Endometriosis can be debilitating. The pelvic and menstrual pain, hormonal imbalance and the bloating are all so uncomfortable that it can knock you out for a few days. One of my closest friends has had to deal with this every month since we were teens. At first, the pain frightened her as she did not know what it was. She described the pains to be as bad or worse than child bearing contractions. Ouch! Some day’s she had to call out of work just because she could barely stand.
These pains, we discovered are caused from too much estrogen in the body. Excess estrogen can come from food and others from chemicals in our environment called xenoestrogens. When these hormones are out of balance, the tissue that usually grows in the uterus starts growing in places that it should not- like our ovaries or intestines. When this happens, little fibroids develop in your body and can be very painful when you get your periods. Often times people with endometriosis opt for strong pain killers or comfort foods to help deal with the physical symptoms. While these can provide some immediate relief, they can be dangerous when consumed over long periods of time and have additional negative side effects. Instead of the sugar coated fix, there are natural endometriosis treatment options for endometriosis you can take by changing your diet, avoiding environmental estrogen and taking proper vitamin supplementation. You can do it!
Endometriosis Diet
One of the first steps to addressing endometriosis with your diet is to lessen estrogen as much as you can. The best ways to do this is to first focus on only putting the best foods in your body by opting for organic food whenever possible and avoiding hormones in dairy and meat. This will help regulate your hormones and keep you clear of consuming any extra estrogen in your body.
Take a close look at your diet. How are your eating habits? Do you opt for the sugary or high carbohydrate foods? If so, you need to cut these out if you are going to alleviate endometriosis pain with your diet. Why do those cupcakes, which make us so happy, make us feel so bad? Well, what we put into our bodies communicates to our cells and whispers to them how to act or how to respond to everything that we consume. We can use this knowledge to make food and nutrition work for us instead of letting it wreak havoc on our bodies.
What can I eat?
When planning out your meals, work in more fish, olive oil, walnuts, tart cherries, dark chocolate and turmeric. Add in more nutrient greens like kale and swiss chard, also don’t forget the fiber. That doesn’t sound too bad does it?
Not sure how that looks every day? How about a veggie stir fry for breakfast, a big hearty salad for lunch with organic chicken and a nice piece of curried salmon with a side of spinach sauteed in coconut oil for dinner? Not too bad to eat and so much better for you and your body as these power foods work to fight inflammation in your body and reduce pain and bloating all while providing you with the key nutrients you need.
For dessert, avoid the sweets and starches which will make your insulin levels rise and fall quickly, stress your system and leave you feeling exhausted, wrung out, and susceptible to gain weight easily. Alcohol of all kinds should be avoided. I understand a glass of wine here and there can be nice but don’t overdo it! Alcohol will surely inflame your body. These ups and downs in your insulin levels, leave your hormones confused and imbalanced, a big issue for all but especially those suffering from endometriosis.
You can do it!
The turning point for my girlfriend who has endometriosis was when she committed to giving up gluten and sugar all together. I know at first it was tough and you really need to stay dedicated but it has helped her and can help you too. You have to keep in mind that being perfect or sticking to the plan 100% will likely have you running straight to the closest ice cream shop so you need to be easy with yourself. Let yourself indulge a little here and there but jump right back on the health wagon. Make it a habit and it will be easier each week.
By sticking to this diet, my girl friend lost 25 pounds, felt lighter and increased her energy all while helping repair her body and balancing her hormones. It is important to note that she is 5′ 11” and a true beauty inside and out out.Now, she is on a great path to helping deal with endometriosis and reaching her health goals.
Would You Like Some Hormones With That?
Are you drinking your water out of a plastic water bottle right now? If you have a bottle of water next to you, first I want to say kudos. It is important to drink enough water every day as it helps to eliminate toxins from your system. My next question to you, is it BPA free? Even if it is, did you know you are still at risk of ingesting estrogen? Overtime all plastic water bottles start to break down, releasing estrogen into our bodies. Yikes! Instead, invest in a metal or glass water bottle which is safer and will last longer.
What about the plastic containers you brought for lunch that you microwaved? This is a big no-no for anyone, especially those with endometriosis. Recycle those and switch your plastic containers to glass containers or move your food to a ceramic or glass bowl before heating it up. In our household we invested in a set of glass containers from Target which have been great as they last a long time, come in different sizes and look great. No more discolored and warped plastic containers over here.
Natural Endometriosis Treatment Options
You have the power to help regulate your hormones and address the pains you are feeling from endometriosis. I know that many with endometriosis will be prescribed strong painkillers, but these can only make things worse overtime for your body and can be extremely addictive. Give it shot, make the diet change to reduce sugary and starchy foods and focus on organic and clean eating. To help cover your bases, you will also benefit from proper supplementation with much needed vitamins and minerals.
With endometriosis, comes pain and this pain can feel overwhelming. Try to avoid serious pain prescriptions which can be addicting or make you tired by opting for an effective and safe pain relief such as Pain Relief Complex.
- Calcium and Magnesium will help cramping and promote relaxation.
- Regulating hormones is key in dealing with endometriosis. In addition to changing your diet and trying to eliminate xenoestrogen from your environment, you can also take 2-6 of GLA Complex daily to help regulate regular body processes and general well being.
Set a good strong nutritional base with a great quality multi-vitamin for your overall nutritional needs. When looking for a multivitamin, make sure you are getting enough iron. Shaklee’s Vitalizer is packed with what women need. What makes these vitamins different from many is that they dissolve in 30 minutes in your stomach while many store brand vitamins never are fully absorbed in your system. I have been taking these vitamins for a while now and notice when I miss them.
- Cramping and constipation? Get your system moving again with a natural stimulant like Herb-Lax that is gentle on your system and is safe enough to take one a day.
- You need to pump up on leafy greens and fish to get more vitamin B. This key vitamin is good for reducing anxiety and water retention as well as helping to strengthen your liver so that you can better detox excess estrogen. B-Complex is especially helpful as it provides a unique folic acid coating which helps with increased absorption.
Inflammation-cut it out! Too much inflammation is not good for anyone. To help cut down on inflammation you should try to limit or avoid dairy and grains, or at least try an elimination diet so you can see what your triggers are. For me, dairy and nightshade vegetables leave me aching for days. I make sure to take my Omega Guard, a fish oil, every day to help. I have taken other fish oils in the past but never had one like this that did not leave the gross aftertaste. Omega Guard is also one of the leading and safest fish oils on the market, which is important to know as many on the shelves still have traces of metals and toxins in them!
- Modify your stress. Take time for yourself to breath, exercise or take a warm bath. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, they estimate that between 70-95% of doctors visits are stress related. With this natural diet plan, you also want to be careful not to reach for that rich chocolate cake during stressful times as this will only increase inflammation in our bodies. Shaklee provides a fantastic natural Stress Relief Complex to relax the body and mind without being drowsy if you need extra relief. What this natural Stress Relief Complex has is L-theanine which is a naturally occurring amino acid found in green tea. The Stress Relief Complex also contains ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic herb as well as Beta-Sitosterol which works to improve the way your body is handling stress.
With a holistic approach to eliminated estrogen in your diet by avoiding non-organic meats, dairy and xenotoxins in combination with a natural supplementation program, you can work towards alleviating the pain and discomfort from endometriosis. Health and healing are a journey and take time but it is worth it because you are worth it. With better health and less pain, we are capable of doing so much and we all deserve to be free of pain and living our lives as fully as we can. If you would like to talk more about this, I would love to speak with you to discuss endometriosis treatment options.
