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.