Conditions

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic complex condition where the tissue lining the uterus grows outside the uterus. The signs and symptoms include:

• Painful periods (dysmenorrhea); the pain may not match the severity of the endometriosis
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Pain on intercourse
• Infertility, which may be asymptomatic

What causes endometriosis?

There are several theories for what causes endometriosis.

1. Retrograde menstruation – Menstrual blood flows backward through the fallopian tubes and implants into the pelvic cavity.
2. Coelomic metaplasia –Cells with the potential to become endometrial cells are present in the abdomen at birth; certain environmental factors are required to change those cells later in a woman’s life.
3. Metastasis – endometrial cells travel through the blood stream and implant elsewhere, just like cancer cells do.

There also exists other factors such as environmental, genetic, altered telomerase activity, altered cellular immunity and altered inflammatory mediators.

Natural medicine can help endometriosis

Natural medicine can help to balance the body and treat some of the factors that contribute to inflammation and pain. The regulation of the immune and endocrine system is best achieved by balancing the body. Our approach to endometriosis has been very successful by doing the following:

1. Dietary changes – many patients have noticed relief from avoiding key food sensitivities and improving the quality of the diet.
2. Treating microflora imbalance – studies have shown that endometriosis is associated with an altered microflora (gut pathogens), particularly with candida. We have a clinically proven program that we’ve used on thousands of patients.
3. Detoxifying and decreasing toxic burden – xenoestrogens, such as dioxins and BPH, can increase the effect of estrogen in the body and promote growth of endometriosis. Decreasing exposure and promoting the liver to detoxify the toxins will improve symptoms over time.
4. Treating stress and regulating cortisol and melatonin production – regulating stress can strongly impact the symptoms of pain.
5. Treating stagnation – in Traditional Chinese Medicine, endometriosis is thought of as a stagnant condition, and benefit can be seen using herbs that help move the energy and blood.
6. Balancing the immune system – endometriosis is associated with chronic local inflammation and antibody self-reactivity. We use natural remedies that are anti-inflammatory and regulate the immune system.
7. Specific herbal medicines and homeopathy – evidenced based medicine has found certain herbs and supplements to be beneficial at reducing symptoms. Certain herbal therapies can also be used to break up scar tissue and adhesions.

By treating and addressing these underlying factors, the symptoms of endometriosis can be alleviated – painful periods, pain on intercourse and infertility.