Endometriosis and Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine

A Natural Approach to Endometriosis

By: Tia Sarkar and Lisa Leger

Since endometrial tissue is hormone stimulated, the medical treatment for endometriosis effectively shuts down the patient's cycles by using drugs that suppress hormone production. This does offer an opportunity for the tissue to shrink; but a host of other problems can arise, including side effects from the drugs. For a woman with endometriosis who wishes to become pregnant, this approach can seem like a drastic jump in the wrong direction: toward fertility through a period of synthetic infertility. A progressive approach to correcting endometriosis is multi-level and complementary; looking at nutrition and lifestyle to promote healing and utilizinging less invasive treatments.

If you are suffering from endometriosis, it is important for you to keep a record by charting your cycles. Include all symptoms around menstruation and the mucus phase (ovulation); as well as any treatments you try, doctors visits, blood tests, results, etc. The charts will be useful in assessing treatments and monitoring progress.

In terms of nutrition and lifestyle, the Chinese medical approach has much to teach us: endometriosis is seen as stagnation and congestion of the blood systems in the body. Supporting the heart, spleen and kidneys is considered important. Many western naturopaths recommend liver cleansing as well; since the liver is unable to break down circulating hormones in the blood stream when it is overburdened with toxins from pollution, food additives, alcohol, and synthetic hormones you may have used in the past.

Keep in mind that commercial meats also contain synthetic hormones used to fatten the animals before slaughter. A woman with endometriosis should switch to a vegetarian diet or at least cut down her meat intake and use free range, organic meats. This, of course, applies to dairy products as well. There are herbal combinations that can help control and even shrink endometriosis and some success has been reported with natural progesterone; however, many commercial female tonics are inappropriate for use by a woman with endometriosis because they contain estrogenic herbs. Any herbal combinations should be well researched and preferably monitored by an experienced practitioner.

Endo-resolved home