Healing Endometriosis Naturally

Endometriosis remains mysterious in terms of what causes it and how to heal, even if you do opt to use medical interventions. There is a lot we do know and probably even more that we have yet to understand, biomedically speaking. However, there is good news! 

Women are waking up to the energetic and physical root causes that lead to this sometimes debilitating issue. Here I’ll help you understand more than just the basics of endometriosis based on modern research and ancient science. Read until the end to be sure you can get started healing with the 5 essential healing steps!  

Understanding This Condition 

It can take up to 10 years to get a proper diagnosis of endometriosis! For some, it will be important to confirm that diagnosis, and for others it won’t matter as much. To have an actual diagnosis, you have to have an exploratory surgery that looks for endometrial lesions within the pelvic space. Many women don’t want to do that! Rightfully so. 

Here is what you need to know about endo:

• It is a systemic issue - affecting gut health, immune function, inflammatory response and fertility.
• It includes the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the womb space. This is often on the ovaries, intestines and outside of the uterus but it can even migrate further or be found in other areas. This can create adhesions, scar tissue, inflammation and pain in the pelvic bowl and beyond.
  
• The key clinical indication for endometriosis is severe pain - with menstruation but often also during other times of the cycle. The pain can be truly relentless and disrupt daily activities.
• Biomedicine treatment options include: surgery (including complete hysterectomy in severe cases), hormonal contraceptives and hormonal suppression via pharmaceuticals (like lupron). These can be ineffective or come with side effects.
• This affects approximately 1 in 10 women during their reproductive life; however, I would guess that number is a lot higher because some will never confirm diagnosis.
• While the biomedical cause remains uncertain, there are many theories including environmental toxin exposure, genetics and even autoimmunity 

Are you wondering if you have it? 

I know you might be here because you are wondering if you have endometriosis or if you’re a practitioner you might want to know what to look out for.

Here are some common signs and symptoms of endo

• Severe, stabbing or pulling menstrual pain that can extend into the back or down the legs. This often begins before flow and goes into the bleeding time.
• Pain with ovulation or at other times during the cycle.
• Pain with bowel movements or urination, especially while bleeding.
• Pelvic pain with penetration.
• Bloating, gas or digestive changes throughout the cycle.
• Fatigue or emotional changes associated with pain.
• “Unexplained” infertility. 

Remember the standard for diagnosis is exploratory surgery, which can also cause more adhesions or scar tissue. There are other forms of diagnostic imaging that you could consider if desired.

Alternatively, you can move towards the healing spiral and consider what might be needed to heal from the roots up!

Let’s consider the Chinese Medicine POV

Endometriosis is like many other modern illnesses that have both elements of excess and underlying deficiency. An excess is something that needs to be cleared away while a deficiency requires tonification and support. With endometriosis, there can also be heat and cold. That heat or cold can be caused by excess or deficiency.

Confused yet? Don’t worry. I’m going to break it down for you. 

Chinese Medicine identifies patterns of dysfunction. One disease can have many different root cause patterns, but here is what I see most commonly when it comes to endometriosis:

1. Blood stagnation - Endometriosis is quite literally stagnant tissue that causes inflammation and pain. This is the excess.
2. Yang deficiency - It’s insufficient Yang, specifically Kidney and Spleen Yang, that causes the Blood stagnation. This is the deficiency and often the more hidden root cause.

This combination eventually leads to Blood deficiency, which may or may not include clinical anemia, and Yin deficiency which often affects the Womb Heart axis and manifests as HPA (hypothalamus pituitary adrenal) axis dysfunction.

We’ve got the following involved at the root level: gut health (Spleen), adrenals, immune function and inflammatory processes.

If you’re like what is she talking about, I get it! Endometriosis is one of the more complex conditions that I see in my practice and yet the solutions are still simple.

Here are the 5 Essential Healing Steps

1. Get to the root cause 

You’re already doing that by reading this article! You may also decide to pursue functional lab testing. If you do, I recommend the DUTCH complete to understand your hormones in a detail oriented way, including stress hormones. With endo, there can be issues with progesterone production and estrogen elimination and this test helps you understand the nuance. I also recommend the GI Map to understand your gut microbiome and digestive capacity which is often a big player in the root cause of endo. 

2. Heal your gut to nourish your womb

To heal endo, you need to be eating nourishing foods, digesting that food well and have the capacity to absorb much needed nutrients for regular ovulation and lowering inflammation. I recommend a bio-individual approach to food, and there is enough research and experience to back up the following: 

For endometriosis, it can help to avoid these foods: 

• A2 pasteurized dairy
• Seed oils
• Gluten grains
• Alcohol
• Refined sugar in excess amounts 

Instead, focus on these foods:

• Wild caught fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, sardines and mackerel

• Leafy greens and a wide range of cruciferous and root veggies

• Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir or kombucha to support gut microbiome and estrogen elimination

• Ginger and turmeric in meals or as a warm herbal remedy to lower inflammation and pain

• Ample fats and protein - always!

 3. Regulate your blood sugar, sleep, and nervous system 

Finding more regulation in your day to day life can feel like an uphill battle. There are so many demands and pulls on our energy, yet it’s essential to prioritize these very simple things if you want to find lasting healing. 

Regulating your blood sugar looks like: 

• Eating within 45 minutes of waking
• Pairing protein with fats and carbs for all meals and snacks
• Not skipping meals
• Not drinking caffeine on an empty stomach
• Eating enough! Aim for 100g of protein daily 

This supports regular ovulation and boosts progesterone production which can help with endo symptoms.

Ensuring you get enough sleep at the right times is also essential. This looks like going to sleep before 11pm and having morning light exposure for approximately 10 minutes before 10am. This regulates your melatonin production, supports your metabolism and lowers inflammation. 

Nervous system healing helps your body adapt and respond better to stressors in our environment! It can look like taking a walk and orienting to the natural world or co-regulating with a friend or loved one. 

4. Liberate yourself from stress and endocrine disruptors 

We all know that stress can impact our hormones but what does that really mean? Especially when it comes to endometriosis.

We are surrounded by chemical stressors known as endocrine disruptors and those impact how our body responds to our own hormones. These endocrine disrupting chemicals can be found in everything from beauty products to food containers, household products and so much more. They often have an affinity for estrogen receptors and can mimic estrogen in the body and interfere with liver detoxification. Get started ridding yourself of these here.

There is also emotional stress or perceived stress. These stress responses can get trapped in the body and lead to what’s called Liver Qi Stagnation in Chinese Medicine. A really important part of working with this pattern is moving the body, ideally in nature or in an embodied way. I really recommend EroSpark Movement for this! 

5. Integrate your Womb-Heart connection

An important thread in the endometriosis matrix is the Womb Heart connection.

In Chinese Medicine, the Womb is one place emotional shock or trauma can be stored away from the Heart Empress. Ideally, this is later integrated when the body has the resources to do so.

It’s a lot like what we now know from nervous system or somatic healing. The body stores past experiences until we have the capacity to metabolize and integrate. 

Many women who have endometriosis need support for integration and clearing emotional stagnation, which can be a root cause. Trauma healing can be a much needed part of this process! 

May all of this serve as a reminder that there are solutions outside the medical model. You don’t have to rely on hormonal contraceptives or surgery, although this is not a judgment if you have used those things!

Endometriosis can be such a heartbreaking and painful journey but it doesn’t have to be this way.

I’ve helped many women heal from this using the methods I’ve outlined above. If you’re interested in exploring this more be sure you’re receiving my Womb Tending Weekly email for updates on courses, workshops and working with me one on one.