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

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.