Endometriosis and Nutrition: What Do We Know?

Being the caring person she is, my mum sent me an endometriosis 'self help' book in January. This is the book accountable for starting my belief in the power of food and eating to benefit your body. I changed my eating habits and believe this has, in part, helped me to clear some of the symptoms associated with the disease; mainly the pains and tiredness.

A Key to Healing and Fertility Through Nutrition, Dian Shepperson Mills MA & Michael Vernon PhD HCLD

The book itself is excellent and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an alternative path to surgery in order to heal their endometriosis. My nightmare is having repeat operations; I do not want to get to 30 and have had 5 laparoscopies. That cannot be good for the body. My endometriosis returned not long after my surgery last year, so I was apprehensive about having another operation so soon. This is why I wanted to find alternative remedies.

The book is full of testimonies of women who have used nutrition, mental wellbeing and exercise to heal themselves. You wouldn't believe the number of women who have been pulled out of a deeply dark place into a relatively normal, pain-free life due to the remedies offered in this book.

The book states that "Endometriosis... is a systemic disease, maybe an autoimmune disorder. When drugs and surgical treatment are used, they often just mask the symptoms and do not remove the cause. Women need to listen to the messages their body gives them. Illness is an imabalance and good nutrition can help to reduce that imbalance."

I now think so carefully about what I eat. How is this food going to benefit my body? What nutrients am I going to get from it? Will it improve me in any way? This helps me steer clear of saturated fats and unnecessary bad foods. Like anyone else, I will have the odd cheat day where I may indulge in chocolate or a takeaway, but for the most part I am extremely careful and have also started to buy organic foods where possible. Pesticides cannot be good for the body so I am willing to pay a little extra to ensure my vegetables are not doused in them.

I'll be sharing more inspiring theories from this book soon. In the meantime, take a look at your diet and how it could be impacting your endometriosis. Start a food diary to allow you to reflect on what you're eating and make positive changes. Try to eat fresh, nutrient-rich foods - stuff that your body will really thank you for.

"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." - Hippocrates 460 BC

- A.T.

Welcome - First Post!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I intend this blog to be a source of help, reassurance and guidance for others suffering from endometriosis.

The following two facts about endometriosis are widely accepted:
- There is no known cause
- There is no known cure

These two facts are the biggest hurdles when investigating the disease; from a suffer's perspective to a researcher's perspective, the disease creates confusion and annoyance.

If you are a sufferer yourself, you may have asked yourself 'why me?'. Upon finding out there is no cure, this question may have led to feelings of hopelessness and doom, leaving you unsure if you can ever lead a normal, pain-free and fatigue-free life.

As humans, we are inquisitive and we like to ask questions. When I found out there was no cure for endometriosis, I didn't just accept that and carry on. I did a lot of digging and found that, whilst there is no cure and no magic medicine to eliminate the disease, there are certain ways of coping mentally and things we can do physically which keep the disease naturally at bay. Whilst I will never be free of endometriosis, I know I can try to control it, as I know its triggers. I'm slowly turning the tables on the disease I thought had me in its grip.

I see endometriosis as a fairly grey area for medical experts and doctors. Whilst the surgery to remove endometriosis has been perfected and there are surgeons performing these wonderful operations on sufferers every day, I do think that there is a universal lack of support and guidance, especially when, as was the case for me, the endometriosis returned not long after I had the operation. There are a multitude of online forums and Facebook groups for endometriosis sufferers which I think is great. Speaking to people with a shared problem can be amazing for alleviating stress and sad thoughts.

However, sometimes we get pulled down with all the negativity associated with bearing the disease and from hearing other peoples' miserable experiences. This is where my blog comes in. I want to share my positive experiences with others and would like others to join me in a mindful approach to the disease. Instead of seeing it as an attacker, let's treat it as though it's an organ that needs nursing back to health. Instead of getting angry at the constant fatigue, let's approach it as a challenge to make ourselves feel better. I had this change of heart in January 2015 and a checkup I had this week informed me that my endometriosis is at an all time low - they don't need to see me again for 3 months. Whilst the doctor didn't confirm it, I believe this is down to me caring for and connecting my mind and body with my endometriosis. I will take you through the different steps I have taken to put myself on the path towards healing and will share information I have gathered along the way.

Let's not tell ourselves we are victims; life is too short. I hope to inspire you to change the way you approach the disease and to help you see that there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to work to get there.

- A.T.