4 Natural Ways to Combat Endometriosis

By: Rylee Dahl

I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis this past March after knowing that I had it for a few years. On average, it takes six years to get a diagnosis and from that point, solutions involving medications and oftentimes surgery, are thrown at you.

I’m very much involved with my health in terms of healing myself holistically and naturally. For example, I no longer take any medications whether it be birth control, pain managers (Orilissa), or antibiotics. I have, for the most part, figured out how to control my symptoms and am able to live a mostly pain-free life. Here are a few tips I’ve gathered that have helped me combat endometriosis.

THC/CBD Oil

Although not legal in all states, this has been a necessity in my endometriosis regimen. CBD products have become popular but are essentially useless without THC. Both need to be present to fully combat pain and even suppress endometriotic cells. When micro-dosed, these components are able to stay in the body consistently unlike smoking according to pain waves. Also, since it’s a microdose you’re able to go about your day normally unless you happen to be sensitive to THC in which case a subtle high could be felt.

SIBO

The acronym stands for ‘small intestinal bacterial overgrowth’ and new research shows that there is a link between SIBO and endometriosis. The tissue adhesions that endometriosis creates can cause pockets in the small intestines resulting in bacteria that get stuck, creating an overgrowth. When that happens, symptoms like bloating, malabsorption, and multiple morning bowel movements can occur. I deal with this issue myself and have luckily found the supplements to help treat it. Dr. Amy Myers has developed a SIBO kit that contains an herbal supplement and soil-based probiotic so you can heal your gut without harsh antibiotics.

Go gluten-free

I suggest taking an honest look at your diet because the food you eat can directly affect hormones which are obviously associated with the reproductive and thyroid systems and therefore endometriosis. Everyone’s body is different in terms of what foods might cause imbalances, for example, some people might need to stay away from nightshades. The component that can be generalized is gluten. If you have this disease, it’s important to adopt a gluten-free diet because it will lessen the amount of inflammation in the body resulting in less pain.

Exercise

Throughout my medical history, I was always told to exercise to help with pain management and I never understood why it mattered. After doing my own research and implementing yoga, I realized that it actually does help in calming inflammation. I specifically said yoga because it’s important to stretch out the muscles in the lower abdomen that are constantly tight and strained from endometriosis.

These four tools have seriously changed my life by allowing me to live mostly pain-free. It’s almost a full-time job researching and figuring out the best ways to combat this with the scientific proof so I hope this reaches the right people and can aid in any relief.