Endometriosis is a very debilitating, chronic condition. It’s estimated around 10% of women have it which is huge number. The endometrial cells normally found in the womb grow in the abdominal cavity and bleed. It causes pain, digestive problems, inflammation and fertility issues amongst other things. Luckily there are some things you can do at home to help relieve some of these. Done together and regularly, you can start to see some real improvements with symptoms.
Castor oil pack
Castor oil is very strong so usually used externally in herbal medicine. It’s great for helping the body break up lumps and bumps that should be there. Heat is also great for endo pain relief. The 2 together work really well and the oil helps the heat penetrate a bit deeper. Soak a flannel in Castor oil (so it’s saturated not dripping), place on your tummy, cling film over the top and then hot water bottle or heat pack on top of that. Leave for a least 20 mins or until heat runs out. Good idea to put an old towel under you too…oil is a pain to get out of things. You can keep the pack in the fridge to reuse later, topping up the oil a little each time. You don’t use so much oil with every pack that way
Massage
Abdominal massage is brilliant for helping endo. Massage in small circles over any areas you feel pain as deep as is comfortable and slowly. Use an organic oil or at least a natural one with only 1 ingredient so it doesn’t make inflammation worse by adding chemicals. coconut oil is a good option. Massage helps the cells detach and improve circulation and reduces the inflammation so your body can clear them away. If you do a Castor oil pack you can use the oil to massage afterwards. Massaging daily or every other day you can really improve symptoms.
Coming for an abdominal massage session means you can get focused and tailored massage for your symptoms. There’s also self-help massage tuition and nutritional advice in the session to help with inflammation and hormone balancing. Click here to book an appointment or get in touch to find out more.
Magnesium, calcium, zinc
Magnesium and calcium really help with period pain and you will certainly be low on one or both of these if you have endo as your body is using so much. It improves pain and helps your body deal with symptoms better. Zinc is great for hormone balancing and oestrogen overdose is what makes the endo cells overgrow. Always take natural/food source supplements for best absorption especially with endo as nutrient absorption is usually worse with this condition
There’s are supplement that have all these in. Nature’s aid, Solgar and Nutravita are some good quality brands that provide this.
Probiotics
Endo usually impacts digestion as the cells stick to the intestine walls leaving them inflamed. You are more likely to have digestive issues, IBS, bloating, poor absorption or other digestive issues as a result.
One additional problem with this is that there is bacteria in your gut that stops you recycling oestrogen. If your gut flora is off due to inflammation then you are more likely to have too much oestrogen encouraging more endo to grow. Probiotics help balance the gut and keep oestrogen more balanced, improving digestion and reducing endo growth. Go for multi-strain probiotics for the best results – 7-14 strain probiotics are more likely to match up with your gut biome. Avoid the probiotic yogurt drinks…too much sugar makes inflammation worse.
Turmeric
Natures best anti- inflammatory. As endo is an inflammatory condition it causes a lot of pain and puts your body in a state that makes it very hard to heal itself. One of the best ways you can help is reducing the inflammation in your body to help pain and healing. Turmeric is a great way to do this. Have some everyday either in food, tea or a as a supplement.
Massage is great for reducing inflammation as well.
Other inflammation reducing tips…Click Here
Avoid…synthetic oestrogen in the pill
A hormonal contraceptive with oestrogen is not a good idea. Extra oestrogen is part of the issue as it encourages endo cells to grow so it’s best avoided. Here’s more info on balancing hormones…Click Here
Avoid…Sugar
The single most inflammatory thing you can consume is refined sugar and it will absolutely make things worse.
Here’s how to tackle sugar cravings…Click Here
Treatments available in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire and Oxford, Oxfordshire.
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Gloucestershire, Hampshire.