According to the National Institute of Health, 70-90% of women will suffer from uterine fibroids at some point, and an estimated 5 million have endometriosis, causing pain, infertility, lost workdays, and over 200,000 hysterectomies each year in the United States. There are alternative therapies and proactive measures women can take to prevent their occurrence.
Fibroids are the abnormal growth of uterine muscle. Fibroids can vary greatly in size, shape, and location. They can show up inside the uterus, uterine wall, or on the surface of the uterus. They can be as big as a cantaloupe or as small as a few millimetres. They are usually benign, but if estrogen levels are too high along with uterine inflammation, fibroids can become malignant. When women develop fibroids over several years, they tend to have spotting after their periods for many days, which can cause infection and infertility. The fibroids can increase in size when the estrogen levels rise and smaller after menstruation. Fibroids tend to grow bigger when women are around 40 years old due to an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. Yet now, even younger women can have huge fibroids in their 20’s or 30’s due to high sugar intake.
Endometriosis is caused when menstrual blood flows backwards from the uterus into the fallopian tubes and spreads into the pelvic tissues; parts of the uterus lining can travel with the blood and grow outside of the uterus. If a woman develops severe abdominal pain during her period and has estrogen dominance, she may be suffering from endometriosis. However, not all women who have menstrual back-flow develop endometriosis. An imbalance of estrogen and progesterone may contribute to increased susceptibility to endometriosis because estrogen dominance can change the gene expression, thereby stimulating the piece of uterine tissue to grow outside the uterus.
If a person has fibroids or endometriosis, what can she do to get rid of them to create a good environment for a healthy pregnancy? Here are 13 options:
1. Surgery can quickly remove the fibroids or scrape off the endometriosis inside or outside the uterus. However, if hormone balance cannot be restored after surgery, the fibroids and endometriosis will grow back very quickly. If a woman uses acupuncture and Chinese herbs to balance her hormones and immune system post-surgery, she can prevent the fibroids or endometriosis from recurring. Therefore, in my practice, I always follow up with patients who recently had surgery for fibroids or endometriosis and recommend that they change their diet and lifestyle.
2. In Chinese medicine, fibroids and endometriosis are associated with stagnant blood and a phlegm condition. Foods such as radish, orange peel, cucumber and barley help improve the digestion and reduce the phlegm condition. High salt, high sugar and chocolate can create more phlegm, making the fibroids grow bigger. Women should eat foods that move blood stasis like kelp, lemons, limes, onions, Irish moss, a seaweed called bladder wrack, and linseed oil which contains Omega-3, a natural blood thinner.
3. Fresh ginger not only helps strengthen the digestive system but is also another natural blood thinner that reduces inflammation and facilitates blood circulation. There is caution if you have an infection currently related to internal heat, to see how much fresh ginger can be tolerated to avoid producing more internal heat.
4. Another natural blood thinner is methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM), special biological sulfur found in fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. If a person eats the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, their blood circulation will improve.
5. An acupuncturist can prescribe special Chinese herbal formulas used to treat fibroids such as Tao Hong Si Wu Tang with Xiang Fu, Lu Lu Tong, Shi Chang Pu, Yi Yi Ren, taken for three months to one year.
6. A very common treatment in China is micro-electrical current therapy. Cook the Chinese herbs: Tao Ren, Zao Jiao Ci, Bai Jiang Cao, Hong Teng to make a concentrated solution. Soak a gauze with the decoction. Apply electrodes on the gauze attached to the uterus and ovarian areas over the abdomen. The micro-current will help the active ingredients in the herbal decoction to infiltrate the uterus and ovarian areas.
7. Enema with herbal decoctions 2-3 times a week is a very effective method for treating tubal blockages, fibroids, and endometriosis. Women can cook the same formula, Tao Hong Si Wu Tang with Xiang Fu, Lu Lu Tong, Shi Chang Pu, Yi Yi Ren with different dosage to do the enema. If they take the formula orally, they can reduce the enema to twice a week.
8. Do not use tampons because the backflow of blood is one of the factors causing endometriosis, especially when you have an estrogen dominance condition.
9. Do not eat too much spicy food which increases internal heat and inflammation in the uterus and ovaries. Women who eat too much spicy food tend to have severe menstrual cramps and long-term spotting.
10. Eliminate simple sugars from the diet to help restore estrogen and progesterone balance.
11. Avoid drinking alcohol if you would like to get pregnant in your current cycle because women tend to have more internal heat and phlegm after their progesterone levels go up post-ovulation, a condition exacerbated by alcohol. Alcohol also compromises the liver function, so the estrogen cannot be metabolized correctly.
12. Drink more water, especially during menstruation. This will help reduce inflammation and help improve your kidney and liver function.
13. Electrical acupuncture can not only improve the ovarian function to produce more progesterone but also can cleanse the uterus to get rid of old blood and grow the new uterus lining during menses. Patients will have shortened spotting time and less chance of getting an infection or inflammation in their uterine lining. The best time to cleanse is when a woman has her period or is still spotting. If the period is too heavy, you should wait until the period becomes less heavy.