Holistic Endometriosis Healing?

[Kloe1998]

Hey guys, has anyone improved their symptoms of endo using natural methods whilst waiting for surgery? I have been waiting for a consultation for 4 months and still haven't got an appointment yet so goodness knows when (or even if) my surgery will be. Has anyone used any natural / holistic methods to improve symptoms. The main ones I am bothered about are GI symptoms - like pain, bloating, nausea, ibs type issues ya know. I have already cut out gluten and dairy. Just wondering if anyone has any tips. Thank you ❤️😊

[Vitalover]

Hi Kloe1998,

I would resort to natural methods, from my experience it can really help you to get better through operation, healing after it and decreases the chances that endo will return. If you do it systematically, you can reduce bloating and pain in 3-4 weeks. I skipped the opp, as well as one of the girls with endo I know. Her endo site was ingrowing into the intestine, a piece of intestine was already cut off and she was waiting for the second surgery. After 3-4 month on holistic approach they took her from the opp list as they didn't find any lesions on MRI.

[Kloe1998 in reply to Vitalover]

Hello! Thank you for your reply - very helpful ❤️. Do you have any advice on what helped you/your friend specifically? Thanks again! ❤️

[Poppykins86]

Hello!!! Absolutely!!! A low FODMAP diet has really helped me identify my triggers & has significantly helped with the ibs style symptoms. I was so fed up with the sore bloating & pain. I actually signed up to a "beat the endo belly" dietician program. It included check ins with a nutritionist & loads of resources/learning about how to tame inflammation naturally, hormones & how to temporarily cut out certain foods & reintroduce them. They are strong advocates of never cutting out a food group (like dairy, gluten/wheat) unless you know for sure whether it triggers you. Turns out garlic and onions triggered me! I found them on Instagram & paid to sign up to their program as an elimination diet can be hard without support. Their free content is great too. It's endometriosis.dietician and the other one is endo.fertility.dietician. They both have outstanding content & many of the best endo specialists follow & support them. Check them out! GOOD LUCK with everything & I hope you find some relief x

[Kloe1998 in reply to Poppykins86]

Oh wow thank you so much! I will have a look at that ❤️❤️ x

[Eminem1652 in reply to Poppykins86]

Hi can I ask was it expensive to sign up to?

[Poppykins86 in reply to Eminem1652]

It was a little costly, but I was able to spread over 12 months. It's 150 a month x

[OlgaSz]

There are many posts about it on the forum, so maybe try having a look?

Below I copied my reply to another question about holistic approach to endo:

I am a firm believer in a holistic approach to endometriosis, and I have made many changes to my lifestyle. Combined they made a significant difference to my overall health and pain levels, and as a result I am currently meds free. Having all that in mind, please remember that we are all different and things that worked for me don't have to work for you. It is very important to try different things and listen to your body.

I started with eliminating inflammatory foods and substances from my house. I cut out: gluten, caffeine (from all the sources, so coffee, tea, fizzy drinks and so on), alcohol, refined sugar, highly processed foods and became vegan. I replaced these things with a whole foods plant based diet, caffeine free coffee and herbal teas. I drink decaf green tea with ginger everyday and found it to be the best painkiller on the market. It reduced my pain (especially around period) better than the opioids I used to take. There is a herbalist that was a panel speaker on the last Endometriosis UK event in Glasgow that I also plan to go to. Maybe she will provide some good advice as well.

Next were endocrine disruptors, so I replaced all the beauty, household and cleaning products for non-toxic alternatives: I started with shampoo and shower gel (replaced with shampoo bar and a bar of soap without SLS and parabens). Next a toothpaste, as the foaming SLS can increase inflammation. Later I removed all artificial scents from the house. So scented candles (replaced with pure beeswax) and air fresheners (I open windows instead) had to go. Following that I replaced household products - laundry powder, fabric softener, bathroom and toilet cleaners, dishwashing liquid and so on.

All of the above decreased my pain to the point that I stopped taking any medications, including pain killers. The pain didn't go away completely, it was just manageable without any pills. I didn't stop there though.

The next step was to take care of my mental and physical health. I do yoga everyday - there are many sources online about the best poses for pelvic floor health (like child's pose, pigeon, spinal twists and so on). I also do breathing exercises daily. Just about 10 to 15 minutes help to reduce my stress levels significantly. To learn more about myself and improve my overall wellbeing I started to use the app called Intellect, where you can find many tools to improve overall mental health. The other app that I use is Curable - it is for those suffering with chronic pain. It explains the mechanisms behind pain. I also prioritise sleep and try to give myself an opportunity for more than 8h of sleep every night. I don't always need it, but the opportunity is there.

I found that fasting a couple of days before my period also helps, so for these couple of days I only drink herbal teas and water. When I need something extra I use hot water bottle and TENS machine.

I currently started an endometriosis journal, where everyday I write down everything that I ate and drunk, and tag my symptoms. I hope to find some more connections between flare ups and things I put in my body.

The very last and the hardest one to implement for me was to let go, to accept. I recently read that suffering = pain * resilience. I can't agree more! By purely accepting that the pain is there, that I can't remove it fully, that there are better and worse days my mental health improved. I currently allow myself to go to bed if I don't feel the best or skip some gatherings without shame. I am still a work in progress and it is fine.

I know it is a lot, but I hope you will be able to find something in there that will resonate with you and help you on your endo path. Please let me know, if you want to know something more. I am more than happy to share my experiences. In the meantime take care of yourself, hun. 🤍

[Kloe1998 in reply to OlgaSz]

Thank you so much ❤️

I'll try the green tea and ginger that sounds good. Also the fasting before your period. Do you fast for those couple of days all day every day? That could help me actually!

[OlgaSz in reply to Kloe1998]

How are you doing Kloe? Have you found anything that works for you?I fasted for 48h straight just before my period. So I just wouldn't eat anything for those 2 days before the beginning of my period. Unfortunately the effect worn off after a few months, so I don't do it anymore. 🤷‍♀️ Hey ho, now on a search for something new. 😉

[Kloe1998 in reply to OlgaSz]

Hey OlgaSz! I wish I could try the fasting before my period but I never know when I'm due so I would starve 😂 I've gotten some supplements from Happy Mammoth but not sure if they're helping as of yet. I got the bloat banisher, gut repair powder, and estrogen ones!

[Sydneyrow12]

Hey Kloe1998,

Diet and good supplements can help with endo I’d also recommend light exercising (yoga or swimming) to build some strength in your core. I had a pretty bad first surgery, but my second one was a complete success. I limited my alcohol consumption and reduce high sugar and processed foods. My diet before the surgery consisted of oily fishes and green leafy vegetables

I hope the surgery goes well and wish you a speedy recovery x

[Kloe1998 in reply to Sydneyrow12]

Thank you so much x

[BloomingMarvellous]

My go to is Katie Edmonds resources in her book Heal Endo. She also has a cookbook. Absolutely worth working with. I also use hypopressive breathing to help with pelvic floor and pain. Try listening to Leah Brug @ Leah.brueg podcast number 52 with Dr Angie Muller on the subject of pelvic physio on that one. Look at @corerecoverypt .

Next suggestions are management of centralised pain . This doesn’t mean it acts as a cure at all for the endo but it’s worth investigating and trialling however sceptical. Pain is a highly complex beast to manage and using techniques to work to your advantage is certainly worth the try. I find it very helpful. Curable App.

Deal with background as well as current stresses. Endo is fed by stress and the immune system is highly compromised by it. If you have a complex childhood it’s worth understanding the effect on autoimmune system that plays. If you’re not aware of the associations and want to explore the book The Body Knows The Score is the resource of choice . Giving oneself options to diffuse lines of stress which add to the fuel and inflammation are the reason to explore here . Not relevant for everyone but a factor nevertheless.

Ensure any supplements you take are high quality, at dose and trial for at least 3 months . I use a combo of Omega 3, Reservatorol , Quercitin with Bromelian. This will be contentious for many but as a nutritionist in the past and ex /veggie ; I would be very cautious of vegan diets as the balance of Omegas is too weighted towards 6&9 with insufficient 3 . ALA is much less easily taken up by the body than EPA and DHA which are needed in higher quantities for us Endo sufferers. If you still want to stick it out then ensure any supplements is Algae based instead of seed based. A lot of vegan pre made foods are highly processed and like other highly processed foods hard on the blood sugars as even a starter on the woes of those .

I’ve gone Lacto free after lactose tolerance test showed me it was a clear issue . My diet is Mediterranean based and home cooked with lots of veg. I’ve always eaten a whole grain etc diet so not much change on that Drink enough water between 2-4 litres daily. I find cold water swimming helpful and regular gentle walking .

Know it’s worth exploring ways to improve your gut health but also accept that appropriate well done surgery is a real positive, Trust your gut feeling and give it a real crack !

[Kloe1998 in reply to BloomingMarvellous]

Thank you so much

[KS2023]

I do yoga and it helps me so much. My yoga teacher is doing a free online yoga class for endometriosis uk. She has endometriosis too and is great at explaining how it can help manage the pain. You can find the details here - endometriosis-uk.org/civicr...

[Kloe1998 in reply to KS2023]

Thank you!!! ❤️

[Nimala2]

I went from being bedridden every period to becoming painfree before my surgery by becoming vegan and glutenfree, not drinking anything with either alcohol or caffeine in it. Leaving out oils - except a little olive oil and omega-3 from alge i supplement form. I also took a bunch of supplement (NAC, Broccolox, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and many more that was specifically chosen for me by a functional medicine dietician), I did physiotherapy, body therapy, yoga, breathing exercises and acupuncture.

If you want a place to start maybe read the books 'Heal Endo' by Katie Edmonds, 'Heal Endometriosis Naturally' by Wendy K Laidlaw and 'Beating Endo' by Dr. Iris Orbuch and Amy Stein.

[Kloe1998 in reply to Nimala2]

Thank you! I will try the Katie Edmonds book as this has been mentioned a couple of times so must be good!! ❤️

[joey81]

Omega 3, nac and chamomile tea (chamomile reduces lesions)

[Kloe1998 in reply to joey81]

Thank you so much!

[allym92]

I think with any illness you can always improve somewhat with the usual lifestyle changes - cut out/ down on alcohol & caffeine & processed foods, eat a healthy balanced diet, manage stress as best as possible, work on getting good quality sleep, and light exercise as best to your ability (walks, yoga, etc). I find exercise hard with the pain but youtube is great for small 10 min exercise videos that you can stick on at home when you feel up to it - e.g. zumba or even something fun like a bellydance tutorial. It's never a waste to improve these things anyway cause even if they don't improve your endo they will help long term with preventing other health problems xx

[Kloe1998 in reply to allym92]

Thank you! I do not have alcohol, caffeine, gluten or dairy so hopefully this should start working 😞. Thank you for your advice ❤️ x

[Jenny_91-]

accupuncture really helps me, the Chinese medicine focuses on reducing blood stagnation and helps with inflammation. I also find it really relaxing, and it helps with my stress level too.

I’m also a yoga teacher, so my daily practise is non negotiable. If I skip it, I feel it inflammation wise. I also follow an aryuvadic diet (sister science of yoga where you eat for your body constitution) as I have a pitta imbalance (meaning I have too much heat in the body, leading to inflammation). Yogis don’t tend to consume alcohol or caffeine, which helped me hugely. I also don’t eat heating inducing food like garlic, onion or anything spice (turmeric is ok as it’s anti inflammatory), (try to avoid dairy where I can) also high fibre diet (pulses, brown grains, nuts fruit) and vegetarian. Red meat is absolute no for my body. All of these steps slowly helped my bowel symptoms.

I also swept the house of product high in BPA (plastic) switching to glass containers where we could, and not ingesting anything that is heating inside plastic. Cleaning products and beauty products I did slowly, switching to vegan products with no parables or SLS in them.

Slowly does it, I made all of these changes over a long period of time.

If you are not TTC, it starts with the egg is super informative for vitamins you can take to boost your natural healing. It covers everything including household products and the affects on inflammation.

Big advocate that I can’t control my endo diagnosis, but lots of natural things I can do to manage the inflammation x

[Kloe1998 in reply to Jenny_91-]

Thank you so much - super helpful x

[Washington1]

I found dealing with gut dysbiosis really helpful (often labelled Candida overgrowth). I took anti- fungals under the direction of a Nutritionist, as well as good probiotics and cut out all added sugar and gave wheat a miss. The Nutritionist I saw had a balanced approach to cutting out foods which an earlier comment highlighted. Sometimes cutting out too many foods can create other issues. I think your body will always thank you for ditching too much added sugar and processed foods though. Anyway, the diet/ lifestyle I mention here really helped with bloating and a range of symptoms. Hope you feel better soon.

[Kloe1998 in reply to Washington1]

Thank you so much ❤️

[bunmum2]

As well as the dietary changes I found the herb Vitex agnus castus helped me a lot, prescribed by a medical herbalist who was excellent; alternatively Wellsprings progesterone cream might help too. Google them both and have a read up. good luck X

[Kloe1998 in reply to bunmum2]

Amazing thanks so much. Never heard of that herb - will give it a go! Thank you! x

[lemon_mint]

hey Kloe1998 I used TCM but after I had surgery in 2020 and not been taking any hormonal medication.

What I've been doing was:

- AIP elimination diet - 1.5 months and figure out which foods trigger which symptoms - need to watch calorie intake as it is super easy to lose weight - this was my biggest challenge as I could not get more than 1,750 calories so had to supplement with liquid shakes/smoothies

- yoga, meditation, gym (fairly gentle sessions) - paramount

- vitamin D, coenzime Q10, probiotics and prebiotics, folic acid, vitamin C 1000mg

- acupuncture 2 times a week to reduce inflammation and "heat"

- gentle pelvic floor exercise - but only outside of periods and outside of surgery / recovery.

- traditional Chinese medicines - syrups - been ordering from a doctor in Brighton - this is the most expensive part unfortunately

as a result - no bloating, no pain to this day.

Do check Dr Hyman blog online also for endo specifically

[Kloe1998 in reply to lemon_mint]

Amazing thanks so much! Do you mind me asking where you get your chinese medicine from? I would like to get some from a reputable place! x

[lemon_mint in reply to Kloe1998]

I'll send a dm

[EmB18]

Hi, similar to others I also found diet changes made a big difference to my endo symptoms and pain. The trick is to find out what foods may be triggers for you as we all react to different things. For me taking out wheat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol made a big difference, along with adding in lots of anti-inflammatory foods like fruit and veg. Managing stress is also a big one as this can make endo symptoms worse. Good luck.

[Kloe1998 in reply to EmB18]

Thanks so much!

[Star282]

Hi Kloe1998, I’m no expert however I have found excluding certain foods as mentioned above to be helpful mainly gluten, dairy & starchy foods. At the beginning of my journey I found that everything I ate caused me to feel bloated with discomfort & not to mention the pain. I was advised by a nutritionist to eat food that is just for my blood type (which made me think why are we not taught this). From that list I then excluded some of the foods I know I already don’t like 😅(I kept some higher nutritional valued). Now I’m not going to lie this has made me become very strict/fussy with food & when dining out this can be a nightmare as I am checking in with my gut & this will tell me if I can eat this food. Sounds crazy but when you are more in tune with your body, the body will give you signals if certain foods are yes or no. It’s so accurate for me! But ultimately I eat as close to nature as possible (pescatarian). I recommend having a washout/detox beforehand.

I find herbal teas such as sorrel (hibiscus) & ginger (Dalgety brand) - moringa, soursop & ginger, making Sea-moss gel, using spirulina powder and including in food or smoothies (Caribbean Gold brand) - cerasee tea (Caribbean Dreams brand) - lady mantle leaf tea (Indigo Teas/Tonics) & boiling soursop leaf & drinking. CBD products such as teas, beauty creams & sanitary products are vital for me during cycle time. The vitamins that were mentioned above are very good too.

No1. SUNSHINE!!

Exercise, swimming, sauna, steam room yoga, Pilates & just dance are super helpful as well as meditation which can help bridge the mind & gut to have a closer connection, becoming more in sync. Also deep breathing from the stomach 10/15min twice a day. You can include tapping of the stomach area in a rhythmic way (the pressure is up to you) & chanting (which helps me to release any stored tension or anxiety).

Sorry for the long message & thank you for posting this question. There are some good suggestions here for us all to take note. I wish you all the best 💜

[Kloe1998 in reply to Star282]

Thank you so much ❤️ x

[Dustypink88]

hi Kloe, on this journey too.

I follow an anti-inflamatory diet, low impact exercising (pilates, yoga, fat-burn zone cardio) and supplement with omega 3, vitD, mag & zinc. this helps a lot with pain management.

Found a super helpful youtube channel going through the different ways to approach holistically. One of the few places I could find specifically talks about how you can reduce the size.

Here’s the link to the endo playlist:

youtube.com/playlist?list=P...

I’m also giving castor oil packs a try. Lots of women have said it helps with pain management and a friend was able to get rid of her ovarian cyst (in combo with diet). Thought it's worth seeing if it will help with endo. If anyone has tried this please do share!

Here’s a link to a video of the night time castor oil pack:

youtu.be/YjWseiO1Mvw(Not working as expected?)

Hope this helps and all the best!

[Kloe1998 in reply to Dustypink88]

Thanks so much! Best wishes x