Endometriosis

A Key to Healing Through Nutrition

Michael Vernon, Dian Shepperson Mills

• Publisher: Thorsons
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780007386420
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: General Health

1 What’s happening to me?

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The body has a miraculous capacity to heal itself.

Live and Learn and Pass it On,
quote from the Central Baptist Hospital
1997 calendar

You have a key to good health. Your body wants to be well, that is its natural state.

Endometriosis is a jigsaw puzzle of symptoms. You need to fit all the pieces together to provide clues as to what is happening within your body. This book will try to give you some of the pieces of the jigsaw, but you have to put them together yourself. This book will guide you to a truth. As you will read in the following chapters, some pioneering women have taken this path before and they share their success with you. Let them lead the way. They have found that, by giving the body the building blocks it needs, health can be regained.

That is the key, which you must always remember. Your body wants to be well. If you cut or burn your hand, you heal. If endometrial cells are growing in the wrong place, rest assured the body is trying to heal that area by whatever means it has available. Many women try drug and surgical treatments, and for some women they suppress some symptoms, but do not heal. Some people do get well, but many need other remedies or treatments.

Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological complaint recognized by reproductive endocrinologists, affecting two out of every ten women. Endometriosis is everywhere and does not discriminate between women, race, colour, social status, body size, or colour of hair (although some women with red hair may have a greater incidence of endometriosis as they are more inclined to have allergies). It is possible that many women may have symptoms of endometriosis at some point in their lives, as every woman has the potential to develop endometriosis, but they do not always get a correct diagnosis. You are never alone with this disease – it is shared by many other women.

The term ‘endometriosis’ means that some of our body cells are growing in the wrong place, like weeds in a garden. Instead of staying inside the womb where they belong, to form the womb lining, these cells have spread outside the womb to infiltrate the ovaries and other areas of the body. If we knew exactly why these cells move around, it would be easier to find a cure. The endometrium normally grows only inside the womb. It is a nutrient-rich tissue designed to act as a food source and ‘nest’ for a fertilized egg. It also sets the stage for building the placenta which protects the baby as it develops in the womb.

For some unknown reason these endometrial cells migrate in endometriosis and seek other areas to grow. These areas are known as ‘endometriotic implants’ in medical terms, as they appear to seed themselves onto other organs in the peritoneal cavity (the abdominal area). Only cells from the spleen and endometrium in the human body are known to behave like this and migrate to other areas, and we need to understand why this happens in order to find a cure.

Women with endometriosis often ask ‘Why me?’ when they look around at their seemingly healthy friends. Endometriosis can be very distressing, and self-confidence may evaporate, but good health is not an impossible dream.

If you understand what is happening to you, it is easier to fight endometriosis and win. This book will look at how endometriosis manifests itself, how the body behaves, and how to approach drug and surgical treatments. It is important to look at how women as individuals can work with their bodies to help themselves heal, and to strengthen the immune and reproductive systems naturally using the nutrients which we ingest daily. The aim is to get the feel better factor!

We are all unique. No other person in the known universe is like you. People are meant to be different. Just look around in the street or your place of work at all the variables of face, hair colour, eyes, noses, height and weight. These differences are what make the strong gene pool of humankind. Orthodox medical and infertility treatments treat women as though they are all exactly the same. They take no account of your uniqueness. A 7-stone woman will be given the same dose tablet as a 14-stone woman. Treatments which work perfectly for you may not work as well for someone else because his/her body is slightly different. Moreover, many illnesses keep evolving, like the symptoms of ovarian/vaginal endometriosis, increasing levels of anxiety in those who suffer from them.

The purpose of this book is to outline the steps you can take to maximize your body’s ability to fend off endometriosis. Although there is no known proven medical cure for endometriosis, nutrition may suppress the symptoms which are perceived as being due to endometriosis, and thus help to prevent them from interfering in your daily life. The book will review some of these options, especially the benefit of proper nutrition in the battle against endometriosis. Women who have tried these options and succeeded in combating endometriosis share their experiences.

Nutrition is not an alternative approach like herbal medicine or homeopathy. It is essential to life. Eating is something we do every day. It sustains us and keeps us healthy, or it can make us unhealthy. Unfortunately nutrition is no longer taught in schools. It is now assumed that we have a good choice of foods in the shops. But it is the quality of the foods you choose to eat which can make all the difference to your body’s ability to heal itself. Nutrition is certainly very low on the list of doctors’ priorities, many of whom may have had only a few hours of lessons in nutrition, and do not understand how nutrients relate to body biochemistry. It is a rare doctor who shows any interest in your food intake.

The 52 known nutrients in our foods are vital to all of us; they make our bodies work as nature intended. Vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids and the actions of phytochemicals in plants are the body’s building blocks to produce healthy new cells and to renew damaged tissue. For example, the mucous membrane which lines the digestive tract is renewed rapidly every 72 hours. New tissue can be formed very quickly on damaged organs, given the right building blocks of life. So the food you eat each day can help heal endometriosis.

Good quality, nutrient-rich food can improve the functioning of the body cells. This book will guide you through the selection of foods which will increase your intake of much-needed nutrients, especially those required by the reproductive and immune systems. It will give advice on which nutritional supplements may be helpful in the short term to boost body cells and correct hormone production, while you assess and improve your dietary intake.

The digestive system is the key to your healthy intake of nutrients, and improvement in this area can be a major factor in recovery from endometriosis. The gut flora and membranes must be healthy in order for all the nutrients from foods to be absorbed, so that they can reach the cells via the bloodstream. If your digestion is poor, it must be corrected before you can begin to get well. This is another key to your healing process. Once your digestion works efficiently, then the body can begin to heal itself.

Endometriosis can cause terrible pain, and adhesions which can stick organs together, possibly causing infertility in some women. The authors will inform you how the phytochemicals and nutrients in foods and herbs may work to reduce inflammation and pain. The known reasons for pain and infertility will be discussed, to help demystify endometriosis.

By understanding and improving the workings of your immune system, you can help to heal the reproductive system and improve fertility naturally, and the book looks at how assisted fertility works when endometriosis is present.

• CASE STUDY •

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Gwenneth B of Sussex

The nutrition path was absolutely brilliant. I was so well while continuing it. Unfortunately I stopped. I have to go camping and go away with other groups from time to time. It then becomes impossible to follow the diet. I wish I had more self-control so that I could do it all over again. Any chance of a new start with some supplements again? Thank you for all your help in the past.

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The incidence of endometriosis is high and many women may never even have heard of the condition, let alone be aware that their abdominal pain is due to it. Much of our society remains blissfully ignorant of endometriosis and of all its ramifications. All those with endometriosis need to teach everyone around them to understand this disease. The word endometriosis itself is disconcerting and cumbersome: ‘endo-metree-osis’. This book will attempt to explain exactly what endometriosis is, and how you can try to reduce its symptoms by using the body’s natural healing ability.

Furthering research is a main aim of the endometriosis groups all over the world, in America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Poland, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil. Women in the international endometriosis associations are pulling together around the globe to encourage governments to provide more funding for studying this disease, while also trying to raise money for research from their supporters. Research into endometriosis should continue apace to help improve diagnosis and treatment. Future research into how cells behave and how their basic physiology relies upon nutrients should lead to new ideas about endometriosis treatments. All women suffering from endometriosis should encourage new research in both orthodox and complementary fields to find a cure, and to prevent the next generation having to endure this disease and its traumatic treatments. We can all see hope for a future cure. Drugs and surgery are not the only answer, as we shall see. Healing from within is an important concept.

If you use this book wisely, it may help you to find the real you again – minus the symptoms of endometriosis. Feeling like a shadow of your former self is not a pleasant experience. Endometriosis leaves you with no energy to do anything. You feel so very tired from fighting the pain. You hope that the pain will just go away, but it doesn’t. The body needs help in order to attempt to rid itself of the ‘rogue’ tissue of endometriosis. Seeking such help requires information and understanding, and in this book the authors hope that everyone will find the support they need to help them begin their healing process. Understanding is the key. Once you properly understand what you are fighting, it becomes easier. It helps to have all the information at your fingertips. If information is withheld from you, always be suspicious. Where your own body is involved you have a right to know what is being done and why. Always ask questions and only act when you feel satisfied with the answers. Truth is important to developing trust between practitioner and patient, so if information is withheld it prevents healing. When lies are told, trust is lost between the patient and expert.

Everyone wants to be happy and healthy and to enjoy life. Endometriosis hurts our lives. It stops us in our tracks. It prevents us living the life we want to lead. The pain associated with endometriosis can at times be so intense that women grow desperate to find a cure. When the body suddenly lets us down, the shock of feeling disabled is stunning and frightening. One feels out of control. Suggestions for treatments are made and you try them all. You just want to be well again; but fighting illness day in, day out causes despondency and great sadness for the lost time.

The medical profession has no absolute cure for endometriosis. It can support the patient and suppress the disease symptoms, but often the drug and surgical treatments do not get to the root of the problem and promote healing. Research shows that symptoms usually return within 18 months, after drug treatments are stopped. It is not uncommon for women to have taken five or six different drugs, one after another, and to have had several operations and still be in pain. Once all the reproductive organs have been removed, some members of the medical profession assume that endometriotic implants can no longer grow and women’s symptoms can be dismissed and even ridiculed. Your local endometriosis group can advise you who is the right practitioner for you, and who is the most caring and compassionate.

• CASE STUDY •

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Barbara B of Kent

The first benefit was the mental boost from feeling that I was actually taking control, doing something about my endometriosis. Within a very short time I had more energy and people stopped telling me how dreadful I looked! I also lost weight, which was great. I took the vitamin supplements and generally worked hard to improve my diet. My endometriosis was extremely severe and yet, even now, four years after a laparoscopy to remove cysts and reposition my womb, I remain totally free from endometriosis. My surgeon finds it unbelievable and constantly tells me how lucky I am. Thank you for all the support at the worst time in my life.

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So what is this book going to do for you, the reader? Hopefully it will inspire you to know how magical your body can be. Both authors want to help you to find ways to let your body begin to heal itself. If you can give it the tools and the fuel it needs to fight the disease, that is a good start. Chapters 8, 9, 10 and 12 are a basic guide to the practical steps you can take as you attempt to heal yourself.

The keys to well-being are all around us. It is like a treasure hunt, but the treasure is not precious gems or gold; it is even more precious – health. For without that we can do nothing. Health is something which money cannot buy, but effort and willpower can take us a long way towards our goal. Strive to make it happen.

Feeling healthy and well is a right. Life without health can be intensely distressing. But it is important to fight to stay well, and one of the ways to help yourself heal is simply through eating good quality food. The word ‘diet’ is a misnomer. This is really just a Healthy Eating Life Plan – HELP – to bring you onto the road to recovery. It is an area of life over which you do have control. It is hoped that this book will inspire all women with endometriosis, and give you an insight into an area of self-help that is not difficult to follow. It will act to guide you, to choose food wisely, to enable you to absorb all the nutrients from your daily food intake, without making a meal of it.

Don’t count on anybody else coming along to relieve your stress.

Put yourself in charge of manag...