Nutritional Therapy-Does It Work?

[littlebumblebee]

Hi everybody,

This is the first time I'm posting on a forum ever, but I need some advice. Has anyone tried nutritional therapy to deal with endometriosis?

I was diagnosed in 2013 with endometriosis and PCOS and I've been on the pill ever since. However, I'm finding that the pill makes me moody and the cramps are getting worse again. I'm also on antidepressants because I feel like the pill makes me anxious. Has anyone tried coming off the pill and using nutritional therapy??

[Catness]

Yes and I have found it to really work. The endo diet is really good xxx

[littlebumblebee in reply to Catness]

Thank you I’m going to try it, do you know what it’s like to come off the pill? X

[Catness in reply to littlebumblebee]

I don’t I’m sorry, I have been on the pill but this was a long time ago. I’m about to have the Mirena Coil removed and have heard that’s a nightmare xx

[littlebumblebee in reply to Catness]

The mirena was terrible I had it for 6 months and had periods continuously. But the removal wasn’t too bad like I didn’t have too many side effects. Best of luck xxx

[BonitaBB]

I have found certain things really trigger my pain and have cut them out and it's made a world of difference. I can't bring myself to do the whole endo diet (as already have food allergies so don't want to restrict what feels like everything!!). I've cut out gluten and caffeine- I excluded both at seperate times for about 1-2 months and noticed my pain improve. I generally don't eat much red meat, have a fairly healthy diet full of veg, lean meat, fish, and don't eat tons of sugar (but do eat my fair share!). I didn't notice any difference from cutting out dairy. I'd say exclude things seperately and see, the full endo diet can feel really restrictive (so I ended up falling off the wagon), and you might not need to cut absolutely everything out, we are all different, so are likely to not all need the same thing?

[littlebumblebee in reply to BonitaBB]

Thank you so much! I’ve cut out dairy and gluten already and seen a difference, so I’m gonna take your advice and start excluding one thing at a time to see how it affects me ❤️

[BonitaBB in reply to littlebumblebee]

Good luck!!

I'm due to have my minera coil removed in June so we can try to conceive, so feeling super nervous about coming off hormones that help manage the endo too...fingers crossed the pain doesn't become too horrific !

[IndigoMoon1234]

I did a 7 day detox (basically only fruit, veg and water) a few years ago and it was the only time in 35 years that I didn't experience period pain. It is too strict to do every day but I can vouch that the change in diet made a huge difference.

Maybe try the endo diet yourself to see if it works for you. Good luck x

[littlebumblebee in reply to IndigoMoon1234]

Thank you I'm going to try it xx

[StefaniaJW]

I have been off the pill for over two years because of anxiety, constant nausea and vomiting and a lot of other issues and have been following the diet promoted on healendo.com. The woman who runs it is an endo-specialised nutritionist who suffers from endo herself. The site also contains lots of info on digestion issues, the leaky gut, SIBO and so much more. It's your go-to source for info.

As far as PCOS goes, myo-inositol should be taken as a supplement if you go off the pill (it's a natural PCOS balancing substance).

If you have been suffering from depression and anxiety, you should be taking the following supplements as well:

- Magnesium (between 300 and 375 mg a day)

- Zinc (10 mg)

- Selenium (55 mcg)

- Riboflavin (vitamin B2) (1,4 mg)

- Vitamin B6 (1,4 mg)

- Vitamin B9 (folic acid) (300 mcg)

- Vitamin B12 (2,5 mcg)

As far as endo supplements go, vitamin C and E can be included if necessary. but you can substitute them with any antioxidant (such as pycnogenol or astaxanthin). Go easy with vitamin E and astaxanthin because they tend to accumulate in the body (take them every other day).

Omega 3 or fish oil supplements are very helpful too (but simply eating more omega-3 rich fish like salmon and mackerel is much better).

Supplementing with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has proven to help reduce inflammation and endo growth.

Bromelin, serrapeptase and other proteolytic enzymes are also effective in reducing adhesions.

If you need more advice on the diet, get back at me

[littlebumblebee in reply to StefaniaJW]

Wow thank you thank you thank you! I'm going to give her site a read and definitely going to get on some supplements. My only concerns coming off the pill are that before I was diagnosed I used to get heavy periods nearly twice a month, and they were so heavy and sore I had to take off school and I used to have to wear a super-plus tampon and a maxi pad at the same time (I'm so sorry if that's too much information), and I also found that the pill has cleared my cystic acne. If I come off the pill, will this happen again?

[StefaniaJW in reply to littlebumblebee]

It won't if you go on an endo diet. I did. My periods used to be around 5 days long and VERY HEAVY. Now they are much lighter and last around 2-3 days.

Dieting, outdoor walking or yoga or light swimming, sleeping at least 9 hours per night regularly, avoiding too much stress at work/university and just having a very balanced, healthy lifestyle has helped me immensely