Since the cause of Endometriosis is unknown, it is speculated that the underlying cause may be the flawed immune system. So, I just wanted to share with you a list of supplements I take to improve my immunity and keep the inflammation of Endometriosis as low as possible. My CRP (inflammation marker) has improved from 6 to 1.5, and I no longer have candida. I still have some pelvic pain especially if i eat wheat, soy and sugar, and drink coffee (known to increase estrogen levels by 70%).
To cut a very long story short, after two years of continuous struggle, what has helped me most is:
Vitamin D (5000IU) as the best immune booster, and Omega 3 and Kelp, all three fantastic anti inflammatories; Berberine, Magnesium Malate, and Chromium for candida issues; Pycnogenol, an Antioxidant herb recommended by endo specialists for pain, 200 mg and up depending on the level of pain; also, Melatonin, excellent for pain and those who have trouble sleeping; B5 Pantothenic acid, L-methylfolate (active form of folic acid, B9), b12 (Methylcobalamin) and B6 for fatigue, as best energy boosters; Inositol and NAC for those who also have PCOS alongside Endometriosis and cysts; Calcium D-glucarate in general for the reduction of excess estrogen; L-glutamine for the repairing of the stomach lining, as the gut must work flawlessly to expel the excess of estrogen in Endo.; L-Opti Zinc Monomethionine to balance hormones; Milk Thistle for liver health, as this herb regenerates the liver helping it break down estrogen, and boosts Glutathione.
Glutathione , the master antioxidant , detoxifier, and immune system booster, levels should be raised in the body, by changing the diet or by taking a supplement.
Ideally, a quality probiotic if you don't drink yogurt or eat sauerkraut, and a quality digestive enzymes (I am still experimenting with these).
Diet should be anti inflammatory as well, otherwise there is not much use of supplements, and should ideally consist of fish four times weekly, chicken and occasionally other meats, no cured meats, salami or similar salty meats. Carrot juices, mushrooms and as much vegetables as you can tolerate. No wheat, no sugar, no soy and no coffee.
Don't ask me how much all of these have cost me so far...but everyone has some misfortune or other in life, and this is our cross to bear.
Please continue this thread and let me know what has helped you most in the management of pain, and immune system.
xxx
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endobegone
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Hi this is very interesting as I also suffer with auto immune conditions specifically fibromyalgia and I'm Nader going tests to look into,other auto conditions too. I haven't tried any natural remedies yet but I have been seriously thinking about trying some as the general meds I take are quite heavy and can't do my body much good in the long run.
Thankyou for bringing this up, I will surely bare it in mind. Xx
I have PCOS, rheumatoid arthritis, fybtomyalgia and Endo so auto immune is definitely an issue for me.
From May thos year I have changed my lifestyle dramatically, similar to what you have mentioned. Lots of fruit, veg & fish. Only eating organic meat occasionally. No caffeine, little sugar. Basically the Endo diet I suppose.
I take omega 3 fish oils, tumeric, vit D, vit b complex, mAgnesium and saw palmetto.
I have noticed a huge difference in pain, symptoms and AF. I feel so much better overall. So I'm going to stick at it, it's worth it for me
Turmeric is best absorbed with black pepper and an oil (eg coconut). Have you tried Golden Milk with Almond Milk, black Pepper and Coconut oil and of course Turmeric. It is yum!
Turmeric is amazing. I add a lot of it to my diet every day. Mainly into my porridge in the morning with coconut oil, cinnamon, a bit of pepper and some honey. Golden milk is great too.
Some good articles all about turmeric and both sites are excellent too
That's interesting. I didn't know that. I had a look on pubmed but most of the studies deal with in vitro tests and tests in animals like mice. A study in humans found that turmeric did not inhibit absorption of iron. I don't know how good the study was. This article rounds up the current situation turmeric.com/turmeric-safet...
Future studies might disprove this. But as you say, might be best to take at a different time to meal times.
Notwithstanding the possible iron absorption issues I found two interesting studies by the same team showing that curcumin (compound in turmeric) inhibits endometriosis. The first one was in rats
You can view the full pdf by clicking on 'download pdf' on the right side. The findings showed that the endometriosis diminished and both microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) both reduced.
They did a further in vitro study. That means in the lab i.e. not an animal or human. Their study showed that curcumin reduced endometriosis by reducing estradiol (E2). There are 3 types of oestrogen, estrone E1, estradiol E2 and estriol E3. E2 is the one we need to reduce. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
These studies were published in May 2011 and May 2013 respectively. I am not clear on how much turmeric to take in order to have a positive effect. Curcumin can be taken as a supplement with piperene to help absorption but sometimes an isolated compound does not work as well as if it were in its original state with all the other compounds in that food.
Thanks Endobegone for starting a great thread. I'll probably reply on some of your other suggestions too!
I took 100 mg of B6 and calcium d-glucarate for a month, the only time my period was bearable. but then, I'm not sure I can go on on it forever...I will try Curcumin soon, though Turmeric is also helpful and much cheaper. What you said about the gut is a spot on, the only long term solution to improving the immunity is by healing the gut. Otherwise, as you said, thyroid problems ensue, depression, bacterial/fungi problems etc.etc.
Endo is like a plane accident, several unfortunate factors are at play at one unfortunate period in one's life... stress as the main culprit (when the body doesn't have the time to recover; cortisol rises, progesterone retreats, estrogen rules), lack of nutrition, genetic predisposition...
Hi - I have PCOS and endo and I know that when I misbehave - ie. coffee, wheat etc, which I tend to do when I am under time pressure and get lazy with my eating habits - I get my unpleasant symptoms back, queue scraping pain on my pelvis all weekend etc. This is a really good reminder of what to do - I had never heard of the inflammation marker so am really interested to learn more about that - thank you! Is CRP something they get from a blood test? Just I am due to get some blood re-run at hospital and may ask doctor if he can add that if it's not already on there.
Hi there, I have in the last year got into fermenting and it is very satisfying to know that we don't need to rely on tablets to increase our probiotic intake. In fact fermenting increases massively the nutritional value of the food too. Just about to make my Christmas batch of lacto fermented Cauliflower, Carrot, Fennel and Radish and another batch if Kimchi. I swear the chilli in Kimchi helps the pain too. Loads of interesting videos in You Tube and it's easier than you think! :0). I found out recently that Endometriosis Is related to the Sacral Chakra and this is our creative Chakra, so let's all get creating. If we are not making babies we should be creating something. ;0)
I make my own sauerkraut too. It helps regenerate the lining of the GI tract. I should think that most if not all of us with endo, have a compromised GI tract lining also popularly known as leaky gut. Leaky gut allows all sorts of nasties into our body making the liver and spleen work overtime. Anyone who has done even just one course of antibiotics in their lifetime is at risk of developing a leaky gut and reducing the ability to manufacture B vitamins. This in turn affects the adrenals and the thyroid which also tend to have involvement in the whole endo story. A leaky gut also provides an ideal environment for an opportunist like candida to overgrow and wreak havoc, yet another issue I think is very common with endo.
Rainbowdream, I agree that fermented foods are a great way of getting probiotics and going some way to repair the gut lining.
If anyone is thinking of buying sauerkraut or other fermented foods make sure they are unpasteurised. Pasteurised sauerkraut will have no beneficial probiotics. Some places online sell unpasteurised fermented foods but it's so much cheaper to make your own.
If you do take a fermented food for the first time start off slowly, maybe just a teaspoon of the liquid at first and then work your way up to a dessertspoon each day.
Totally agree re Sacral Chakra. I was brilliant at art but earning a living and being lazy in my spare time made me drift away from it. I think it's so important to be creative whether it's art, crafts, knitting, singing, dancing, writing etc.
By the way, if taking antibiotics, make sure to repopulate the gut with probiotic supplements or fermented foods.
its fantastic you are fermenting your vegetables, the only way you can control the quality of what you eat. well done! the probiotics are not reliable, as even the most potent ones get destroyed by the stomach acid. and 80% of our immune system is in the gut. the chinese treat endo by treating the liver and the gut.
I'll have to start fermenting mine too. thanx so much! x
Hi thanks for sharing this. I've been diagnosed with endometriosis which explains lots of things especially the pain. I feel that dietary changes and supplements makes a great impact on health. I've just started drinking filtered water and started to eat more organic vegetables especially broccoli . Cutting down chocolate is hard but I'm trying and I read somewhere that paraben products dioxins sodium laureth sulfate makes endometriosis symptoms worse so it's better to be eco friendly around the house. X
Yes, the pain is there because the endo lesions get inflamed by the monthly fluctuation of estrogen. We can reduce excessive estrogen by proper diet and supplements, but those of us still planning on a baby can't get rid of it altogether. Besides, estrogen protects from heart, brain, bone and metabolic diseases.
Brownlow said in one of her posts that chocolate craving usually shows magnesium deficiency, so there's a tip. Broccoli is probably the best vegetable for the metabolism of estrogen, its present in many supplements that deal with estrogen dominance.
The filtered water is a great reminder! I drink plenty, and need one. Can you recommend a good one?
Hi thanks for the tip on magnesium . I bought a BWT filter jug from Argos last week and it is very good. It has a magnesium filter in it. It wasn't in stock so I ordered it and it came in 3 days.
I read somewhere that some herbs increase oestrogen and I actually made an appointment to see a herbalist . Do you think I should cancel and is there any alternative therapy you could advise
Personally, I am very cautious about herbs, and before I start with any I research them as thoroughly as I can. Many raise estrogen instead of lowering it, making endo worse, instead of better. I only take Milk thistle for the regeneration of the liver, and even MT is said to raise it slightly, but since it does more good than bad I decided to stay on it for a while. Rosemary leaf is among the rare herbs to eliminate or metabolise estogen. You can ask the herbalist you are about to see about it. For any suggestion he may give you read as much as you can about it.
Thanks so much for your advice. I will go and see what the herbalist says and as you advise do my research . Although I've had endometriosis for years it was only after my laparoscopy I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Lo and behold I have a cyst in my ovary and nightmare periods again. So I'm determined to learn learn as much as I can as my doctors just recommend a balanced diet for advice . Typical
Thanks for this post! I have been building up to this regime over the past year. I'm due a full Hysterectomy 3rd March & have severe pain centrally & to the right.
I have noticed that with me drinking my favourite coffee, sugar (cravings are awful at the moment) & gluten my pain increases immensely.
With this new information I'll be improving my health in no time! Just need that op out the way first!
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