Endometriosis - Multidimensional Approach

Endometriosis is mysterious.

How can a woman be riddled with it, have different symptoms or even no symptoms to a woman who may only have a few of the lesions? How can one woman be cyclically crippled with pain, bloatedness, bleeding and energy depletion. Feeling like she is being ripped apart. How can some women have it in or on their bowel, bladder, diaphragm, lung, throat, brain or eyes?

Christiane Northrup, and American obstetrician/gynaecologist says that whilst any female can suffer from endo, it takes the right set of circumstances to activate this painful 'behaviour' of the body. She also speaks of blocked second chakra energy. (How interesting that she is intertwining the surgical/medical knowledge up with the esoteric principles).

Many women with endometriosis are very strong women. They have to be. They have learnt to put up with the problem and just quietly cope the best they can. Strangely the 'pain' of having to be emotionally strong, or maybe so tough on herself actually causes inflammatory chemicals (prostaglandins and cytokines) to be produced by the end lesions. And the very essence of being a woman, the oestrogen and progesterone, somehow stimulates this production meaning even more pain. And even strong women can't always be strong.

There is also, but not always, a strong thread of abuse or trauma in those women with endometriosis.

Endometriosis, like other disease or illness is not a static 'thing'. Rather it is a process where a lot of symptoms come together creating the process of 'endometriosising'. By turning this into a verb, a doing word, you give yourself the power to create change to that process. And that is very powerful indeed.

What can you do?

a) find your somatic voice - let that symptom 'speak' in an environment that lets it be heard. Find it's positive intention - what it is trying to get for you. Sounds a bit weird but there is a message in there for you to hear. The longer you don't listen, the more forceful the 'noise' of the message will be.

b) balance and resolve the inner physical environment to reduce inflammation- diet and supplements. Look at the whole range of minerals which many women are lacking in.

c) transform any beliefs or trauma that may have been picked up when a child. Sometimes these are very serious traumas and other times they are well-meaning but misplaced advice which, when turned into a belief are self-fulfilling prophecies.

d) take steps regularly to deal with stress and drama - resilience and mindfulness go a long way to helping you respond rather than react to triggers. Using the biohacks for the vagal nerve you can 'increase the tone' which gives you the necessary mind and body resilience.

e) get in touch and familiar with your body - physically and emotionally. Get reconnected with your feminine centre, your gut, your heart. Understand that they are there for YOU. That they are much much more than stinky or nuisance plumbing. That they are centres of wisdom and by aligning your whole body, you will find peace and ease a lot easier.

f) physical therapy - myofascial release, yoga, EFT, trauma release exercise, physio.

g) acupuncture, rife therapy, resonance, hypnotherapy, kinesiology, digital body scans.

h) hormone therapy/drugs - it won't cure the endo, but will temporarily shut down the symptoms, creating a menopause.

i) hysterectomy - remove the ovaries and other affected tissues. But a hysterectomy is not always the answer. Our female organs also have work to do for our body that is beyond making a baby. Read here to learn more.

j) surgery on those lesions - with this option being the one most commonly accepted as the cure, you are limited in accessing not only a surgeon, but a surgeon that is well trained in the excision of endometrial tissue. Restrictions due to the limited number of specially trained surgeons and sheer numbers of suffering women.This can be like finding a needle in a haystack - both finding the surgeon and finding the lesions.

k) if surgery is the option you choose, be prepared mentally, emotionally and physically the best you can be, with a surgery coach. (I know a great one!)

What ever you do, make the treatment of endometriosis comprehensive - support your immune system, your body, and your emotional system.

Be open to options. Make it multifaceted. Remember you are a human being and by that very design, you are a system of mind and body - the cybernetic loop.

Be open to changes that your life needs - that is what you are being asked to do by your own body. Lifestyle changes may be a bit difficult but you will be so happy you made them. Sometimes they may involve simple measures - change your diet, change your sleep pattern. Other times it may be a relationship you are in that is not doing you any good. Or a past trauma that can be safely confronted now. Who knows? Your body does and there is a message in that pain and discomfort.

Paula Ralph is a pharmacist trained in mindbody techniques, human behaviour and neurosciences and has a particular interest in the pelvic health of women.