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Inflammation and Endometriosis. What Is the Connection? What Inflammatory Aids Can We Take?

Endometriosis is defined as an inflammatory condition by naturopaths and within homeopathic medicine. We know that as our tummy swells up with pain, we feel “swollen” all the time and we imagine we could stick a pin in our lower abdomen and it would just burst!

I personally think the reason the body becomes inflamed is similar to the reason we get allergies. It is the body’s over-reaction to perceived threats. Our Endometriosis is a little different though because the reason for the inflammation is quite justified. See, we have toxins in our body which I believe is the reason for the inflammation. These toxins sit in our fat cells and are a battle to get out. We can try and flush them or reduce them but the most obvious way to get them out is to reduce the amount of fat cells we have on and in the body. This means losing weight and avoiding fat in our diet, bad fats, that is! Cutting out dairy, meat and over-refined oils is the first step.

 

Other inflammatory signals are your lower back pain, your sore and aching knees or joints, inflamed bladder and aggravated bowels.

So what can we do?

 

Well, we can tackle the inflammatory response of  the body with herbs, foods and one key supplement. Once we have minimised the inflammation to a reasonable level, we can then flush out the fat and inherent toxins in the body. Great! Let’s get to it then…

 

Easy Anti-inflammatory foods/drinks to add into your diet

1. Blueberries, goji berries, strawberries and blackberries.

2. Aloe Vera (better in a juice if you can get it)

3. Turmeric

4. Wild salmon (heaps of Omega 3)

5. Mangosteen or Noni Juice

6. Ginger (you knew this one was going to be on the list 🙂

7. Bromelain found in pineapples. Make a juice with heaps of pineapple and you will get Bromelain from the natural source.

 

Some fabulous herbs

White Willow Bark – contain salicin and other agents that reduce pain. Unlike aspirin, meadowsweet does not contribute to peptic ulcers but instead has a reputation for easing ulcers, gastritis and other intestinal complaints. It is also great for lower back pain.

Boswellia – Boswellia produces boswellic acids in a resin and has been identified in research as the specific active anti-inflammatory ingredient in this herb. In clinical studies, these acids have been shown to significantly reduce inflammation.They deter inflammatory white cells from infiltrating damaged tissue. They improve blood flow to the joints. And they also block chemical reactions that set the stage for inflammation to occur such as endometriosis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

 

One key supplement

Omega 3 Fish Oil. I personally think Omega 3 Fish Oil is one of the easiest supplements to add and you get great results. It also has some side benefits too!

 

So, pick two of your favourite anti-inflammatory foods, herbs or drinks out of this list and drink or eat heaps of them. Omega 3 Fish Oil might take a few months to show its true potential so be patient with this one! I am keen to try Boswellia, so I shall be your guinea pig on that one for you and let you know how I go!

Are there any you know of that I haven’t mentioned? Feel free to share….

 

Hugs, Melissa x
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This Post Has 39 Comments

  1. Melissa

    I think low dose oestrogenic plants are fine. It is only the high dose ones like Flaxseeds that I try and avoid. What experience did you have with flax?

  2. Purdey

    Hi,
    I hear Purslane is a good source of Omega 3. However, do you know if it would have similar effect as Flaxseed (Oestrogenic on the body)?

    I found out about flaxseed the hard way, but it sure does help reduce the pain (funny, huh?)

  3. kwow

    I went on a very restricted sodium diet for interstitial cystitis and my menstual cramps, at least for the first month, were much less intense.

  4. Melissa

    Sounds interesting! Let me know what you discover so we can share it on here 🙂

  5. Ann-Marie

    I recently heard of someone who took colloidal silver and it dissolved an ovarian cyst she’s had with years! Duno how much she took or for how long etc. but it’s worked!
    And I know she’s struggled for years with this problem. I’m gona look into it further, never heard of the stuff until now.

  6. desiree

    For immflammation turmeric, flaxseed oil and organo oil (p73 only). Some say colloidal silver not too sure on that.

  7. Melissa

    Thanks for sharing Aubree. I will look into it further and do a blog on it soon 🙂 Great to have you share this valuable information! It could answer so many prayers!

  8. Melissa

    Hi Vivian. Of course you can add them all together – might taste a little nasty but it can be done 🙂 Fabulous if you can !
    I am launching a food course for endo girls shortly but for now, avoid dairy, meat, sugar and gluten – not all at once but aim for one a month and give yourself a few months to adjust – otherwise it just gets too hard!
    Organic chicken and fish are fine 🙂

  9. vivian

    Hi Melissa,

    Thanks for all your posts. I have bought all of the super foods you list. I am a bit concerned about using them all at once> do you have any suggestions on how to use them? I juice a bunch of fruit every morning can I put the aloe,maca root and sperilina all together in the juice? Also is there some type of menu to follow as I don’t know what to eat for the endo?
    is organic chicken ok? thank you sorry for all the questions

  10. jae

    I do need some direction lol :)) just dont really know what i should do first. Where i should start. Thsnks again Melissa, i appreciate all the work you put into this blog, you’re amazing! [Jae]

  11. Melissa

    Yeah couldn’t live without my Aloe! I just find it fixes everything and you can use it for your skin too!

  12. Melissa

    No probs! Thanks for all your input!

  13. Melissa

    Thanks for sharing Liz. I am a little hesitant on eating too much Flaxseed as it is also Oestrogenic on the body, so I prefer the Omega 3’s, Chia (contains heaps of it) and Maca Root.
    I love Turmeric and plan to grow my own once I have somewhere suitable to do that 🙂 The flower is really pretty too 🙂
    Another interesting thing. When I researched Oestrogen Dominance, dry skin and hair was one of the symptoms….. another possible connection 🙂

  14. Liz

    You mentioned Aloe Vera…..I take it in my juice in the morning. I buy it from http://www.vitacost.com and pour 2 capfuls into my drink and down the hatch. It helped my seasonal allergies too. Now my daughter takes it this way for her allergic reactions. Amazing stuff.

  15. Melissa

    Hi Jae! Love your email address 🙂 It is my pleasure and I am glad you are lapping it up! I know there is so much info here now. Let me know if you need some direction 🙂

  16. Jae

    I am feverishly taking notes. Having awoke in pain tonight/this morning where else to turn but here for HELP and a distraction! I’ve read the article and taken down everyone’s comments and suggestions for what is helping with them. I can NOT wait to get to the vitamin store this week and hopefully start adding some of these herbs, vitamins, etc., to my diet. Melissa, since finding this blog….I’m obsessed! You are truly amazing, I’m reading this blog night and day, it has SO MUCH information, it’s like the Endo Bible! Thank you thank you thank you, for all the hours you’ve put in at the library and your experiences that you share!

  17. Jaye

    I have had great success with Omega-3 Fish oil! During my last 2 periods, as I start to spot I make sure to take the maximum dose each day (I try to remember the rest of the month, too, but forget a lot). A “normal” period for me used to require taking at least 400mg of Ibuprofen every 4 hours for days to get through the pain. During the first period I tried the fish oil method, I took only 800 mg Ibu total! And I only took them to make sure I could get through a couple of business meetings on my worst days. My last period I took NO Ibuprofen!!

    I still get a spell where I get nauseated and loose blood pressure (feels like I’m going into shock). This happens only once per period on my very worst day. Only a hot bath or heating pad brings this around but I’m starting the Maca Root and see if that can help.

  18. Melissa

    Hi Ann-Marie! Happy to help. Exercise is also a great one to get into as it also gets rid of fat stores in the body. Fat stores also store toxins which make endo worse 🙂

  19. Ann-Marie

    Great video clip, I get it now, think I’ll enjoy using the packs a bit more now I’ve a better sense of what I’m actually doing! I thought the heat just encouraged the cysts to dissolve. Right! I’m off to buy a body brush! 🙂

  20. Melissa

    Excellent! Glad to hear it. Half it is knowing there are other options out there for us 🙂 I always find when I feel like I am getting nowhere or the pain is there again, I just spend some time in the library or on the internet and find heaps of new stuff to research!

  21. Julie

    Saturday night, I did just try it on my skin and it seemed to do alright. I have to say I have felt better in the past couple of days than I have in awhile.:) Thanks for the Olive Oil tip.

  22. Ann-Marie

    Hi Julie,

    I’m trying out these castor oil packs too, found it a bit painful getting the bits ready but once I sit down and rest that hot water bottle on myself I could snooze away regardless of the time lol I used a cloth the first few weeks, now I just apply the oil directly to my skin, place a pedal bin liner (much to the amusement of my husband) over that, followed by towel and hot water bottle. Can’t say I miss the cloth, haven’t had any reason to think it’s less effective without, so I’d say go ahead and cover yourself with the oil, the heat off the bottle is the key I think.
    Can anyone explain to me what these packs do for the endo and for cysts? I’ve googled it and felt bombarded by info, Melissa’s website has become my main site since finding it..:)

  23. Melissa

    I am so glad you had such a good result with the Castor Oil Pack! It is my pleasure 🙂 I guess you can try just applying the Castor Oil directly. Maybe also try mixing it with some Olive Oil to get rid of some of the stickiness. Trial and error I guess. Let me know how you go!

  24. Julie

    Hi Melissa,
    An article about detoxifying would be awesome! 🙂 I just did my first castor oil pack tonight, and it was AMAZING!! I was swollen earlier and in a little bit of pain. I could not believe just after one time how much the swelling went down and the pain was gone.:) Thank you so much for your tip and video about that. Is it possible to get the same effect by just applying the castor oil directly to the lower abdomen area instead of using the cloth and achieve the same results? I was thinking maybe that way might be a little less messy.

    Hugs,
    Julie

  25. April M

    Hello Melissa! Long time me no write~! haha

    What brand of Aloe Vera do YOU drink? I’ll go get some tomorrow!

    I definitely notice a huge difference in how I feel when I stop eating all types of sugar. I also don’t eat meat at all so that’s not an issue w/me. I wish every slaughterhouse had glass buildings! So everyone could see just what they’re eating. UGH. ;-0

    I love your emails! Keep ’em coming! 😉

    April M

  26. Melissa

    Tincture or the real thing are definitely the way to go! I shall do an article for you on detoxifying. I don’t want to go too extreme so will do some research shortly….
    Thanks. Have a good weekend too 🙂 Hugs Melissa

  27. Melissa

    I definitely reckon there is a link. I think they work hand in hand. Much like when your immune system is down with allergies. Allergies are just an overreaction by the body as it feels that pollen, dust etc are a threat. I reckon we do the same with inflammation. So if we boost our immune system the body will recognise that it is “over reacting” and that combined with anti-inflammatories should do the trick! What do you think… make sense?

  28. Julie

    The turmeric I get in tincture. What is the best way to go about detoxing the body? Enjoy your time with your family this weekend! 🙂

    Hugs,
    Julie

  29. Allannah Law

    Hey Melissa,

    Thanks for this info. Can inflammation also be a reason why some women with endo test positive to Auto immune blood tests? I know the test is about measuring auto antibodies but is there a link do you think?

    Namaste
    Allannah

  30. Melissa

    Hi April. Aloe Vera is quite a tricky one. I wish I could grow it myself! I found a company called Forever Living Products. Their Aloe Vera is really good. It has real bits in it 🙂 I don’t trust Aloe Vera which is in clear bottles as when you make Aloe from scratch they suggest storing it in a dark bottle as it goes off otherwise. So, the clear bottled ones must have something in there to keep them from going off. Hey, I could be wrong…. check the ingredients – they might have a used by date of only a month which would be good.
    Yeah I know slaugther houses are nasty places. I figure if you can’t kill it yourself,you shouldn’t be allowed to eat it. The idea of it just freaks me out!

    Well done on noticing sugar. This is such a hard one for us endo girls. I know it was massive for me but now I don’t even miss it! 🙂

    No probs! Love your comments….keep em coming 🙂
    Melissa

  31. Melissa

    Hi Julie,
    Happy to hear it is going so well. The Evening Primrose Oil will take a while. Some say it takes up to 3months to have an effect. Not sure about Turmeric but maybe check the source on that one – did you get in a tincture or are you juicing real turmeric? Inflammatory foods will always take a while as your body is used to being inflammed. It does also require a detox of the rest of the body to work – yip diet and real fruit juice.
    Thanks having a great week! Family coming up on the weekend! Let me know how you go on the White Willow Bark!

    Hugs back!
    Melissa

  32. Melissa

    Those sound fabulous! Brilliant suggestions! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  33. Julie

    Hi Melissa,
    I have added turmeric and evening primrose oil along with the other supplements that I have been taking. The slippery elm that you have suggested has really done wonders for me with my digestive system. I’m not getting that gassy indigestive feeling anymore like I used to every time I would eat something. I do take the turmeric and evening primrose oil 3 times a day. I know sometimes with herbs it does take awhile for it to really get into your system to get relief. Any idea on how long it takes with turmeric and the evening primrose oil to tell if it is making a difference? I just order the ‘Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet cookbook which I am excited about trying out.:) Thanks for the info, and I am going to try out the white willow bark too for my lower back pain.Hope your having a good week! 🙂

    Hugs!
    Julie

  34. Danielle

    I use borage oil and EPO in conjunction. I take 4 1300 mg of EPO daily and one small borage oil pill at night. I also take zinc and b6 and during my luteal phase, I take calcium magnesium zinc which HELPS so much with the cramping.

  35. Melissa

    Hi Laura! Glad to hear the Aloe is helping plus cutting out meat, wheat and dairy 🙂
    Evening Primrose is also a great one for inflammation – definitely add that one on the list! Thanks for reminding me! I’ll add it in now….
    Really? Great idea with Chai. Chai also has Omega 3 in it which is fabulous!
    No probs! Keep commenting and I will keep writing 🙂
    Melissa xx

  36. Laura

    Thanks Melissa,

    The Aloe Juice I take twice daily is really starting to help now. And cutting meat (mostly) and wheat and diary from my diet have made me feel like a new person!!! It’s so nice not to feel bloated all the time. I had got so used to that feeling (since I was a teenager) that I didn’t know any different.
    How about Evening Primrose Oil?
    Getting better with the Macca Root, but still haven’t got a blender yet so haven’t tried the smoothie recipe I find it works will in Chai.

    Thanks again for all your posts 🙂

    Laura xx

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