Endometriosis and Inflammation: What To Do Today
Debilitating pain is by far the number one symptom women with endometriosis report impacting their quality of life. Unfortunately to date, the clinical management of endometriosis usually involves prolonged medication use and, in some cases, surgery. Although these current treatments can be helpful and in some cases necessary, many women are desperate to find less invasive options that not only address their symptoms now but, they can reduce symptoms long term.
Recently researchers agree that inflammation is a well established causative factor that plays a huge role in the pain associated with endometriosis. In fact, inflammatory mediators in our body can promote angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). These new blood vessels can interact with the sensory neurons involved in our pain pathways and elicit pain associated with endometrial tissue. So, in other words, the more inflammation we have, the more severe we can see endometriosis become. So, how can we address this inflammation and could this be a treatment option for patients suffering from debilitating endometriosis -related pain? Let’s dive in.
Researchers have become increasingly interested in understanding inflammatory mediators in the treatment of endometriosis and have found convincing data that adding inflammatory factors that promote angiogeneosis and neuroangiogenesis seems to be a promising target for the treatment of inflammatory pain in endometriosis. This is great news for future pharmaceutical intervention that may finally provide a real non-invasive treatment option for patients. Although at NMD Wellness of Scottsdale, we are excited about the possibility of new treatment options for patients with endometriosis, there are things you can do today to help reduce your inflammation naturally. Many of the techniques provided below have become complete game changers for our patients and have helped patients who previously couldn’t leave their house during their period, to be able to get back to their professional and social life in ways they never thought possible.
It is important to mention that if you have endometriosis you suffer from some form of inflammation whether you realize it or not. It is something most of us don’t see or feel, but manifests in symptoms, especially in conditions like endometriosis. Inflammation associated with endometriosis is often associated with three lifestyle factors: gut health, diet and chronic stress. Addressing these three lifestyle factors can be the first step in reducing your endometriosis- related pain.
Gut Health
Optimizing the ecosystem that exists within our gut is an extremely important way to not only reduce inflammation but also an important way to ensure proper absorption of the nutrients you need. I tell patients all the time that the reason we don’t simply add yet another supplement or tell patients to just take a probiotic to “heal” their gut is because without addressing gut inflammation, that fancy supplement you just bought probably isn’t being absorbed. Unfortunately inflammation also disables the gut microbiome and leads to common symptoms of gas, bloating, indigestion, constipation and diarrhea and even worsening of endometriosis related pain. Ever notice that your endometriosis pain gets worse if you are constipated? You aren’t alone. So, how do we address our gut health and reduce inflammation? The first step is making sure we are having regular daily bowel movements (1-3 fully formed bowel movements, to be precise). If you are not having regular bowel movements, it is important that you make sure that A) you are drinking enough water (at least half your body weight in ounces) daily and B) you are consuming fiber-rich foods to help not only feed your gut ecosystem but, it actually can help trap and eliminate waste and toxic chemicals from being released via stool. You may need some additional assistance including digestive enzymes and additional probiotic supplement. Although our body naturally makes digestive enzymes, if you experience indigestion, bloating or bowel changes, you may benefit from additional digestive support.The addition of a full spectrum digestive enzyme with each meal can help assist with digestion and can be a total game changer for patients. Researchers have also found that particular strains of bacteria, particular lactobacilli appear to have a positive impact on endometriosis- associated pain including and chronic pelvic pain.
Diet
What we eat every day isn’t simply calories in and calories out but truly information on both a cellular and chemical level. In fact, researchers have found that chronic inflammation has been associated not only with endometriosis but most chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression and even Alzheimer’s. But not only does inflammation itself become an issue but inflammation can lead to activation of the immune system. Your immune system becomes activated when the body recognizes anything as foreign. This could be an invading microbe, a plant pollen, food particle or chemical. Unfortunately, if our body is activated by these foreign invaders over and over again, it can lead to even more inflammation. Some of the most common foods associated with inflammation include: refined carbohydrates, processed foods, soda, inflammatory oils (like safflower oil and canola oil) and in some, gluten. Eliminating inflammatory foods is the first step in addressing inflammation, especially in patients with endometriosis. The second task is to incorporate anti-inflammatory foods to reduce or mitigate current inflammation. Adding in anti-inflammatory foods like extra virgin olive oil, deep leafy greens (such as spinach, kale and brussel sprouts), nuts and seeds (such as chia and flaxseeds) as well as fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines) is an important step.. Not only can these particular foods reduce inflammation but incorporating 0.5-1lb of organic vegetables (mainly deep leafy greens) can help stimulate regular bowel movements as well as feed the “good” bacteria in your gut, which will also reduce the prevalence of autoimmunity and therefore inflammation. Many of my patients will also incorporate grass-fed bone broth daily for easily assimilated nutrient and protein support that can also help combat inflammation. (Favorite brands include: Kettle & Fire and Dr. Kellyanne). Avoiding inflammatory foods like gluten and grain has also been extremely beneficial for our patients. Although some patients can return to incorporating some grains into their diet, most patients get the best long term results by eliminating gluten and grains.
Chronic Stress
Although most of us can’t escape the stress of modern day life, there are ways we can reduce and combat the effects of chronic stress. Although addressing your stress may be on the list of “shoulds' ' but hasn’t been something you have been able to put on your “must” list, if you are experiencing debilitating pain associated with endometriosis, it’s time to shift that priority. In fact, preliminary evidence by researchers suggest that most acute and chronic stress is associated with an increase in inflammatory activity in the body. So although you may not think that daily stress is impacting your health, if you have endometriosis, stress is like striking a match. Some of my favorite ways to address stress include breath work, exercise, and earthing. For those who have never tried a 30 day breathwork challenge, I highly recommend it. I love using Wim Hoff’s Method Breathing
Sleep
I know we take this one for granted sometimes, but sleep is truly a critical part of our health. In fact, researchers have found that poor sleep quality due to lifestyle factors (poor sleep hygiene), aging (hormonal changes) and disease states have all been associated with increases in a variety of inflammatory markers. Some of the simple but powerful ways to maximize your sleep include:
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Maintain a regular sleep routine.
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Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed
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Use dimmers to dim your lights 1 hour prior to bedtime.
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Avoid caffeinated drinks after 2pm.
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Make sure to open your windows at least once per day for 30 minutes (toxins get trapped in our indoor air, opening the windows can help reduce your exposure)
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Don’t exercise after 5pm, if possible
About the Author: Meet Dr. Zen
Alissia Zenhausern- Pfeiffer, NMD, FABNE, (commonly known by her patients as Dr. Zen), is a licensed naturopathic doctor board certified in naturopathic endocrinology and the founder of NMD Wellness of Scottsdale, a premier naturopathic medical practice that focuses on helping women to take a proactive approach to their hormone and fertility health. Dr. Zen has been featured as a lead expert in Forbes, Shape Magazine, and Instyle and is deeply passionate about bridging the gap between traditional and natural medicine in the world of fertility. She works with a variety of hormone related issues including PCOS, endometriosis and unexplained infertility. Her goal is to help more women get back into the driver’s seat of their own health to make lasting transformational changes to their health to bring more cute and adorable babies into this world. Read More About Dr. Zen...
