Resources
 
Benefits of Staying Hydrated
Coping with Chronic Lung Disease
Exercise and Weight
Exercise, Healthy Eating and Lung Disease
Flu Vaccine
Handling Psychological and Social Issues
Healthy Eating
Healthy Snacking
Insomnia
Minimizing Shortness of Breath
On the Go with Oxygen
Pneumonia Vaccine
Shortness of Breath and Eating
Stress Management
Tips for Preventing a Cold
 
The LAM Foundation also offers resources including support group information.