Balance Your Hormones Naturally - Part 4

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is attributed to increased oestrogen levels. Although surgery and hormone treatment are helpful, they don't address the underlying causes of this chronic hormone imbalance. Endometriosis often causes many health problems including chronic severe pain reduced ability to work and infertility.

I personally have found that most cases of Endometriosis respond well to natural therapies. Sometimes Endometriosis is linked to emotional or physical abuse. These individuals need to heal their past for a complete recovery. I have known of miraculous results produced by the reading the Louise Hay book You Can Heal Your Life.

Endometriosis Case History

At 36 years of age Mary suffered miserably, due to her many health problems. She was enduring bad sleep, severe tiredness, diarrhoea, chronic back pain, intestinal wind, and two periods every month. A recent laparoscopic operation had diagnosed endometriosis.

Looking at her iris revealed congested lymphatics and very weak blood. Further evaluation showed that Mary was reacting very badly to wheat, and less strongly to other gluten grains such as rye and oats, the other, dairy foods, the nightshade, vegetables - potato, tomato, eggplant tobacco, monosodium glutonate (MSG) and shellfish. I recommended she reduce her intake of these foods.

Mary said "If I can"t eat my marinara (which is pasta with tomato and seafood) and bread what is there left to live on. I answered "rice pasta and sour dough bread, preferably not wheat". Sour dough bread is the natural fermenting of flour by natural yeast it's the old fashioned natural way of making bread. This fermentation causes the dough to raise makes the carbohydrate more digestible and absorbable."

For Mary eating foods she was reacting poorly to (this is allergy), was hindering her ability to absorb nourishment. I asked Mary "did you ever mix flour and water to make glue when you were small?". She nodded. I said "gluten not good for your guts". She then laughed as she nodded.

Nutritional improvement was crucial to Mary's recovery. So I recommended that she eat more green and orange vegetables, home made vegetable soup, rice and cold water fish. For snacks between meals, fresh fruit would provide nutrition and energy. Luckily Mary enjoyed rice cakes - as they were much better for her health than bread.

Mary said "I'll give it all a go for a month, and see if I feel any better - but I'm not doing it forever". Desperation and fear of the endometriosis returning motivated her to drastically change her diet. I assurpd her that she would not have to do it forevgr, only till her health was strong again. Then she would probably could eat almost all foods. We would just have to take things slowly.

The vitamin supplements I recommended included a lactobac powder supplement, a herb concentrate tablet of St. Marys Thistle, a blood tonic containing iron B vitamins herbs and minerals, and a powerful echinacea C, E and zinc complex. At bedtime she took a magnesium potassium calcium complex and activated charcoal.

After one month Mary was sleeping well, and her back pain greatly improved. Also, intestinal wind was no longer causing regular discomfort nor embarrassment. Mary had much more energy and said " I am really starting to enjoy life for the first time in ages, so I'm going to keep going with all this but just for one more month". As Mary was still having two periods a month, I added a homoeopathic hormone balancing formula to her program that otherwise remained the same.

Mary's next menstrual period was a month later - she was ecstatic. None of her endometrial symptoms had returned, although her period was still very heavy. Again Mary started to go out dancing and play tennis.

After three months she was sleeping well. Tiredness was now only apparent if she regularly burnt the candle at both ends. She now listened to the wisdom of her body and rested more when her body signalled that she needed to. Her periods remained regular and without endometrial symptoms.

Another year has passed and Mary has not had any further endometriosis symptoms. Her periods remain regular and without any debilitating symptoms. She was so pleased with her original nutrition program and she remains fairly true to it. Mary and I still send each other Christmas cards each year.

Endometriosis and infertility case history.

Joan was a remarried 34 year old mother of two young children who had been trying to conceive for over two years. Her doctor thought that she had endometriosis, which was implicated as a possible cause of her infertility. In addition Joan had been unable to taste or smell since the birth of her second child several years ago, and often had a windy bloated stomach.

A zinc tally test showed that Joan was zinc deficient. Lack of taste and smell are key symptoms of zinc deficiency. To date more than 200 zinc dependant enzymes have actually been identified in all the main biochemical pathways.

Zinc is involved in all life processes. It is also vital for many hormonal activities including the sex hormones. It is also scientifically known to be anti-viral anti-bacterial antifungal and protective in animals against otherwise lethal irradiation.

I placed Joan on a nutrition program that included zinc supplementation. I recommended where possible she eat sour dough type breads, either white whole or multi-grain. Also lots of rice, white, brown, as biscuits, noodles or as pasta. Rice is the most commonly eaten gluten free grain. Other non gluten grains include corn and buckwheat.

As vegetable fibre it is the most needed by our body, I recommended that she eat lots of vegetables. Bran is a bowel irritant high in fibre, phytates, phytic acid, and pesticide residues, and it contains no vitamins and minerals as vegetables do. Phytates, phytic acid, are well know for their ability to reduce mineral absorption. So I encouraged Joan to avoid bran and reduce wheat, especially as she was suffering intestinal gas and bloating.

For fertility is is best to avoid all caffeine. According to medical studies, women consuming greater than 100mg of coffee per day have 40% less chance of conceiving. Women consuming high levels of caffeine (four or more cups per day), had greater difficulty getting pregnant than those who abstained.

Sources of Caffeine		Caffeine (mg)
coffee (178ml or 6oz)	approximate average	100
	average from ground beans	66-80
	automatic percolated	75-140
	filter drip	110-180
	instant regular	60-90
	instant decaffeinated	2-6
tea (178ml or 60z)	weak (bag)	20-45
	strong (bag)	79-100
cola drinks (280ml or 10oz)		22-50
cocoa products	chocolate milk (225ml or 7.5oz)	2-7
	hot cocoa (178ml or 6oz)	6-30
	dark chocolate bar (56g or 2oz)	40-50
	milk chocolate bar (56g or 2oz)	3-20
	baking chocolate (28g or 1oz)	25-35
medications (1 tab or capsule)	cold remedies	15-30
	headache relievers	30-32
	weight control aids	120-200
	some diuretics	40-100

Caffeine inhibits absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron zinc etc. This is why it is important to avoid caffeine for 1.5 hours before eating and for 2 hours after eating.

I also recommended that Joan use avocado humus, tahina, which are very mineral rich instead of butter or margarine. I also suggested that she reduce her consumption of all dairy foods.

The day after she started zinc supplementation she was able to taste and smell again for the first time in 2 years. Her windy bloated stomach, disappeared within a week, and she conceived the following month, and now has a healthy boy called Michael.

Joan sent me a photo-card of Michael when he was 2 months old. The photo-card said "Dear Miriam, thankyou very much for your program, only with your help and encouragement are we enjoying parenthood. We are having a wonderful time with Michael, he is full of smiles and little laughs. Michael is stacking on weight, and is a very enthusiastic eater. As he is such a good sleeper, (nine to twelve hours a night) we think we will keep him. Thanks again. Regards Joan".

Go to Part 5 - Thrush

©1998 Miriam Orwin. This article may not be reproduced in part or full without the author's written consent.