What is a holistic approach to endometriosis? Often a holistic approach to healing and treating endometriosis are treatments that aims to treat the root cause of the disease and to lessen the pain. It uses a combination of natural remedies, nutrition, lifestyle changes and other complementary therapies to help support the body’s ability to heal itself from within.
The goal of this type of therapy is not just about managing your symptoms or managing your symptoms with medicine – it’s about getting rid of them completely in order for you to live a pain-free life without having any side effects and without causing harmful side effects on your body.
If you or one of your loved ones has been diagnosed with endometriosis, the road to treatment can be a tough and long one. Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed or dismissed by medical professionals as being “all in the patient’s head or heavy period flow.” And when it comes to treatment, many doctors are quick to prescribe invasive procedures, such as hormone therapy or surgery – but these can often do more harm than good.
The good news is that there are alternative therapies out there that may help alleviate symptoms and even treat endometriosis completely. What’s more, these treatments have fewer side effects and are less costly than traditional medical treatments for endometriosis. Here’s the big guide to a holistic approach to endometriosis.
Endometriosis & A Holistic Approach
When you hear the word “holistic,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of a warm glass of tea, or a stroll through nature. While these are both valid answers, for our purposes here we’re going to focus on holistic medicine’s approach to disease and treatment.
It’s important to understand that holistic medicine takes into account all aspects of the patient—their mind, body and spirit—in order to provide an effective treatment plan. This means treating not just the physical symptoms but also any mental or emotional ones that may be affecting your overall well-being.
Holistic practices have become increasingly popular in recent years; however one area where they haven’t been fully embraced is among endometriosis patients looking for relief from their pain symptoms. This article will explore some ways in which a holistic approach can help those with this particular medical condition so they can achieve greater overall health and wellness.
What is a holistic lifestyle
A holistic lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. A holistic lifestyle is one that helps you to stay healthy and feel good, be happy and have energy.
It’s not just about food or exercise – it’s also about how you think and feel, the way your body moves through space and time, how you interact with other people in your life…and every other aspect of your life too!
Check-up with a medical doctor
So before you do anything, make sure you’re in contact with a medical doctor. They can give you the endometriosis diagnosis and tell you more about your condition (for example, where the endo is in your body, if you have adenomyosis and more).
In my experience you have to guide the doctor (just ask) to the following checks, and make a list regarding the following symptoms:
- Check for physical symptoms. The most common symptoms include painful periods, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse and bowel problems.
- Check for hormonal symptoms. In addition to the above physical symptoms, you may notice mood swings or depression during your menstrual cycle or before your period begins. Tell your doctor.
- Check for emotional symptoms. You might also experience fatigue, tension or anxiety as a result of endometriosis-related pain. Therapy can help so tell your doctor.
- Check for stress levels in your life: Do you have a stressful job? Are there any major life changes taking place right now that could be affecting your health? Are you exercising regularly or eating well? Is it possible that environmental toxins like pesticides or chemicals are causing problems with your immune system?
- Look into lifestyle factors that may influence endometriosis like diet/nutrition (high sugar intake can increase inflammation), smoking habits (which can reduce oxygen supply) and alcohol consumption (which increases estrogen levels). While not directly related to endometriosis itself these factors may exacerbate existing conditions such as PCOS which may lead to worsening symptoms over time if continued unchecked!
Introduction to a holistic lifestyle
The word holistic means that something is viewed in its entirety. A holistic approach to endometriosis means taking a broad view of yourself, your body, and how you live your life. This can be difficult for someone who has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition like endometriosis because it requires that you look at everything about yourself and make changes to improve the quality of your life for the long term.
A holistic approach looks at many different factors including diet, exercise, stress management, sleep patterns and mental health. If you have endometriosis then these things are especially important as they will all affect how well your body responds to treatment or whether medication is even required at all.
Pain management natural pain relief
If you are looking for ways to manage your pain naturally, there are several options. Acupuncture, reflexology and yoga all have been shown to be effective in treating chronic pain conditions. Traditional Ayurveda treatment can also provide relief from many types of chronic pain by addressing the underlying cause of symptoms through lifestyle changes and herbal remedies. Massage therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation and stress levels in the body which both contribute to managing endometriosis-related pain.
Acupressure provides another alternative method for managing endometriosis-related menstrual cramps that is relatively easy to do at home (although there are some risks associated with overuse). Some people find that changing their diet helps ease their endometriosis symptoms while others prefer more traditional methods like massage therapy or acupressure sessions with acupuncture points on their lower abdomen area that correspond with areas where the uterus sits most often during menstruation (also known as menses).
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are natural forms of treatment. They are painless, safe, and effective for treating endometriosis and other conditions.
Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that involves inserting thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to relieve pain or treat certain symptoms related to endometriosis. It always helps me a lot with my pain management so I’d definitely recommend trying it!
Working out
Working out has many benefits, but it can be especially helpful for those of us with endometriosis.
- It helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
- It improves sleep quality.
- It relieves pain and helps you feel less bloated.
Check out our Endometriosis & working out guide to learn more.
Reflexology
Reflexology is a type of massage therapy that works on the feet and hands. Reflexology can be used to help ease the symptoms of endometriosis, by reducing stress and encouraging relaxation.
It may also help to reduce inflammation in your body, which is a common symptom of endometriosis. This means that reflexology is a great treatment for endometriosis if you are looking for something simple and easy to do. You don’t need any specific equipment or special skills – just your own hands!
Traditional Ayurveda treatment
Traditional Ayurveda treatment is a holistic approach to health, disease prevention and wellness. Ayurvedic practitioners use a combination of herbs, massage techniques, yoga, diet and lifestyle changes.
Ayurveda is a complete system of medicine that includes medical science, philosophy and spirituality. It has been practiced in India for thousands of years and many believe it offers relief from endometriosis symptoms.
Yoga practice
Yoga is a great way to relax and reduce stress. If you have endometriosis, yoga can help with back pain and other symptoms. Yoga also helps with digestion, which may be affected by endometriosis. The physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga can support you as you work toward healing from endometriosis.
Endometriosis affects all aspects of your life—your career, relationships with others and your self-esteem—so it’s important to take care of yourself by eating well and exercising regularly so that the disease doesn’t control how you live your life. Try taking a class or practicing at home; there are many online videos available on YouTube and our page here.
Massage
Massage is an effective way to relieve pain and stiffness. Massage can help with circulation and reduce inflammation, muscle tension and pain, stress relief, relaxation and sleep.
Massage helps with lymphatic drainage which helps prevent fluid retention that occurs in endometriosis. This also helps improve digestion as well as reduce bloating caused by water retention. Massage improves the quality of sleep you get at night which will help you feel more rested in the morning when it’s time to get up for work or school!
Dietary changes (no gluten, no white sugar, no dairy, no alcohol)
We have written a complete guide on Endometriosis & food here, but here’s a small recap. There are certain things that will help you avoid endometriosis pain, and there’s food that causes endometriosis pain.
If you have endometriosis, a diet high in fiber and low in fat may help reduce your pain. You will want to avoid highly processed foods and those that contain gluten, white sugar, dairy products or alcohol.
The endometriosis diet is also low in saturated fats and high in complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables. We’ve written a guide about the Endometriosis Diet here.
Check out the guide to see what you should eat, here are a few things you should try to avoid:
- Gluten-free diet: The gluten-free diet is a type of diet that limits foods containing gluten, which is a protein composite found in wheat, barley and rye.
- No white sugar: White sugar is bad for the body because it causes inflammation and the immune system to react negatively.
- No dairy: Dairy products cause inflammation in the body and can trigger Endometriosis symptoms such as pain, mood swings and fatigue.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can dehydrate you, deplete nutrients from your body (especially magnesium) and cause hormonal imbalances.
- No caffeine: Caffeine also acts as an irritant to your digestive tract which causes an inflammatory response in the body leading to endometriosis flares during your cycle or periods when consuming too much caffeine can lead to painful cramps during menstruation as well as headaches throughout the month due to dehydration caused by caffeine withdrawals between cycles or when stopping drinking coffee altogether after years being addicted!
Herbal teas and infusions
Herbal teas and infusions are a great way to help with endometriosis. Herbal teas and infusions can help with endometriosis because they have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Herbs that are known for helping with endometriosis include:
- Chamomile
- Calendula (marigold)
- Motherwort
- Yarrow
Stress & lifestyle
Stress and endometriosis are linked. It’s important that you manage stress to help reduce the symptoms of your condition, as well as any other health issues you may have.
There are many ways to help reduce stress in your daily life:
- Take time to relax each day. This can be anything from taking a bath or listening to music, all the way up to something more active like yoga or going for a run. If you have time, try doing both! You’ll feel much better afterward and it will make starting your day off on a positive note much easier when it comes down to it.
Conclusion
With the holistic approach you can help to ease the symptoms of endometriosis and even treat endometriosis completely, naturally with the help of professional naturopaths or holistic doctors/practitioners (holistic health care). I hope that this article will inspire you to take action and start the holistic journey for endometriosis treatment. It is possible to treat most of your symptoms naturally. This can help you avoid taking medications or undergoing surgery.