I was diagnosed with endo in 2011 and have suffered the usual painful symptoms as well as chocolate cysts, and rectal bleeding shortly before my period. Over the years I found that eating very healthily kept many of my symptoms at bay. However, at Christmas I got flu and was very tired for some weeks afterwards. It made me crave sweet food and I started eating a bit of bread again and more dairy foods like ice-cream and I started drinking coffee again, once a day, after having perviously cut it out. Over the weeks that followed I got more and tired, then started experiencing awful digestion problems which were worse before my period, and then constant pelvic pain, disabling ovulation pain that lasted days, severe lower back pain which was completely miserable and constant bladder discomfort, and even heavier periods that now lasted 7 days instead of 4. I found that I wet myself a bit when I went out running and I also started to get migraines again (after years of not having them) and I was putting on weight and gaining very unsightly cellulite. I also started getting hot flushes before my period and the worst PMT symptoms - especially sore breasts and teariness/mood swings. After 4 months of gradual decline I realised that my less healthy diet had probably made my endometriosis worse, so 2 months ago I decided to have an overhaul and completely cut out all known inflammatory foods: red meat, ready-made food, dairy, sugary foods, wheat, alcohol and coffee, in favour of an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of fish, a bit of chicken and liver, lots more veggies, less carbs, no ready-made food, and added raspberry leaf tea. I also started using castor oil packs every other night (and kept them on all night - they feel really good and relaxing - and like the body is clearing away rubbish when you use them). Within 2 weeks I started feeling better - first the back pain went, then the bladder discomfort subsided, then after 6 weeks the pelvic pain completely went and there were no digestion problems (and the feeilng of my bowel sticking together) before my period. My last period a few days ago was heavy as always - but shorter than before (only 3 days) and I was relieved to see there was no rectal bleeding before or after my period. I also didn't suffer period pain before the period (apart from a short-lasting twinge 3 days before) and there were no noticeable PMT symptoms such as breast soreness, water retention, or mood-swings. The incontinence I started to get when I run has completely gone. 2 weeks ago I had a pelvic scan and there were no cysts at all - not even the chocolate cyst that had persisted for years beforehand. All they saw was 5 fibroids - which I've been aware about for some time - but they were not as big as they have been previously.
Instead of being in pain 24 hours every day I now experience pain for 36 hours during my period, and a few twinges at ovulation and before my period which are not a problem. I could not have carried on as I was earlier in the year as I would not have been able to work or achieve anything during my day as all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep all the time. My diet is tasty and filling - I don't miss eating sausages, chips, ice-cream etc - the body stops craving those things when it doesn't have them for a while. I love avocados, olives, a bit of brown rice, salmon, mackerel, raspberries with natural coconut cream, and lemon sole, tuna, and I still eat dark chocolate which is my guilty pleasure - and the odd drink of Pimms. I also take supplements (magnesium citrate, high strength selenium, fish oil, vit D, and a high B vits drink).
I'm 46 but I now have the same energy levels I had when I was 30 and my skin has improved enormously - not just on my face but all over my body - it is smooth and shiny and the unsightly cellulite has pretty much gone. I believe that my anti-inflammatory diet has reduced my body's production of oestrogen which has starved my endo somewhat to the extent that I am barely aware of it. I have read that drinking coffee is partcularly bad for women with endo as it can really put hormones out of balance and increase oestrogen levels - and I now realise that it is my poison. During my unhealty diet phase my periods were so painful that my whole abdomen stung for days and felt like my organs were sticking together (from inflamed/bleeding endo implants), but I now all I feel is sharp cramps lasting less than 2 days, purely in my uterus region. I use the castor oil packs only occasionally now - though regular use seemed to help boost the transition at the start.
2 months ago I was very worried about my health and was in a really bad way, and really down about it all. I had let my healthy regime unravel, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to reverse it. But I was amazed at just how quickly a bit of effort, determination and will-power completely turned my health around - and now I am feeling better than I have felt in years. So - there is real hope to overcome the pain of endo naturally. Given how well I feel now and how much happier I am as a result, I won't be slipping back to the old ways any time soon.
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Healthnut25
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I've only just been diagnosed with severe endometriosis but have been experiencing disabling difficulties for 4 years. Initially, I thought I had coeliacs or another autoimmune disease so I did what was called an autoimmune diet, which is fairly similar, only it includes a lot of meat and excludes a few veggies like tomatoes & peppers. I was no better on this and after 2 years of testing and finally getting the lap which didn't find my endo, I gave up on trying to cure myself and stopped all the restrictive diets. Over that time, my diet has still been healthy, I became vegan more for moral reasons, I hated eating meat but I did start to gradually eat more sugar & gluten. I think it's easy to just slip into that easy of eating, especially when I'm not feeling well.
I got diagnosed with severe endo 3 weeks ago a bit randomly after getting an mri for back pain. Now I'm back to thinking about inflammation and my diet again. I feel a bit overwhelmed at the though of eating that way again as I can get quite fixated on diets in a very unhealthy way, I've had eating disorders a few times and find it difficult to get that balance. But reading your positive account has spurred me on. I know I need to change my perception, it's not that I'm going without or giving up things. I will hopefully be gaining health and some control over how I feel. I actually really love vegetables and fruit.so I'm not really having to go without. I just hope so much that it does help as I've had no relief at all in such a long time and I really don't want to need surgery or use synthetic hormones.
Can I ask if you use any other treatments or medications? I'm looking into some alternative treatments and have had one session of visceral-pelvic mobilisation but it's too early to say whether it's any use. I find my chiropractor visits are so helpful.
I'm now going to look into castor oil packs and raspberry leaf tea.
Thanks for sharing. I'm so pleased to hear you have benefited from the changes you made.
Hi Weekari - sorry to hear about your recent findings. I do understand it is difficult for many people to give up on foods they love and crave, and I have slipped back into eating unhealthily on many occasions only to feel my pain levels go up. However, because the pain was so constant and so miserable this time round, I was single-minded about reducing the pain which had started to scare me to the extent that I thought I may have something more sinister. I was determined to get on top of it and quickly because I had completely lost control and felt I had no quality of life at all. Rather than seeing foods like bread, coffee, sausages, ice-cream as chips as comforting, I saw them as my enemy - and in not eating them the only thing I was denying myself of was PAIN and nothing more. My main enemies are coffee and red-meat (especially processed red meat - but also lamb - full of inflammatory omega 6 oils) - they are the worst triggers of pain, followed by dairy and then wheat and also alcohol and high sugar foods. When I started to feel better eating fish, avocados, olive, raspberries etc I saw those foods as pain-relieving nutrients, and visualised all the good they were doing inside me. Anti-inflammatory foods are effectively my friends and when I eat them I am adding pain-relieving points to my day, and that helps me to keep on the diet. However, after a while it became easy for me because I actually love those foods - and if you can learn to cook with them and add tasty herbs or mix them up to form tasty combinations then that helps. The key is 'freshness' - live fresh nutritious food. If the food is in a packet and freeze-dried then it is unlikely to help reduce your pain. However - this does not preclude frozen vegetables in a packet as they are still very good for you (particularly Brussel sprouts as they are anti-aromatase veggies, as are cauliflower and broccoli - very good for lowering high oestrogen levels). I try to avoid filling up on too much carbohydrate cos when I do it never feels good - I think that too many carbs increase my inflammation. If I'm peckish and want a snack I reach for nuts (walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecan nuts, hazlenuts) and a bit of 70% dark chocolate (the brands with subtle flavours added like orange or cocnut). If I was presented with a plate of sausage and chips, or spag bol with pasta, followed by a bowl of ice-cream or some sugar-filled dessert, I would feel apprehensive, and would worry about feeling spikey pains in my ovaries and a general pelvic pain a few hours later (which is what happens).
As for extra treatments - the only synthetic treatment I rely on is Ibuprofen during my period and nothing else. I am a pharmacology graduate so I avoid synthetic drugs as much as I can because I know they all take a toll on the liver, and my understanding is that women with endo need to keep their liver as clear and unburdened as possible to process hormones and toxins. The body also does not recognise articificial additives and some genetically modified food, so they also add to liver burder - which is probably why it helps not to eat those things. I know also that as well as sugar being generally inflammatory, it robs the liver of B vitamins during its metabolism and we need B vits in our liver for it to work - so it's counterproductive in a number of ways.
This time round I threw everything possible at my endometriosis so I realise it can be hard to know what exactly helped, but my feeling is that everything I did or cut out, had an acculmulative effect. I think cutting out coffee was right at the top though and I think that the castor oil packs really boosted the whole reversal process - they might seem a bit bizarre and messy at first but they feel lovely as soon as you put them on. I use cold-pressed organic castor oil which I order online. I smear a couple of tablespoons over my pelvic region (or wherever the pain is) and massage gently in until most has been absorbed. Then I add a bit more and cover the area with a couple of pices of ripped white towel, and then put a hot bottle on top (though I know people use it differently - like soak the towel in the oil first). The effect is surprisingly soothing and pain-relieving, and it quickly sends me to sleep. It works by being absorbed deep into the tissues and boosting production of T11 lymphocytes which help the lymphatic system to remove foreign bodies and tissue from the area (it is thought that endo sufferers lack the ability to do this adequately, so works to compensate for that) and has a strong anti-inflammatory effect. When I wake up in the morning I feel very relaxed and often feel or even hear my pelvis gurgling away - in a good way - like it's been busy cleaning up all the rubbish inside it and washing it away. I either use it for say 3 nights on and 3 nights off, or every other night. The data recommends not to use it constantly for some reason (or during your period). One thing I do notice is that when I use a castor oil pack, I wake up with a flatter, less bloated belly. Sometimes the effects can be surprisingly dramatic in that respect - depending on the point in your cycle.
There is a another treatment I have used occasionally. For a living I sell low-level laser systems, and I have used my own laser shower on my pelvic region. I didn't do this for a while, so I saw the benefits of the diet/castor oil packs first and then introduced a bit of laser therapy after a few weeks. I've used it about 5 times since - and this has probably helped, though I could not find a dose for it in any of my treatment books so it's a been a bit of a guessing game. I have read that laser acupuncture is effective for endometriosis and fertility problems - when used on points on the neck, and there has been good success for this in Japan and I think Denmark, but I have not tried this. The effects of this have been so good that women in their late 40s and early 50s have been able to give birth to healthy babies. The laser works by increasing circulation but also boosting the mitochondria in the ovaries to revitalise eggs to a functional state. I am not a qualifed laser therapist (but will be at some point this year) - but there are some acupuncturists in the UK who work with laser acupuncture who may know more about this. My sister has endometriosis too and she sees an acupunturist once a week for her problems - and feels much better as a result. She also keeps away from gluten and dairy.
I drink raspberry leaf tea, but also green tea with ginger, and ginger tea. The idea behind the raspberry leaf tea is it is meant to strengthen the integrity of the uterus. I have also discovered 'turmeric lattes' which I make using a ginger tea tea bag, half a teaspoon (or a level teaspoon) of turmeric, a large pinch of cinnamon, pour in hot water, then add either some coconut milk, or almond mik - or even some coconut cream (a great substitute for dairy cream), and a bit of honey. I love this drink - it is very warming and is meant to boost the circulation, and it certainly peps me up when I drink it. I also drink natural cherry juice - I love it and it seems to relieve some oestrogen load symptoms like aching veins in my legs before my period. I also drink a lot of water.
Other than all that, the only other treatment is regular exercise. I'm not a fan of the gym but try to go swimming once a week or fortnight, and I also find that regular running helps, and run only about a mile, maybe twice, or sometimes 3 times a week - but try to run 2 miles when I can. I do find that doing some exercise is far better than doing none at all. Anything at all helps. Endo symptoms increase when circulation in the pelvis is sluggish so anything that can boost this can help - which exercise certainly does, as does the castor oil packs.
Oh yes - finally the supplements: I take 400mg magnesium citrate, 200mcg selenium, 30mcg Co-Enzyme Q10, a fish oil supplement, 25mcg Vit D, high Vit B + other vits drink from Sainsburys, and I've recently started taking a royal jelly supplement. I've no idea how much these supplements work - but I do know that without the healthy diet, they are not sufficiently effective on their own.
I realise some people may read all the above and think 'blimey I can't be bothered with all of that' and that it requires too much effort/thought but I think that being in pain 24/7 - which is the alternative, is far far worse. Yes, we've been dealt a cruel hand by having endo in the first place, but I am determined to enjoy my life, without having to resort to regular surgery (I was botched up in 2010 after a pelvic laparoscopy for a cyst, suffering internal bleeding and leaving my bowel partly paralysed so I'm not interested in going down that route again) or synthetic drugs with side effects - which means accepting it, and doing what I can to rid myself of its effects. There are other advantages to eating super healthily and doing exercise - my skin is good, I am not overweight, I have good energy levels now, and I am told I look years younger than my age. As with anything, you get into a routine, and the thinking required becomes less and less. One of my friends said to me "oh, are you still eating weird food?". I reminded her (politely) that there is nothing weird about eating fresh, whole nutritious food that the body recognises and can process easily, without overburdening the liver, or exhausting the pancreas / gall bladder. If I visit a friend's house I take my own fruit for breakfast (I have to eat prunes for the botched-bowel problem I have) and my own tea bags, and let them know I can't tolerate dairy or gluten. They tend to be understanding and soon realise there are still a lot of nice foods that don't contain those things. If I have to eat red meat - then I will do on the odd occasion - and I will have the odd piece of cake if it's at a speical occasion. I realise there are occasions where you've just got to break the diet - and doing that the odd time is not the end of the world at all, and we shouldn't beat ourselves up when that happens cos we're probably more likely to slip back to old ways if we do.
I know of other women with endo who have got at least some relief from an anti-inflammatory diet - just bear in mind there are no quick fixes and it may take a few weeks, or more, to notice any improvements depending how bad the endo is, or your specific genetics for pain etc. Everyone is different. I'm sure there are many other things you can try too, which I've not mentioned or tried myself. I wish you the very best with your new regime and hope you can keep a positive attitude towards it. Finally getting on top of the symptoms is a great feeling - the feeling that it can't and won't get the better of me, and that I'm in control of it. Fingers crossed it works for you too.
Hi Healthnut. This is a really great post - thank you. What I particularly like about your post is that it's not er, as patronising as some re diet. Just straight up - this has helped me, here's the info if you want to try it yourself. Sometimes I feel people write about certain approaches in a way that sounds like it's a guaranteed result for all and you're an idiot/lazy if you don't follow their advice. Endo is such a complicated condition and can affect everyone so differently so if someone is stage 4 with organs glued together and also completely debilitated daily it can feel insulting to be told 'you just need to do this' when mentally you're struggling. Thank you for writing eloquently and compassionately.
As for me, for almost 20 years I followed a similar anti-inflammatory diet with some of the supplements mentioned plus a few more. God knows what worked (I wish we could get a clear sign of whether it's definitely working for each diet, supplement, etc. It would make things a lot more affordable!) all I know is that apart from 4 days a month (where it would range from moderate to severe) I lived a normal life. 90% of the time the pain during period was much more manageable if I'd eaten oily fish 3 times a week that month. Due to other health conditions and unrelated depression and endo becoming worse im now unable to work which does limit how much I can spend on supplements etc. Impossible for me to say whether endo would have become worse anyway but I 100% veer towards comfort food now and that damn coffee. I've always known if during my period I had even a few sips of coffee the contractions would become unbearable so I'd avoid. Unfortunately I've slipped into becoming a daily coffee drinker now (see it as comforting due to bereavements and depression). It doesn't take a genius to work out if it makes contractions severe when endo is at its worst then drinking the stuff daily isn't the best idea! Reading your post has made me reassess my current diet. It's so different to what it was 3 years ago and I need to get back on track and dream up some comforting meals and 'treats' for those days where all I crave is comfort (and not fish and piles of veg ).
Although I have tried so many things over the years with varying success I have never tried castor oil even tho I've read about it so many times. I don't know why but I'm a bit fearful of it! I think as I've read not to use it during period (why? What the bejebuz does it do??) and as my ovary is stuck to abdominal wall or bowel and endometrioma I fear some dramatic event. For years during my worst flare ups I've massaged pure vitamin e and a few drops of lavender into my abdomen and back while waiting for painkillers to kick in then applied hot water battle. It's very soothing and I'm guessing castor oil packs will be similar but hopefully more effective so finally after reading this I'm biting the bullet and purchasing castor oil!
I'd be interested to hear whether you feel raspberry leaf tea is helping. I drank it for years (mainly as I liked the taste, has a bit of iron in it, thought it might help endo and went for herbal teas rather than tea and coffee). I can't say there was a clear noticeable difference but it's hard to know whether things helps accumulatively. There is some controversy about it with endo, particularly if you have adenomyosis as well, as it's meant to tone the uterus and therefore produce more 'productive' contractions during labour whereas with endo and adeno we want to be free of those bloody contractions. God knows though.
Anyway, apologies for the waffle, thanks for the post and I hope you continue to have success with what you're doing! Xx
Hi Poppy75 - thank you for your email - I've not had chance to reply fully but I will come back to you tomorrow - and with the link for the castor oil I buy x
I didn't get back to you - I'm so sorry. An email came into my inbox which made me go back on to this site again - been limiting myself to the internet and social media recently to get things done - ! So - anyway - I was sorry to read about your bereavement situation and how that made you fall off the endo wagon as it were. I hope things have improved for you. You asked about the raspberry leaf tea - well, i'm not so sure myself. I've not taken it for a while now. However, I did notice that when I ran out of cod liver oil caps and didn't replace them, my symptoms got worse - and the same happened when I ran out of high strength selenium and didn't replace them, so I now know that these are vital for my well-being.
Talking about falling off the wagon - I went to my mother's for the Xmas period and the whole regime went right out the window : no exercise, with a return to sherry, prosecco, cake, christmas pud, dairy-made brandy sauce, stollen, a bit of bread etc. I knew I was going to suffer later - but boy was it bad! The period went on for days and I suffered debilitating pain for 5 days (instead of the normal few hours to 2 days at worst) - there were occasions on 2 separate days when I had been sitting down and found myself not able to move, let alone stand up - the pain took my breath away and I felt like I was being sliced in two. I could also feel the remnants of that period inside me for days after I stopped bleeding as my body tried to sort it all out. It's amazing how it all bounces back as soon as you go back to the Western diet. x
Hi healthnut25, thank you for a wonderful sharing. I was diagnosed with endo in my two ovaries at the size of 6cm each. My obsgene recommend to take visanne for 3 months to see if I feel better. After taking it for 2 months now, there's no pelvic pain but I have sore breasts that I just can't stand and the thought of the side effects really put me off.
After reading your experience, I am considering to drop visanne and try to eat more healthily, which I have actually done since the diagnose. However, since I am still taking the meds, I don't know whether my healthy diets have helped me or not in terms of reducing the pain. For your info, I'm now 43 years old.
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So - anyway - I was sorry to read about your bereavement situation and how that made you fall off the endo wagon as it were. I hope things have improved for you. You asked about the raspberry leaf tea - well, i'm not so sure myself. I've not taken it for a while now. However, I did notice that when I ran out of cod liver oil caps and didn't replace them, my symptoms got worse - and the same happened when I ran out of high strength selenium and didn't replace them, so I now know that these are vital for my well-being. 
Endometriosis and weight loss? 
First hospital apt Thursday 
AFTER HYSTERECTMY need help and advice
Advice Needed
Why am I in pain when period due but no period as on pill back to back?
