3 Lifestyle Changes to Manage Endometriosis
Oct 09, 2022
I had an appointment with a holistic gynecologist, a doctor specializing in women’s health and natural treatments. This appointment was different from any of regular medical providers I’ve had in the past. We spent nearly two hours discussing the significance of balancing our physical, mental, and spiritual selves and which ones needed more attention. Ultimately, we discussed alternative options to prevent my endometrioma from reoccurring instead of using birth control. I wanted to avoid this naturally and create a healthy foundation to have another baby as well.
Just a month ago, I had a laparoscopic cystectomy and partial oophorectomy . This means they made 3 small incisions in my abdomen and used a small camera and tools to drain and remove an 8.6cm cyst, along with pieces of my ovary that the cyst was stuck on.
There are many reasons why these 3 pointers provide a foundation for optimum gynecological health and prevent an endometrioma from reoccurring, but these were my major takeaways…
1. EAT THE RIGHT FOODS
We’re always told what NOT to eat, so it’s refreshing to hear what foods we should include in our diet. Here are 3 reasons how food can help – balance hormones, boost immune system, optimize digestive health
BALANCE HORMONES
βοΈ Eat more cruciferous vegetables because they metabolize excess estrogen to prevent estrogen dominance. These veggies include: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, daikon radish, bok choy and more.
π PRO TIP: I buy the large bags of frozen broccoli and cauliflower mix to always have some veggies on hand in my freezer. It goes great as a side to almost any dish roasted or mixed in.
BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM
βοΈ Eat At LEAST 2 cups of fruits and 2 cups of vegetables a day. The more, the better!
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and phytonutrients that help our immune system function optimally.
π PRO TIP: One of the best ways I’ve been able to implement this is by making smoothies! In the morning, I’ll blend up a smoothie with fruits, vegetables, and other superfoods and sip on it throughout the day. However, the weather is getting too cold for smoothies. I’m going to have to find an alternative. Comment below if you have tips for me on how to include more fruits and vegetables!
βοΈ Eat fermented foods
These are high in probiotics that feed the good bacteria in your gut and can decrease inflammation.
– Foods: Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, yogurt plus many more.
π PRO TIP: Look for raw sauerkraut found in most grocery stores and Costco. They taste more fresh than what we usually see on a hot dog. It’s great as a side to most dishes; I’ll eat it on the side of roasted salmon, or any other meats, and on top of salads.
– Drinks: Kefir, kombucha
π PRO TIP:I’m not a big fan of dairy products, so this was always hard for me to eat more probiotics. However, my all-time favorite coconut water brand – Harmless Harvest – just came out with dairy-free kefir, and it tastes refreshing!
OPTIMIZE DIGESTIVE HEALTH
Our gut health is our second brain. It is essential to realize what we eat affects all of the above – our hormonal balance and our immune system.
βοΈ EAT LESS highly processed foods with added sugar and chemicals, and EAT MORE whole foods.
β¬οΈ EAT MORE fresh roasted potatoes, β¬οΈ EAT LESS bagged chips.
β¬οΈ EAT MORE freshly sliced roasted chicken or turkey,β¬οΈ EAT LESS processed sandwich deli meat.
β¬οΈ DRINK MORE fruit infused water or smoothies,β¬οΈ DRINK LESS soda
βοΈ My barrier: This was no surprise to me, but doing this is always harder than it seems. One of my hobbies is baking desserts, and I even used to cater on the side. I almost always taste test what I make before selling it. How do I find a way around that? Do I trust the process and don’t make an excuse to eat it? Trust my husband to taste test it?
βοΈ I have been able to cut out sandwich meats and substitute it for chicken in the past. But I LOVE BACON. I love bacon in cheeseburgers, as a side or in my egg omelets, bacon pieces sprinkled over my pasta. I rather season my foods with bacon pieces instead of salt! I have been able to cut out all animal meats for the last few months (more on that in another post), but bacon is something I plan on eating on occasions. Let’s see if fasting from bacon for a certain amount of time will change my mind. Stay tuned!
βοΈ $$ BUDGET. I think many of us can agree that ANY changes we make, even for the better, costs money! It may or may not cost very much, but the point is – it is changing our budget and our purchasing habits – and that can be very hard to accommodate. We’ve heard all the things: it’s an excellent long term investment in our health, it’ll save us money, it’s an act of self-care. We know WHY we have to do this, but HOW?! Comment below if you want to hear how I am working on my budget to adjust to these changes.
2. CREATE HEALTHY HABITS
βοΈ Don’t smoke, drink alcohol occasionally, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, get adequate sleep, and minimize stress.
BROKEN RECORD MOMENT: We have heard these things before, but sometimes we have to listen to them again and again until we do something about it. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol at all, but all those other areas – I swear I’m working on it!
GET ADEQUATE SLEEP
βοΈ My barrier: Sleep is something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember. WHY? An accumulation of all the stress in my life has made me feel innately unsafe to sleep.
Problem: On my worst days, this is my poor sleep cycle…
– I’m not one of those people who can lay down and somehow fall asleep right away (like my husband, #jealous). In fact, it takes me hours sometimes.
– Light sleeper
– Wake up often through the night
– Takes hours for me to fall back asleep again
– Wake up exhausted and not ready to take on the day
Solution: My attempts to resolve this…
βοΈ Create a regular bedtime routine
– Even though I already do this with my toddler, I have to tell myself this is also for me. I’m so hyper-focused on her that I forget the care I give her also applies to the care I should be giving myself. Just making this ONE mental shift and say it’s OUR bedtime routine, instead of just for her can make a huge difference. #mindpower #self-care
βοΈ The doctor recommends I take melatonin. It not only helps with sleep, but it is also a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation in our body.
π PRO TIP: Research the cleanest supplements to minimize unnecessary side effects and ingestion of added chemicals. My husband took melatonin from the drug store and said it made him feel very groggy and icky the next day. I am taking melatonin supplements prescribed by the doctor from a reputable company that makes clean vegan and gluten-free products, and so far, I have had no side effects.
MINIMIZE STRESS
Learn how to tap into my internal healing by calming my hormone, cortisol. Stress releases cortisol in our body. If our body is in constant stress, it can cause inflammatory reactions, which can worsen endometriosis symptoms, and on a side note – gain weight and get sick often.
βοΈ Learn to meditate. It is one of the most beneficial things we can do for our bodies. Especially living in such a fast-paced world, we have to learn how to slow it down to give our body a chance to recuperate.
π PRO TIP: Youtube offers valuable guided meditations, and the best time I’ve found for me to implement this is first thing in the morning before the baby (and everyone else) wakes up for about 10 minutes. Comment below and tell me what you do to manage your stress?
βοΈ Decrease external stress factors that we CAN control
There is stress even in places we don’t realize. We may THINK we’re fine, we can handle it mentally, but our bodies are overworked and stressed. Even the beautiful and blessed things can be stressful – like buying a new home, starting a new job, having a baby. The real question is, how much is on our plate – good or bad – and what can we do to manage it so that our body is not stressed?
The doctor recommended that the best thing for me to do is take time off work to concentrate on my health. The kind of work I do is mentally taxing and physically stressful, and managing my family with a toddler is already stressful enough. I feel like I’m not THAT bad to take that kind of time off work since I only work part-time. But as she mentioned, my body is on fire, and the endometrioma was another reminder that stress and inflammation are taking over inside me.
3. REMOVE ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS
βοΈ Decrease plastic use
Does anyone have recommendations to replace the baby’s plastic utensils/plates with something more natural? Double thumbs up if it is microwave safe? I’ll definitely add this to my next budget.
βοΈ Decrease harsh chemical cleaners in your home
βοΈ My barrier: This one is hard for my husband and me because we are germophobic. We both work in a hospital where we use “hospital grade” disinfectants, which I feel like nothing is clean unless we use the most potent chemicals. We like the strongest Lysol, Clorox bleach, and anything that says it kills 99.9% of bugs at home. Comment below to let me know if you have any tips because I’m trying!
βοΈ Use organic natural beauty products
The doctor said, “if you can’t eat it, it shouldn’t go on your skin either.”
I’ve witnessed this first hand by the products I’ve applied to my newborn baby’s skin. We were extremely cautious and mindful about the products we used on or around the baby and noticed what different products worked and didn’t work on her newborn skin! Comment below if you want to learn about the best skincare products I use for my family.
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What a great list of things I learned in one session from the doctor! I am genuinely grateful for her time and expertise. The most enlightening moment I had with this doctor was when she recognized that I have been dealing with inflammation my whole life.
Besides the obvious autoimmune disease, my symptoms include eczema, fibromyalgia, migraines, depression, and panic attacks, and now, this endometrioma, are all caused by increased inflammatory activity. These conditions aren’t just a disease process; they’re our body’s response to one common thing – chronic inflammation. The doctor said it perfectly – “Your body is on fire and is crying for help.”
Finding and healing the root cause of my inflammation may heal all my other symptoms. She recommended some amazing resources that I will be reviewing and sharing soon!
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