Naturopathic Endometriosis Specialist Brisbane

Endometriosis is becoming increasingly common and is one of the issues our patients most commonly seek help for. It occurs when the endometrial-like tissue (inside of the uterus) grows outside of the uterine cavity. This tissue is hormonally active, which means that under the influence of your hormones during your menstrual cycle the endometriosis lesions will proliferate and shed (bleed), causing pain and inflammation. In addition to this, over time this inflammatory process can lead to scarring and adhesions which can cause more discomfort and pain.

Pelvic pain is the most common symptom of endometriosis however some women do have the condition and do not experience pain. We don’t yet know exactly why this is, and pain levels do not necessarily relate to the amount or severity of endometriosis either.

Our naturopaths specialise in helping women with endometriosis and the complex presentation is can come with.

There are several theories about how endometriosis occurs, however, we don’t have a concrete answer yet. Originally, it was thought that retrograde menstruation was to blame, however, the presence of endometriosis in places like the joints and diaphragm have made researchers look elsewhere (we have seen patients with endometriosis tissue in their joints, diaphragm and even brain). Here’s what we do know.

Your fallopian tubes have a space between them and the ovaries, which can allow menstrual blood to flow backwards, up the fallopian tubes and into the uterus. Since most endometriosis occurs in the pelvic cavity, most commonly on the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries and the pouch of Douglas it’s likely that retrograde menstruation has a big role in endometriosis development.

We address this with naturopathy by supporting blood flow to the uterus and using herbs to clear any uterine congestion. This can show up as heavy periods or periods that have a lot of blood clots and tissue.

Studies have shown that the immune cells in women with endometriosis differ from the normal population. The immune theory hypothesises that if the immune system was functioning normally then the endometrial cells should not be allowed to grow there in the first place, as the body would ‘clean’ them up. There is also a mounting body of evidence that shows that endometriosis may be autoimmune in nature. Our naturopaths will use treatments that support immune regulation and the healthy production of immune cells and factors.

Women with endo have often have high oestrogen levels, and imbalances with their oestrogen metabolism. Oestrogen is a driving factor in endometriosis – making the tissue proliferate and worsen endometriosis growth. When our naturopaths screen our endometriosis patients for all 3 types of oestrogen and their metabolites, we find the majority of women to have high levels of oestrogen and also more ‘proliferative’ 4-OH oestrogen metabolites. Imbalances in hormones like oestrogen and progesterone in women with endo can also heighten symptoms such as PMS, heavy periods and painful periods.

The inflammation that is produced by endometriosis drives further inflammation and tissue damage. The high levels of inflammatory cells can perpetuate inflammation and lead to more scarring and adhesions over time. It is considered a chronic, inflammatory condition. Our naturopaths will use anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients to reduce symptoms and help address the disease proliferative impacts of inflammation.

We have helped thousands of women with endometriosis at Shift Brisbane. Natural treatment for endometriosis and pelvic pain associated aims to address the issues outlined above – supporting healthy menstruation, reducing inflammation, clearing excess oestrogen/balancing hormones and improving immune regulation.

The important thing to remember is that you will have the best success with beating or managing your endometriosis if you use naturopathy and/or acupuncture concurrently when you are having laparoscopic surgery. When you have surgery alone, your recurrence rate is high as the driving factors are exactly the same, making it easy for your endometrial tissue to recur. Treatment with natural therapies alone may assist some patients with very mild endometriosis to manage pain and support healing, however as endometriosis is pervasive to the tissue and easily proliferated, in our experience sometimes surgery is necessary to remove the lesions while the herbs and nutritional support can help prevent it from coming back. Endometriosis management often involves a team approach to work on as many of the factors possible.

Our naturopaths work alongside GPs, gyneocologists and fertility specialists to assist our patients with their endo. We can refer you to a trusted provider if you need.

Laparoscopic removal of endometriosis usually helps the condition, at least in the short term. However for the majority of patients the endo will return over time and further surgery can be needed later in life, whether that be months or (usually) years down the track. From working with hundreds of patients with this condition we have found that the best success occurs when you receive naturopathic treatment for 2-3 months prior to surgery and also afterwards. The idea is that we want to balance hormone levels, reduce inflammation, have your immune system nice and healthy and have your period flowing free before surgery, so that the driving factors that may cause it to return are taken care of.

Endometrial cells can be difficult to eradicate completely with surgery (as they can be microscopic) – so if you have chronic pain or symptomatic endometriosis then it pays to work on as many factors as you can prevent recurrent post surgery.

Our naturopaths take a landscape view of your health – this means we look at all of the relevant pieces when developing a treatment plan. This includes your history, details about your menstrual cycle and symptoms, a thorough understanding of your pain picture, looking at blood tests and also your dietary patterns. Stress and diet are also driving factors of endometriosis symptoms so we need to look at these parts of your health too.

Once we have this information we can then develop a treatment plan to address the issues which face you specifically, using herbal medicines and support and coaching to adjust your lifestyle. Natural treatments for endometriosis are not as fast acting as say, having a laparoscopy or using hormonal drugs. They do however work at supporting the body to heal and if necessary, restoring fertility.

Seeing a naturopath first is a good idea, as they will assess all of the potential driving factors behind your endometriosis. Our naturopaths can also order blood and urinary hormone tests to look at your hormone levels and other factors. All three of our naturopaths – Vanessa, Bronte and Katherine can help you with endo. Acupuncture is also a great idea to accompany treatment if you are coming to our Brisbane clinic, and our acupuncturist Georgie is a fertility and women’s health specialist.

Many women that are treating endometriosis using complementary therapies have a better quality of life and are able to address many of the underlying causes that can make symptoms worse. Choosing the right practitioner is so important in this journey.

You don’t need a referral to see one of our women’s health specialist naturopaths in Brisbane. if you need medical care, we have a list of trusted physicians that we can refer to to once you begin your treatment with us.

Click here to check out availability for your 90min Discovery & Diagnosis with one of our Brisbane naturopaths or call us on 07 3367 0337. You can also see us online as a virtual naturopathic patient.