By Jackie

Endometriosis severely impacts the lives of thousands of women. Many women continue to be frustrated by treatment options – from laparoscopic surgery to medications that cause a menopausal state. If you happen to be one of these women, you can still do quite a bit to take your health into your own hands.

Research continues to show the link between what you eat and the severity of endometriosis symptoms. That’s right, pain relief may be waiting in your fridge – or more importantly, by avoiding some things in your fridge.

A recent study published in Fertility and Sterility found that dietary therapy is “more effective than surgery plus placebo to obtain relief of pain associated with endometriosis stage III-IV and improvement of quality life.” Furthermore, the study founds that dietary therapy is equally effective as hormonal suppression treatment.

So what exactly is dietary therapy? Dietary therapy is founded on the principle that endometriosis is extremely estrogen sensitive. Furthermore, cramps during your period are caused by prostaglandin synthesis. Dietary therapy focuses on reducing or increasing food that can impact the delicate balance of these hormones.

A great website, www.endo-resolved.com provides an explanation of the dietary therapy and what follows is a brief summary. Let’s start with foods to avoid:

• Wheat, refined and concentrated carbohydrates, refined sugars and honey, and dairy. WHY? Because they cause inflammation
• Red meats, caffeine, fried food, margarine, and hydrogenated fats. WHY? Because they stimulate negative prostaglandins
• Soy and soy products WHY? Because they have a negative influence on estrogen
• Tinned and frozen packaged food, additives, and preservatives. WHY? Because they increase the chemical load on the system

You might be thinking – well what exactly can I eat? There’s a host of healthy food that includes whole grains (excluding wheat and rye), beans, peas, brown rice, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, etc. Some especially good food and oils include evening primrose, walnut oil, flax seed oil, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and turnips.

Dietary therapy for endometriosis is no small change, and it can be overwhelming. So start small. You can start by designating one day a week for your diet. Then slowly, over time, add additional days.Want to read more about what you can do about your endometriosis? Visit our studies of interest page.

By Jackie

Andie, one of our former patients who struggled with infertility, was diagnosed with endometriosis. She underwent laparoscopic surgery, 7 months of hormonal shots, and 14 intra uterine inseminations (IUI), but was still unable to become pregnant.

Why couldn’t Andie become pregnant with the help of IUIs? An IUI can help sperm bypass the cervix and make it safely to the uterus, thus increasing the chances of pregnancy. However, if endometriosis is constricting the ovaries or fallopian tubes, the woman’s egg many not reach the uterus. Endometriosis may also cover the uterus, constricting it and causing it to spasm – which can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.

Andie decided to come to our clinic to see if we could help her. We focused on reducing adhesions and restoring proper mobility to all organs and tissues in her pelvis. We paid special attention to her ovaries and fallopian tubes, ensuring her egg would have a “clear passage” to the uterus.

After treatment, Andie knew it was a good sign when her endometriosis pain was reduced. She told us, “My first ovulation after treatment was pain free.” That month, Andie became pregnant. She later delivered a healthy baby girl.

CPT has helped numerous women like Andie become pregnant. Andie’s full story and those of 75 other CPT patients will be featured in our upcoming book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain.

By Jackie

Endometriosis, a condition in which endometrial tissue is located in areas outside of the uterus, causes severe pain for many women. Common complaints include painful intercourse, painful periods, pelvic pain, and pain with urination and bowel movements.

In Western Medicine, the most common treatments for endometriosis are medications and laparoscopic surgery. But what can a woman due if she is not interested or satisfied with these methods? Some endometriosis studies suggest that changes in environment, diet, and exercise can help reduce endometriosis.

At CPT, we believe these natural changes can be very beneficial; but we also feel there is a very important component that needs to be addressed – adhesions. When endometrial tissue is found in areas outside of the uterus, it still responds to hormones. That means it thickens, breaks down, and bleeds each month. Because the tissue has nowhere to go, the trapped blood can irritate surrounding tissue and trigger inflammation that leads to scarring and adhesions. The adhesions and scar tissue can bind tissues and organs together, causing severe pain. If you would like to see an interactive video that explains this process, see http://www.endocenter.org/endoflash_highspeed.htm

In laparoscopic surgery, surgeons use a laparoscope to burn these adhesions apart. Although this removes the adhesions, the process of surgery itself causes more adhesions to form. Women may be pain-free for six months or a year, but many find themselves in pain once again.

Our physical therapists use manual techniques to slowly deform and detach the adhesions so that tissues and organs are once again mobile and functional. Patients often find that intercourse is no longer painful, they can have a bowel movement without pain, or they are finally able to become pregnant. Read some of our patient testimonials about endometriosis pain and learn more about how our treatment resolves endometriosis pain.

New Orleans, LA., November 2, 2006/PRNewswire/ — Scientists at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) reported encouraging findings on a new treatment for endometriosis pain using a pelvic physical therapy that feels like a deep massage. Until now, the primary treatments for endometriosis pain have involved either surgery or drugs.

The manual physical therapy (Wurn Technique®) decreased pain throughout the menstrual cycle. Relief continued six weeks after therapy, according to an abstract published in Fertility and Sterility (9/2006). A related abstract in the same issue reported the therapy significantly decreased dyspareunia (intercourse pain) and improved sexual function for women with endometriosis.

“Endometriosis can cause severe pain, disrupt lifestyle and contribute to infertility for millions of women worldwide. Unfortunately, there is no known cure,” said co-author, research gynecologist Richard King, former Chief of Staff of North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Endometriosis is thought to occur in about 10% of adult females, with a higher incidence among infertile women. In an earlier published study (Medscape General Medicine, 6/2004), the therapy improved pregnancy rates for patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and appeared to improve natural fertility rates.

The treatment is of interest because it decreased pain without the risks associated with surgery or pharmaceuticals. The manual therapy “feels similar to a deep massage, but the mechanism is totally different,” according to author, physical therapist Belinda Wurn. “We are encouraged by the results and will expand this study.”

Wurn began developing the treatment with her husband in 1987 to help her recover from painful adhesions following pelvic surgery.  Her spouse and co-author, Larry Wurn says, “The therapy appears to break adhesive crosslinks that form when a patient heals from injury, infection, surgery or inflammation.”

“Adhesions are commonly associated with endometriosis and are implicated in many chronic pain conditions,” explains Dr. King. “This therapy is a natural adjunct to gynecologic care and should be considered by physicians whose patients have endometriosis, dyspareunia, or chronic pain.”

Media contact: Larry Wurn 352-336-1433 or cptherapy(at)aol.com