I got another one of those comments the other day. You know the ones where someone is suggesting that what I am sharing is dangerous and that we should all see a medical professional and use prescribed drugs for Endometriosis, and that there are potential dangers with using the natural approach for Endometriosis. This was someone advocating the use of Depo Provera—I can’t think of a worse drug to use for Endometriosis!
Here’s the thing that really annoys me.
If you read the Hippocrates Oath and what it is all about—this is an oath all medical doctors are sworn into in the US—it clearly states:
First do no harm.
This means, we should opt for things that are not harmful to the body FIRST before resorting to things that have potential dangers and side effects.
I once sat down and read the side effects on a basic headache tablet. It was scary. I then took it one step further and decided to read the side effects of the contraceptive pill, painkillers and yes, even things like Lupron.
This stuff is seriously ridiculous. Does no one consider these drugs and their side effects as dangerous? Does no one think about it anymore? Are we place all our faith in doctors that we don’t think about what might happen when we take all of these things? With all of those side effects? What about when we combine a whole bunch of these chemicals together? I know for many years I would take a whole combination of various drugs to deal with all the various side effects of my Endo and my treatments.
So, let us really look at some of these side effects and what they mean. Are we really that much better off if we have to live with a list of these things?
My favourite:
- Hair growth in unfamiliar places
- Sudden numbness or weakness
- Feeling like you want to pass out
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Loss of interest in sex
Here are a few just to whet your appetite: (click on links and they will open in a separate page)
I have written an article on this one in the past and there are people working hard to get this one off the market. Check it out.
This one actually has a massive warning sign about the potential of irreparable bone loss. Let us welcome osteoporosis right now!
I want to ask you if you think that an approach where we can rebalance the body naturally, without any negative side effects, where we use common sense and logic to rebalance the body, is dangerous? We are not using anything the body doesn’t naturally desire or know how to use. There are no potential side effects and the body is not put under any kind of strain—like in the case of most drugs and hormone treatments where the liver, kidneys and stomach are all put under strain.
Why do we feel comfortable to trust someone else’s opinion for what our bodies need? Do we really feel that they have a better understanding of our bodies? Do we feel that perhaps they know something we don’t? Let me tell you… in most cases they know less than they will admit, especially when it comes to Endometriosis.
Doctors and gynecologists are completely baffled about Endometriosis. No one knows what causes it or why it spreads. It is a constant mystery and yet we trust them to give us hormone-based treatments with a long and dangerous list of side effects and yet… we don’t question this? They simply don’t know and they are using drugs and hormone treatments, which were often designed for a completely different condition. Oh well, let’s just try it on Endometriosis?
Have you read the most common side effects? Do you believe they are better than just dealing with Endometriosis as it is?
You might have most of those symptoms already—why induce them in your body?
Why do we trust in a medical system that produces drugs that cause women to become permanently paralysed or die and think that is okay?
“The FDA has received more than 12,000 reports of adverse events linked to Lupron, including more than 1,100 deaths.” Read full article here.
Does permanent neurological damage mean anything?
Dr Mercola shares his views on Lupron.
But Mel… the Endometriosis will spread if we don’t do something!
The Endometriosis spreads and gets worse with countless surgeries and manipulating hormones too. Do you know that adhesions are a direct result of surgeries performed poorly within our abdominal cavity? Do you know that taking synthetic hormones for years at a time affects our liver? The liver is the key organ at regulating hormones and here we are pumping it full of synthetics. Does that make sense?
Do you understand why Endometriosis grows? It inevitably grows because the body is lacking in the right nutrients and is overwhelmed with toxins. Do we really want to add more toxins to the body and keep eating our standard western diet and expect change?
I wish women with Endometriosis would open their eyes.
We are smarter than this, ladies. We are smarter than believing that our only options are surgery and hormone treatments. When we mess with nature—the essence of intelligence that exists within our bodies—we are messing with more than we could possibly understand. It is damaging to believe that anyone could ever fully know or understand the body. It is a massive and wonderful mystery and should be left alone, rather than poked and prodded with all these foreign things.
Science in a petri dish is not the same as science on a human body!
I get it. I get that having Endometriosis is scary. I get that there is little information and we want the pain to go away.
The thing I don’t get is why we can’t see that our bodies are perfect in their design. They are intricate and sensitive and the workings of the body are incredibly complex. I don’t get why we can’t respect its genius and work with it and help it and allow it to do its healing and reach its homeostasis, all by itself. We need to let our egos step aside and finally get empowered about what our bodies really need.
Nutrient-rich foods. Exercise. A positive mindset. Cleansing of toxins & rebalancing with the help of herbs and plants.
It is not complex and yet somehow we dismiss it.
Providing the healing tools for your body. Provide the right environment for it to feel good. Trust…
I hope this message reaches all the women in the world with Endometriosis who are struggling. Chances are, you are struggling with symptoms and side effects of whatever form of treatment you are on.
Perhaps it is time to really think about some genuine options to provide for your body.
This Post Has 19 Comments
I’m pretty sure I’m coming too late for you but if it helps only one person I will gladly share my experience with Visanne. It gave me horrible migraines. I’m really use to headaches. I have chronic headaches which I’m pretty sure are tension headaches and I have mild migraines thankfully less frequently than before. Visanne was on a complete other level. It was pain pain pain with no relief even after I woke up I was in pain. I stopped taking it after 4 days of that regimen and I was really depressed. 2 days after I stopped I was already feeling way better. However it took 2 months to get back how I was before. I learnt not to mess with my hormones anymore. My OBGYN stopped pressuring me to do anything when I told her I would gladly take all the abdominal pain endo can give me over these migraines any day.
A final solution to Endometriosis,would be great!
Thanks for the post. I have for years believed the drugs and birth controls makes things worse for me. I tried mirena IUD for 3 months and was the worst pain ever, I had to beg my Doctor to remove it (he made it clear I was making a huge mistake) Even though I was on pain killers for 3 months straight and back pain so bad I could not move. Also they encourage more surgeries though the last 2 didn’t work
Now my new OBGYN wants to put me on VISANNE (though no drs or pharmacists know anything about it) and he thinks MIRENA IUD is the only way to go too, even though it didn’t work for me the last time. I have not tired the Vissane and probably will not, I do find eating diary, gluten, sugar free does help, though I am not the best at following the diet.
Stay strong ladies
Has anyone tried Visanne????
Thank you so much. The handling of this condition by so much of the medical community boggles the mind. After finally being diagnosed with stage IV Endo and massive adhesions –after YEARS of misdiagnosis and dismissal from multiple physicians– I was assured by a RE that I would get my life back and we would control it with a “great form of birth control”–Depo Provera. I asked about side effects and mentioned past adverse reactions to the Pill and was reassured that they were rare or mild–maybe just a little irregular bleeding at first. My first, and only, injection with this hideous substance caused nearly 120 days of non stop, continuous bleeding, hot flashes, cramps and nausea– with little to no help from the dr. that gave me the injection to begin with. It has taken almost 18 months and two additional surgeries from other specialists and only now do I feel like the fall out from that ONE shot is starting to subside. It also turns out I had Adeneomyosis and fibroids on top of the Endo and that was only discovered in the third operation. My heart breaks for all of us and what we have to go through! Thank you for being a great resource and forum for raising awareness.
Excellent article, thank you. Echos my thoughts exactly. It truly baffles me how people farm out all responsibility for their healthcare to others.
Really enjoyed your webinar too.
Hi Melissa,
thank you so much for providing such an amazing source of information! I have been wondering whether it would be possible to have a “consultation” with yourself as I have been doing SO many things in the last 4 years to try and heal from endo, not really making much head way… My diet is free of dairy, gluten, sugar, soya and all processed food, I only eat organic chicken and (mostly) wild alaskan fish, I take liver support such as milk thistle, NAC, DIM, Calcium D-Glutarate, Pycnogenol… I tried homeopathy for a year but reacted very strongly to the remedies although they were always prescribed at low strength (I also have severe M.E, which I am working on with a wonderful therapy called the Mickel therapy and have made huge progress – gone from bed bound to being about 50-60% functional within a year!). I have yet not tried chinese herbs (have looked into it). I am not on the pill and have had no surgeries, I was on the pill for 20 years though which masked the endo (handy at the time…). I would just LOVE to talk to someone who has gone through this journey and look at the overall picture and what else I could be doing. I have discomfort throughout the month, sex is nearly impossible and periods are from hell with blackouts and the only way to cope is strong pain medication, which makes me feel horrendous in other ways. Please email me if this would be possible. I would of course pay for your time! Lots of hugs and with gratitude for your blog xxx
Big hugs Sara. Also look at cleansing techniques for the body as it might still be confronted with just too many toxins 🙂
Thanks Melissa,
I’ve already embraced a natural healing path, but sometimes I feel discouraged and I fear all will go worse withouth a surgery or without medications.
I’ve got severe dysmenorrhea and all the symptoms of endometriosis, but not an official diagnosis because I didn’t undergo the surgery
I’m following a whole food plant based diet, currently also without any oil, soy and high gluten cereals. I’ve had an amazing improvement with my menstrual pain, and the “side effects” were a brand new regular period, halving of the menstrual flow, no more passing out, weight loss, disappearing of IBS symptoms, healthy complexion, increased energy and better physical endurance.
I encourage everybody to follow a natural way of healing through diet and exercise, because benefits will appear for the ENTIRE body and also for your mind.
However, I’m still healing and sometimes the pain re-appear, and I need some motivation to stay on track. So thanks for reminding me why I’m doing this, and thanks for your supportive website.
Thank you Kristin for the amazing words of encouragement and I am super excited to have you on your own natural healing journey 🙂
Thank you so much Julie! That is so encouraging and I can see so much depth to your statement here. Love it! Big hugs!
I totally agree with you Melissa…
I often receive this kind of comments from women that are convinced that the only way to treat ourselves, is the «occidental medicine way»…
They never asked them why occidental medicine call some diseases «chronic diseases» or «untreatable diseases»? (it’s not the case in other kind of ancient medicine like chinese or ayurvedic medicine).
The answer: just because science has not yet found a way (I would like to say… a drug) to treat these diseases.
Questions:
Is it possible that the solution to treat these chronic diseases is not in a drug? (So the doctor become empowerless)
Is it possible that the solution is not only related in adding something, but also in removing some things? (non nutritive food, stressful situation, toxic relation, a job that is not thriving etc.)?
You know Melissa what I’m saying to me… when I receive this kind of comments … that had now nearly stopped?
It’s my boyfriend that teaches me this… (I’m grateful for that).
Let it go…
« Evolution by natural selection…»
«The fittests and the smarters will survive…»
Intelligence is to trying things… and if it doesn’t work, we must learn from this, adapt and try other things.
You’re not really intelligent if you try a method, and you continue to use the same method… even if it don’t work…. just because «the main current say that it’s good for you».
But I can understand them (they are afraid)…. after all, they’ve burned Gallilea for stating his theory about heliocentrism…
So Melissa, continue your SO REALLY GOOD JOB for women that are interested about what you share…….. And let others try other things.
I’m with you!
I finish my comment with this quote from Dr bernie Siegel who wrote: Love, medicine and miracles:
«Exceptional patients refuse to be victims.They educate themselves and become specialists in their own care. » – Bernie Siegel
First off, I like the new website design! Second, what a great article!! Having such adverse reactions to birth control and gabapentin and all kinds of other medications I was on is the reason I started reading your blog more and thinking that maybe there really is a different way to go about it. It is ridiculous how we treat illnesses or ailments with pills that give us more illnesses and ailments down the line. Our bodies are truly incredible though and with the right care we can heal outside and inside. Reading this blog is the first thing that has given me hope since being diagnosed and spurred my own interest in a natural healing journey that is going well! Still working on getting those probiotics in my diet, but it’s all about baby steps for me right now. : ) Thank you for being such an inspiration and informational source, not only to myself, but to everyone with endometriosis.
Thanks Petra. That is great to know. Natural progesterone herbs can be a great way to regulate hormones 🙂
I am sure we can flush them out with a good detox 🙂 I would get off all the anti-biotics and get some real live gut flora into your body 🙂
Well put! We can choose to listen or numb it with chemicals 🙂
Best blog, yet !!
http://www.yourhormones.com/progestomend/index.html/
I found this supplement today.I don’t want to promote it, but some of the ingredients acting as progesterogenic were new to me (Coleus and Ligusticum). Maybe the listed herbs could be helpful for somebody here, without needing to buy the product.
This is why I love you. I feel the passion in your words. I took birth control for a third of my life with very little thought to the long term effects. I overlooked the side effects because the pill did help with the pain. I think this is where the struggle comes in. We want the pain to stop and are willing to try that which is readily offered. It’s a quicker “fix”. In reality the pain is a message from our bodies that we are out of balance! Sometimes this message comes as a scream. We can chose to listen or numb it with chemicals.
This article could not have come at a better time. I have been fighting a strange unknown infection since November of last yr that has caused strange things to happen to my body; sores inside my ears and nostrils, masses growing behind my ears, swelling in my legs and ankles, severe fatigue, bowel problems, and most recently been diagnosed with a bleeding peptic ulcer. I am on meds to help heal the ulcer and two days ago started my fifth course of antibiotics since November. These new ones have caused an allergic reaction and I am breaking out in hives all over my faceand scalp. Its just awful and it seems like no doctor I see can tell me what is going on. I truly believe theres a build up in my system of all the poison that was prescribed to me over the yrs and its slowly killing me. Never again will I trust these doctors!