Naturopathy and Endometriosis? How can Naturopaths best support you

Written By Mary Martin

Endometriosis is a chronic disease in which endometrial like tissue, usually found lining the uterus (endometrium), grows outside the uterus. While this abnormal growth is often found surrounding the ovaries and fallopian tubes or within the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity, in some advanced cases it has also been found in the lungs and brain.

On average it can take 7-10 years for a diagnosis, potentially including many sick days and inability to socialise with friends and family. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women and with an estimates 176 million cases worldwide.

For a large portion of women with this condition, the pain can be chronic and debilitating, negatively affecting health-related quality of life, personal relationships, and work productivity.

However; recent research has shed light on some of the things that can be implemented to reduce symptoms, and naturopaths can offer tips and tools to help you understand some of the underlying drivers that can be contributing to your condition.

Women with endometriosis frequently report symptoms of:

  • Dysmenorrhoea (painful periods)

  • Menorrhagia (heavy periods) or breakthrough bleeding

  • Chronic pelvic pain

  • Pain during intercourse

  • Pain upon urination or with passing a bowel movement

  • Infertility

  • Other symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating

Areas Naturopathy can assist with include:

  • Pain management

  • Supporting immunity

  • Supporting sex hormone metabolism and production

  • Stress management

  • Modulating immunity

Here are some ways that naturopathy can help support you.

Controlling pain

Unfortunately, period pain has been normalised in society as something women have to deal with each month. So many women experience pain the week before and during there period. This is 2 weeks of pain every 4 weeks. That is HALF of the YEAR in pain. Usually this has been going on for years for many women. Endometriosis is a common cause of this pain, and thankfully there are many solutions.

We are very lucky to have access to herbs and supplements that work really well in reducing endometriosis pain, and often your practitioner will prescribe. However, they are not suitable for everyone. Always consult a medical professional prior to starting supplementation to ensure it is safe, correct dosage and suitable for you.

Here are some of the popular herbs and supplements to consider:

–       N-acetyl cysteine: NAC has been shown to help to reduce the growth of endometriosis lesions.  It is a precursor to glutathione, providing immune regulator and antioxidant properties, reducing inflammation and pain.  

–      Curcumin: the active ingredient in turmeric, is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-metastatic herb, helping to reduce the size and activity of endometriosis lesions.

–   Broccoli sprouts: broccoli sprouts increase the synthesis of glutathione, a great antioxidant as well as increase phase 2 liver detoxification enzymes assisting in oestrogen elimination. It is important to note that pathology tests and guidance of a Naturopath should always be used prior starting supplementation to ensure it is safe and indicated for you.

–        Magnesium: Magnesium is great for supporting sleep, mood as well as reducing pain/cramps. As there are different forms of magnesium, seek advice from a professional to ensure you are recommended the correct form.

Reducing digestive symptoms

People with endometriosis often experience changes in digestion and gut symptoms such as constipation and/or diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain and discomfort. Also known as ‘ endo belly’. From a Naturopaths perspective, we need to understand your individual circumstances and understand what is causing your symptoms and how best to treat for the individual. We also may request a comprehensive gut microbiome test to get a good overall picture if we think it would be of benefit and is a good tool to guide our treatment plans. What we already know through research that could be contributing these endometriosis symptoms:

 

·         Research suggests that endometriosis sufferers have more lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in their peritoneal cavity and menstrual fluid. LPS is an endotoxin, which we know is produced by specific gut microbiome species. A great place to start is by getting a gut microbiome analysis test completed to see if you have the bacteria present which is responsible for making LPS.

·         Frequent painkillers use to reduce pain, which is generally for years and years due to how long it takes to get a diagnosis and undergoing laparoscopy. This can disrupt our microbiome. Depending on the severity of your endometriosis, the tissue can migrate to the bowel, further contributing to your gut IBS-like symptoms. Naturopaths are here to support you with managing these symptoms as well as your medical practitioner.

Give your nervous system some love

We often see anxiety and depression with endometriosis sufferers. It is extremely tough, not only because it usually takes so long to get a diagnosis, but also coping with the symptoms and trying to live a normal life juggling work life balance.

Our goal as naturopaths is to help support you and every aspect to make day to day easier. In terms of mood support, herbal and nutritional medicine can be wonderful, however we always recommend lifestyle and dietary changes as the icing on the cake. As everyone is different, these suggests may vary, but some examples that we may recommend are:

–          Reducing caffeine and stimulants to decrease anxiety, if this is a trigger for you.

–         Ensuring your sleep routine is healthy as quality rest is vital for our body and mind.

–      Getting sunlight and fresh air daily, even if this is for 20-30 minutes. We know how important vitamin D is for our immunity and mental health.

–                Perhaps prescribing herbs traditionally used for depression and anxiety such as St John’s Wort, Passionflower and saffron.

Optimising sleep for our mind

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms experienced in endometriosis sufferers after pain. Researchers believe the widespread fatigue in women with endometriosis may be due to the inflammation triggered by the endometriosis activating the immune system, and that this caused the fatigue. Furthermore, women with endometriosis commonly experience insomnia, further contributing to fatigue.

Sleep hygiene is required to optimise our sleep quality and quantity. Sleep hygiene refers to the practice of winding down before bed, including things to help your body and mind relax to ensure a restful night’s sleep.

Herbs and supplements such as passionflower, glycine, magnesium, california poppy or skullcap can also support your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Nutrition

I understand it is hard to find the time to meal prep or even think about nutrition when you’re suffering with endometriosis. Naturopaths and nutritionists are here to support and to provide you with tips and tricks to make this easier but also to further help manage your symptoms with your diet.

 Some recommendations we often prescribe:

–       Low GI carbohydrates to support energy levels through the day and regulate blood glucose levels such as brown rice, quinoa, cooked and cooled potato, pumpkin and wholegrain sourdough bread.

–       A reduction in inflammatory foods such as alcohol, caffeine, sugar and processed foods. It is really important to reduce inflammation, for some gluten, dairy and eggs can be problematic. Always consult a professional before removing foods from the diet. An anti-inflammatory diet is  recommended and incorporates a wide variety of coloured fresh veg and fruits such as dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, berries, ginger, turmeric, beetroot, celery, pineapple along with coconut oil, bone broths and fresh fish. While avoiding processed foods, dairy, refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, soft drink, soy and over consumption of red meat.

A 2013 study on selected food intake and risk of endometriosis suggested a relation between the disease and low intake of fruit and vegetables and high intake of trans fat, ham, beef and other red meat. A literature review published in 2004 on dietary risk for endometriosis showed a high intake of green leafy vegetables and fruit was associated with a lower risk.

–       Plenty of fruit and vegetables – this means more fibre, more polyphenols for our beneficial gut bacteria, and more vitamins and minerals.

–      Essential fatty acids found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies. The two primary compounds EPA and DHA are beneficial in relieving pain through their ability to decrease levels of an inflammatory chemical called prostaglandin E2. EFA’s can also be obtained through clean supplements that have had any impurities or heavy metals extracted.

–       Try and always cook foods as raw foods can be hard to digest. Add bone broth to your meals as this contains collagen and is super nourishing. Collagen contains an amino acid called glycine, which has been found to reduce inflammation in our gut & aid digestion.

Further thoughts

For some women with endometriosis, menstrual cycles can be unpredictable and vary between being short or very long cycles. It is important to get pathology testing, requested and interpreted by a health professional before commencing a treatment protocol.

 

It is important to get endometriosis diagnosed to ensure we are treating the right condition, the gold standard diagnostic tool is a laparoscopy. Research tells us that people with endometriosis are more likely to have other autoimmune diseases. Naturopaths can help rule these out with the necessary testing to ensure these aren’t impacting your health.

 

Everyone with endometriosis has different experiences, so no treatment plan is the same. As practitioners, it’s our role to treat the person in front of us and find legitimate solutions and make an individualised plan for you to implement.

 

If you would like to find out more about how naturopathy can help in endometriosis, reach out to book a free discovery call through my services page. Ali xx

Mary Martin