Endometriosis and Traditional Chinese Medicine

What is Endometriosis?
For females with endometriosis, uterine lining is retained in the body, implanting in
areas outside of the uterus. These uterine tissues then accumulate on the bladder,
bowel, ovaries, and other organs, leading to the de
velopment of adhesions, scarring
and invasive nodules. Endometriosis can then cause
symptoms that include painful
periods, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, painful
intercourse, painful bowel movements,
rectal pain and urinary pain or difficulty.
A female whose mother has endometriosis is seven ti
mes more likely to have the
disease herself.
Endometriosis is also associated with autoimmune di
sorders such as thyroid disease
and is now considered to be in the autoimmune spect
rum of illnesses. That the
agonizing pain caused by endometriosis is actually
treatable. In many cases it is treated
surgically although women are frequently directed t
o manage their discomfort for years
with powerful painkillers and hormone therapy. Some
patients are incorrectly diagnosed
by their doctors and are treated for symptoms witho
ut being diagnosed with
endometriosis, causing a long delay in effective tr
eatment resulting in thousands of
unnecessary hysterectomies.
Facts to Know
•
Most women with endometriosis suffer pain—and prese
nt symptoms—up to a full
decade prior to diagnosis.
•
Approximately 8.5 million females in North America
suffer from endometriosis.
•
The average woman is 27 when she is first diagnosed
with endometriosis.
•
Endometriosis is one of the top three causes of fem
ale infertility. While it is one of the
most treatable types of infertility, it remains the
least treated. Approximately half of females with
endometriosis are infertile.
•
Abdominal and bowel symptoms linked to endometriosi
s are commonly misdiagnosed as
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or as Pelvic Inflamm
atory Disease (PID).
•
Many infertile women with endometriosis experienced
debilitating painful periods as
teenagers.
•
Many women suffer silently because they feel that t
heir pain, especially pain associated
with sexual intercourse, is just too personal to di
scuss with their gynecologist.
Symptoms of Endometriosis
•
chronic or intermittent pelvic pain
•
painful menstruation
•
irregular bleeding or clotting
•
large, painful ovarian cysts called endometriomas o
r “chocolate cysts”
•
infertility, miscarriage, ectopic (tubal) pregnancy
•
pain with intercourse
•
nausea/vomiting, gastrointestinal cramping, diarrhe
a/constipation with periods
•
rectal pain
•
blood in the urine; urinary frequency, retention, o
r urgency
•
fatigue, chronic pain, allergies and other immune-r
elated issues are also commonly
reported complaints in those with endometriosis
Endometriosis shares many similarities with autoimm
une diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis,
Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis. These similarities
include elevated levels of proteins used in
intracellular communication (cytokines), decreased
ability to have programmed (normal) cell
death, and white blood cell (immune cell) abnormali
ties.
Boosting immune function and reducing inflammation
may be a more effective treatment of
endometriosis than hormone therapy.
Chinese herbal medicine can offer an alternative to
standard hormonal treatments
for endometriosis.
Researchers have recently found that a traditional
Chinese herbs worked as well or even better
than conventional hormonal therapies for endometrio
sis
with fewer side effects
. Current drug
treatments that alter women’s hormone levels preven
ting new scar tissue and relieving
endometrial pain have side effects that include acn
e, unwanted hair growth and menopause-like
hot flashes.
.” Chinese herbal medicine may offer equivalent ben
efits to conventional medicine but with
fewer side effects,” lead researcher Andrew Flower,
of the University of Southampton in the UK,
told Reuters Health. ”
This may mean that Chinese herbal medicine is more
suitable for long-
term use,
” he added.
In one Chinese study, researchers randomly assigned
women to take either an herbal mixture
known as Nei Yi Wan or a hormonal therapy called Ge
strinone after undergoing surgery to
remove abnormal tissue growths. The herbal therapy
was given both orally and by enema.
After three months women in the herb and Gestrinone
groups showed similar improvements in
their symptoms and their chances of becoming pregna
nt over the next two years. But while the
herbal remedy showed no significant side effects, G
estrinone caused acne in 13 of the 49
women treated, and infrequent menstrual periods in
31 women.
The second study compared the same herbal mix with
Danazol, a drug that blocks estrogen
secretion. After three months, women in both groups
reported symptom improvements, but
those who took the herb orally and by enema showed
greater improvements in painful periods,
and a greater reduction in abnormal tissue growths.
The herbs used are considered to be “blood
moving” and it was suggested that help regulate pel
vic blood flow, support immune function and
reduce inflammation.
Several of our doctors are trained in acupuncture a
nd can treat endometriosis and Dr Jenny
Crosby is well versed in Chinese herbal medicine an
d autoimmune testing. Contact (636)928-
5588 to set up an appointment today or go to www.cr
osbychiropractic.com to schedule an
appointment.