What is Endometriosis, how can Functional Medicine and Nutrition help?
March is home to Endometriosis Awareness Day. A day that will speak to many women suffering from this painful and debilitating condition.
If you are suffering from the symptoms of Endometriosis, then you are not alone. It is a fairly common condition that according to the World Health Organisation affects 10% of reproductive age women worldwide, typically affecting women from their teens or later in life.
What exactly is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue, similar to the lining of your uterus grows outside of your uterine cavity. It is largely driven by the menstrual cycle and hormonal changes in the body. Endometrial-like tissue goes rogue and grows on your ovaries, bowel, and tissues lining your pelvis, causing inflammation and sometimes severe pain. Unlike uterine tissue, which grows, sheds, and then gets eliminated during your menstrual cycle, this rogue endometrial-like tissue has nowhere to go. Instead, it causes inflammation, which in turn increases blood supply and triggers an immune response, which is stressful for the body. The tissue then collects in the pelvis as scar tissue, causing adhesions and discomfort.
The organs in the pelvis are suspended by ligaments and tissues that have flexibility, but the scar tissue limits movement, causing intense pain and discomfort during ovulation, sex and bowel movements.
You may experience a range of symptoms, including:
Symptoms of endometriosis can vary greatly. Sometimes symptoms are mild, but some people can have moderate to severe symptoms.
chronic pelvic pain
cramps and painful periods
bladder pain with urgency/frequency
heavy menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods
pain during sexual intercourse
gastro-intestinal symptoms and discomfort with bowel movements
infertility
lower back pain that may occur at any time around your menstrual cycle
How does Functional Medicine and Nutrition address the symptoms of Endometriosis?
Functional medicine and nutrition takes a holistic approach to Endometriosis and to focuses on hormone balance, particularly on reducing excess oestrogen.
A healthy, wholefoods diet and a health mindset go a long way in improving your symptoms and balancing your hormones. This includes a good diet, regular exercise, good sleep and stress management.
By tackling the root cause of hormonal imbalance, the functional medicine approach to Endometriosis works to reduce the growth effect of oestrogen, and to balance it with progesterone, which reduces excessive tissue growth. This, combined with other natural methods can reduce your symptoms, especially painful periods.
It is important to look holistically at what's happening in your body, so the functional approach works utilising a detailed health assessment process and ideally, targeted functional tests to look at hormone and gut imbalances.
There are some key nutrients which are required to balance hormones, so depending on your root cause issues, this can be addressed through food, lifestyle and supplement recommendations.
Functional Medicine focus areas for supporting clients with Endometriosis?
Supporting Gut Health to reduce inflammation and improve absorption
Minimising Stress with lifestyle improvements
Toxic load reduction to support the liver to excrete excess oestrogen, and avoiding xeno-oestrogens particularly in plastics.
Optimising Diet and using supplements and herbs to support hormone balance.
Balancing blood sugar is key, ideally through diet. This includes increasing protein and good fats (to manage hunger), and to reduce carbohydrates (to manage insulin spikes).
Are there specific diagnostic tests used in Functional Medicine to assess Endometriosis?
Functional medicine takes the individual into account, so deciding on which diagnostic tests are best, depends on the individual symptoms and health profile.
Tests to consider include;
Urine hormone test - My ‘go to’ test for overall hormone balance, utilises urine samples to test not only hormone production and ratios, but also how the liver metabolises oestrogen. This test is important to assess whether you are metabolising oestrogen efficiently, or whether you are at risk of developing a hormonal cancer. In addition this test also looks at cortisol the key stress hormone and therefore helps us determine how stress may be impacting your health.
Comprehensive stool testing - this is important to assess the health of the gut and microbiome which is a key factor in the etiology of Endometriosis as a healthy gut minimises the reabsorption of oestrogen into the body. In addition specific bacterial species have been linked as a possible causative factor in the development of Endometriosis.
Blood glucose monitoring - understanding how well your blood sugar levels are balanced can help us determine how to focus your dietary approach to reduce inflammation associated with dysregulated blood glucose levels in the body.
Nutrient status testing - to identify imbalance or depletions in various nutrients that may be associated with Endometriosis
Although diagnostic testing can be expensive, it does take the guess work out of the process and facilitates a more targeted approach to supporting your symptoms with a personalised nutrition and lifestyle protocol. Nevertheless, by adopting the functional medicine matrix and questionnaires, it is also possible to assess the areas that require support without testing, although this can take a bit longer to get to the bottom of your symptoms.
What are some lifestyle modifications or complementary therapies recommended by Functional Medicine for individuals experiencing Endometriosis?
A holistic approach is never just about nutrition or supplements but must also incorporate management of mediating lifestyle factors. Managing stress and improving sleep is absolutely fundamental for balancing hormones. If these are not addressed then improvement in symptoms will be diminished and achieving optimal results will be unlikely. When fundamental aspects of health such as these are overlooked or not addressed then you will constantly be fire fighting your symptoms.
Some useful tips for lifestyle modifications include:
Stress management
We all need to find a way to manage our stress better. This can include removing ourselves from the stressful situation, or finding our spiritual path to managing our response to what could be deemed as stressful situations or events. We typically perceive things as stressful because we are looking forward to our futures and worrying about what ‘may' happen’ but this is where it is important to stop, and with practice bring yourself back into the moment. Back to the ‘NOW’. A read of Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ is a great starting point. Other practices may include meditation, walking in nature or enjoying relaxing music throughout your day.
Focus on Sleep
There is no one factor that can manipulate health so greatly as sleep. Ensuring you are getting sufficuent and quality sleep cannot be overlooked. We have a whole protocol on sleep and how to support your body’s ability to sleep well, which includes learning to balance the circadian rhythm.
Exercise and movement
Exercise will help to regulate blood glucose control, it will help to reduce excess body fat and reduce inflammatory processes within the body. Even gentle exercise will be helpful to start with such as brisk walks. In addition exercise can put you in a better and more positive frame of mind. Exercise could be thought of as a medicine in itself due to the vast health improvement seen when people engage in regular physical activity.
Do you think you could be struggling with Endometriosis?
Book a FREE discovery call with us at the Surrey Centre for Nutrition to opt for a natural and holistic approach to your condition. We integrate Nutritional Therapy with Functional Medicine to ensure that you have a treatment plan completely suited to you and your needs.
Written by Kate, Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist
It is important to note that Functional Medicine and Nutrition are complementary to conventional medical treatments. If you are experiencing Menopause issues or related health concerns, it is advisable to work with a qualified healthcare professional who can provide guidance, monitor your progress, and collaborate with you to develop an individualised treatment plan.