Endometriosis is characterized by the growth of uterine lining cells, outside of the uterus, and it also occurs in about 10% of women. These cells still act like uterine lining cells; they thicken during the cycle and shed during menstruation, but because they have nowhere to shed to, scar tissue forms. This is referred to as “lesions”. The first thing to understand is that endometriosis is not truly a hormonal condition. It is affected by estrogen but is not caused by any hormonal abnormality.
Endometriosis is a lifelong condition, with no cure. The symptoms can be alleviated, but the endometriosis itself will not go away. However, we can heal your body and alleviate the discomfort of the symptoms.
There is no confirmed cause of endometriosis, but there are a few theories as to how these endometrium-like cells get displaced:
- Retrograde menstruation: some of the cells that are shed during menstruation flow upward, into other parts of the body, instead of down and out of the body
- Lymphatic spread: some of the cells spread to other organs via the blood or lymphatic system
- Coelomic metaplasia: cells in the body transform into endometrial-like cells
- Surgery: during certain surgeries, there is an accidental displacement of the endometrial cells
That being said, we know that inflammation, genetics, a microbial imbalance, and even an autoimmune component is involved in endometriosis. Science is still debating whether it is an autoimmune disease, but the immune system certainly plays a huge roll. If the immune system was functioning as it should, it would get rid of these lesions. Furthermore, endometriosis has a strong genetic component and is often passed down in families.
Estrogen plays a role in the pain cycle of endometriosis, and since the lesions can create their own estrogen, this could lead to estrogen dominance.
Finally, when we think of endometriosis, the first think we think about is certainly not your gut function. Our gut plays a huge role in hormone regulation, making it an important factor to consider in all cases, not just the ones with gut related symptoms. However, in terms of gut related symptoms, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is often what causes these symptoms. SIBO can be treated with a course of the antimicrobial herbal medicine berberine, but consult your doctor.
Symptoms of Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a particularly strange condition, since its severity is not at all proportional to the amount of symptoms you experience.
Symptoms to look out for:
- Painful periods
- Short menstrual cycles
- Pain during sex
- Infertility
- Lower back and pelvic pain
- Heavy and irregular bleeding, as well as premenstrual spotting
- Intestinal pain
- Painful urination or bowel movements during menstruation
- Digestive issues during menstruation
- Fatigue and low energy
- Weakened immune system
It is clear that the main concern with endometriosis is pain.
Treating Endometriosis
Unfortunately, endometriosis is very hard to treat (due to the individuality of the condition), and remission is rarely permanent. Some medical options include:
- Hormonal birth control: unfortunately, this is a temporary fix to the problem, and only masks the symptoms while you are on it. Furthermore, the pill has the ability to cause leaky gut and decrease microbial diversity, both of which are drivers of autoimmunity and estrogen dominance.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: this type of medication helps to treat the pain but does not treat endometriosis itself.
- Gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists: these drugs cause a temporary “menopause”, as well as lowering pain. Unfortunately, they have many side effects and only work for mild cases.
- Surgery: laparoscopy is minimally invasive and is used to drain fluid and remove small patches of the endometrial cells using either a laser or electrical currents. There are more invasive surgeries available for more severe cases, but these laparoscopies are the only true treatments.
Unfortunately, the nature of endometriosis does not lend itself to natural, nutrition-based treatments. That being said, it is always helpful to live a life that is cohesive to hormone health, and nutrition and lifestyle treatments can certainly ease your pain and discomfort.
So what can you do holistically?
- Lower the overall inflammatory load from your diet. This means decreasing inflammatory foods and focusing on anti-inflammatory foods.
- Support your digestive function by chewing your food thoroughly, eating mindfully, etc…
- Add more colour to your diet in the form of fruits and vegetables. If raw vegetables irritate your digestive system, make sure you cook them.
- Support your nervous system: sleep enough, form connections with people, and lean on your support system.
- Support your liver: try to decrease your exposure to xenoestrogens (estrogens that are found in nature), which can be a trigger for endometriosis. These can be found in plastics, skincare, household cleaners, etc.
- Eliminating gluten from your diet may seem drastic, but it has been shown again and again to be a vital step in treating your endometriosis. This is the most important thing to eliminate, but if you feel up to it, eliminating dairy can also help ease inflammation. Do a 1-3 month trial to see how you feel. Gluten and dairy are not only inflammatory, but they also disrupt immune function.
- Add lots of anti-inflammatory spices to your diet (turmeric and ginger).
- Make use of castor oil packs to increase lymphatic drainage, detoxify the body, decrease inflammation and support the immune system.
- If you want to use supplements, take 500mg of vitamin E two to three days prior to the beginning of your period to reduce cramping by aiding in inflammation and providing antioxidants.
- Berberine, zinc, pycnogenol and NAC supplements have also been shown to aid in endometriosis symptoms.
- Drink lots of water and eat fibre to aid the body in detoxing estrogen.
- Garlic, onions, fermented foods, cooked cruciferous vegetables, and leafy greens support detox and aid the body in lowering inflammation.
- Food intolerances are common in endometriosis, so considering doing an elimination diet to identify what these intolerances may be for you.
- Melatonin aids in soothing endometriosis symptoms. Boost your melatonin:
- Wear blue-light blocking glasses two hours before bedSleep in a completely dark roomEat pineapple, bananas and oranges
- Take magnesium and B complex supplements if you and your doctor feel they are needed
- Furthermore, take note of the other hints scattered throughout the workshop, they will all help!
