Natural remedies to support your body when managing endometriosis


Many with endometriosis prefer to use natural remedies to help support the body, help the immune system and help with certain physical and mental issues.


Natural remedies to support your body

To help you support your system when trying to cope with endometriosis there are many gentle and natural remedies you can use. Here is a list of many natural everyday remedies, vitamins and supplements you can use to support your body, and manage certain ailments.

 

Immune System Support

Supporting your immune system will improve your overall health as well as help your body to manage the symptoms of endometriosis.  Your immune system can take a real bashing trying to cope with the stress of this disease, the stress of having surgery, and the stress on your system when using drug treatments.  Here are some gentle common nutrients that will help to support your immune system:

  • Vitamin C - Immune boosting, detox.
  • Vitamin B12 - Immune System building, Cognition, Brain health.
  • Vitamin B Complex - Immune System building, Cognition, Brain health.
  • Full Spectrum Minerals - Immune System Health
  • Elderberry Syrup - Immune System Booster
  • Echinacea - Immune System booster.
  • Goldenseal - Immune System booster.
  • Garlic - Immune System booster.
  • Ginger - Immune System booster, digestive aide.

 

Anti-Inflammatory Supplements

It is well known that endometriosis is an inflammatory disease, and supporting your body with anti-inflammatory remedies will help reduce this inflammation as well as any general inflammation in the body. Some of these remedies have multiple benefits.

  • Turmeric - Anti-inflammatory, digestive.
  • Fish oil/Krill oil/Cod Liver Oil - Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, brain, support mood/depression, and heart health.
  • Wobenzym - Anti-inflammatory, joint health, environmental toxins and heart health.
  • Bromelain – found in pineapple and also used as a digestive aid
  • Quercetin – similar action to bromelain and also a digestive enzyme
  • Zinc - Anti-inflammatory, immune system booster, free radical fighter, helps with hormonal imbalance
  • CBD Oil - Anti-inflammatory, cell regeneration, cancer help.
  • Resveratrol - Protects cells from free radical damage, lowers blood pressure, keeps heart healthy and improves elasticity in blood vessels, normalizes anti-inflammatory response
  • Ginger – anti-inflammatory and helps aid digestion and nausea

 

Stress relief

Trying to cope with endometriosis on a daily basis can cause a lot of stress, anxiety and worry.  There a few gentle natural remedies you can try to help reduce your stress levels and calm your system.

  • Passionflower - A good sedative and good before bedtime
  • Niacin – small dose after meals – calms nerves/anxiety.  Niacin can cause flushing in many and using niacinamide can overcome this issue
  • Theanine – calming amino acid
  • Aromatherapy – certain oils are very calming and can help calm the central nervous system – Chamomile, Lavender, Vetiver, Ylang ylang, Valerian, Jasmin, Frankincense (good for pain too)
  • CBD oil – this oil is really gaining popularity to help with stress and anxiety.  A couple of drops under the tongue a few times a day can help


Gentle remedies to support health with endometriosis


Hair, Skin & Nails

Many women find that the stress of endometriosis can really take its toll on their hair and skin.  As well as getting god nutrition, there are certain supplements that are renowned to help with this problem.

  • Silica - Hair, skin, nails – oatmeal, brown rice, oats and banana are good sources as well as supplementation
  • Biotin - Hair, skin, nails – best food sources are egg yolks, liver and kidney.  But you are advised not to eat red meat with endometriosis, so taking a biotin supplement may be the best option
  • Magnesium Oil – Skin – helps with muscle cramps and pain
  • Emu Oil - Skin, sunburn, scar tissue
  • Lavender Oil - Scars, stress, skin irritation.
  • Coconut Oil - Skin, hair, digestion, and immunity.
  • Tea Tree Oil - Skin blemishes
  • MSM – Skin and anti-inflammatory – can be found as a powder that can be added to food i.e. added to your smoothies or breakfast oats 
  • Castor oil – skin, hair and general healing properties.  Also great for pain and inflammation used as a castor oil pack

 

Joints and Bones

Some women do have joint pain with endometriosis and there are certain supplements that can help alleviate pain and inflammation related to joints and connective tissues:  

  • Glucosamine Chondroitin - Joints health
  • MSM - Anti-inflammatory, connective tissues, scar tissue, skin, muscles
  • Calcium - Bone strength and development
  • Boron - Bone density, and can help with bone pains

 

Muscles

Endometriosis causes a lot of muscle pain, not only in the abdomen, but other muscles can be affected.  Here a few ideas that can help, including supplements, herbal teas and other natural remedies.

  • Chamomile - Muscle pain and soreness – taken as a tea of use externally as an essential oil
  • Tart Cherries - muscle relaxer, anti-inflammatory, & anti-oxidant – can be found in capsules or juice
  • Peppermint - Muscles relaxer, backaches, leg pain, & tension headaches – can be taken as a tea or used externally with an essential oil
  • Cayenne Pepper - Reduce muscle pain, stiffness, & inflammation. Helps with palpitations – can be found as a tincture used in water or capsules
  • Epsom Salt Bath - Relaxes the nervous system, removes toxins, & helps with pain and inflammation.
  • Valerian - Muscle spasms and aids sleep and relaxation
  • Arnica - Anti-inflammatory & improves blood circulation.
  • Lavender - Reduces pain, swelling & inflammation – used externally as an essential oil
  • Passion Flower - Muscle spasms & joint soreness – can be used as an herb, tincture or tea
  • Raspberry Leaf Tea - Muscle pain & cramps – commonly used as a tea
  • Magnesium oil - Topical for muscle pain & cramps.

 

Digestion

The digestive system is the home of your immune system and needs special care.  Endometriosis really can take its toll on your digestion, as well as the problems where endometriosis can sometimes infiltrate the lower digestive tract and bowels.  Here are a few remedies that can help soothe and help to heal the digestive tract:.

  • Digestive enzymes - Digestive health and also inflammation.
  • DGL - Liquorice Root Extract that aids digestion and treats stomach complaints, including heartburn and indigestion.
  • Probiotics - Gut health, Immune system booster.
  • Marshmallow root tea - Acid reflux and heartburn.
  • Slippery Elm – against diarrhoea, also as an intestinal and rectal coating to eliminate viral and bacterial infections.
  • Aloe vera – is full of nutrients and is very healing for the digestive tract

 

Detox and Anti-oxidation

Detoxing the body can help reduce the load on your system.  Detoxing needs to be done gently so as not to cause a negative reaction and overload your detox channels – liver, skin, digestive tract, lungs. Here are a few common supplements that can help support the detox pathways:

  • Vitamin C - Detox, and Immune system booster and repair
  • Glutathione - Super Antioxidant, stress, and injuries
  • Chlorella – Cleansing of environmental toxins/heavy metals
  • Beetroot - Body detox, liver support
  • CoQ10 - Antioxidant, heart health, anti-aging
  • Green Tea - Antioxidant
  • Milk Thistle - Liver Detox – do not overdo it with Milk Thistle as it can leach iron from the body

Depression and brain health

It stands to reason that endometriosis will cause a huge amount of mental stress, depression and anxiety.  There are certain nutrients that can help to support mental health:

  • Vitamin D - Mental health, Immune boosting, scar healing, bones.  This vitamin also seems to help with endometriosis – read more here
  • Lithium Orotate - Mood Stabilizer. OTC supplement (not prescription med)
  • Vitamin B-6 - Neurological Health
  • Magnesium - Calming
  • Fish oil - Depression
  • St. John Wort – Depression
  • SAMe – Depression – also supports glutathione process in the liver, which protects the liver
  • Probiotics – certain probiotics are responsible for the production of neurotransmitters, which are made in the gut

 

Energy

When we suffer a serious illness, it seems to really sap energy levels.  This can happen as a natural mechanism of the body to ensure you do not over-exert yourself and stress your body, so the body is made to slow down as part of the natural healing/survival mechanism.  As well as ensuring you have a balanced diet and provide all the nutrients you need to support your body you can use certain nutrients to help with energy levels.


  • Pantothenic Acid - (Vitamin B-5) generation of energy from fat, carbohydrates and proteins.
  • Eleuthero root – Stimulant and helps anxiety.  Can help chronic fatigue syndrome
  • D-ribose – utilised for energy production
  • B vitamins – the b vitamins are well known for providing energy.  They also support the adrenal glands, support the nervous system and are involved in hormone production.  Bee pollen is a good natural way to get the B vitamin complex.
  • Ginseng – is well known to help with energy but some people cannot tolerate it for some reason – try a small dose and see how it affects you.
  • Iron – women with endometriosis tend to have very heavy periods and bleed heavily and this can cause low iron levels.  An iron supplement can help or add iron rich foods to your diet.

 

Natural remedies for insomnia with endometriosis


Sleep

It is very common for sleep to be severely affected with endometriosis.  This may be caused by hormonal imbalances as well as being caused by pain and discomfort.  Try a calming warm bath with essential oils and Epsom salts (magnesium) to help relax muscles and tension.  Here are a few sleep aids you can try to help calm you and aid relaxation:


  • Melatonin - Sleep aide – only small doses are needed. Tart cherry juice can help with melatonin production
  • Valerian - Sleep aide – taken as a herb, tincture or tea
  • Chamomile - Relaxation, sleep aide – taken as a herb, tea or externally as essential oil
  • Tart Cherry Juice - Sleep, gout, and illness prevention.
  • Passionflower – calming and aids relaxation – taken as a herb, tincture or tea
  • California Poppy – calming, aid sleep and some pain relief – taken as a herb, tincture or tea
  • Lemon Balm – sleep – taken as a herb, tincture or tea
  • Hops – aid relaxation and some muscle relaxation properties – taken as an herb or tincture

You can read a lot more about sleep and insomnia issues with endometriosis HERE


Essential Oils

Essential oils have many therapeutic benefits and can be safely used externally for many ailments.

  • Tea Tree: Good for fungus, acne blemishes, and skin fungal infections like athlete’s foot. Also serves as a numbing agent for toothaches and eliminates infection.
  • Lavender: Works on bruises, cuts, and skin irritation too. Good stress reliever too (Sleep/Depression).
  • Calendula: Used to reduce the appearance of acne scars. You can also put a drop in your bath water to soothe psoriasis.
  • Chamomile: Used as a tea or oil for relaxation.
  • Peppermint: Good for indigestion, muscle cramps
  • Frankincense: Relaxation, scars, depression, inflammation, immunity
  • Grapefruit: It’s a natural antiseptic, good for fatigue, and you can add it to your homemade household cleansers to keep your home safe and clean.
  • Eucalyptus: It has many antibacterial properties and has been known to stimulate the immune system, helps with colds, allergies, and nasal congestion.
  • Lemongrass: Used to relieve muscle pain, externally to kill bacteria, ward off insects, and reduce body aches, and internally to help your digestive system –  natural herb is used in Asian cooking.

 

Natural Antibiotics

If you have an infection that is not too serious and does not require antibiotics, there are certain everyday foods that can help with infection.  It is always a good idea to minimise your use of anti-biotics as they can really upset your digestive system.

  • Garlic - Antibacterial, anti-fungal, and even antiviral qualities, promotes the growth of healthy intestinal micro-flora by acting as a prebiotic (food for probiotics)
  • Onion - Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, antimicrobial properties that effectively battle numerous bacteria
  • Turmeric - Helps gastric damage caused by infection & ulcers.
  • Ginger - Antibiotic effect against food borne pathogens such as salmonella, listeria and campylobacter, & calms indigestion.
  • Pau d’Arco tea - Strong anti-fungal properties, used for candida overgrowth.

 

There are many more supplements and nutrients that can support the body and it is advised to do your own research.  We all react differently to what we put in our bodies, so testing any remedy with a small dose is the best way to start. 

 

When you have endometriosis using gentle natural remedies are better because they are safer and less toxic and can gently support your body.  It is usually recommended to ask your doctor before you start any new supplements, but many of the recommendations here are considered safe for most people.



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About the Author

My name is Carolyn Levett, the Founder of endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy, aromatherapy  as well as being a published author. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was able to regained my health and heal from the disease with the support of nutrition and natural therapies.

My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may overcome this awful disease without having to rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage  -  with healing thoughts, Carolyn.



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