Showing posts with label menstruation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menstruation. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Obesity and Fibriods






Since about 2004 I had been leading a sedentary life style. Because of that I gained a lot of weight. I had at least two jobs and worked several graveyard shifts on top of a regular 40 hours a week day job. I ate whatever I wanted anytime I wanted to and I justified it by telling my self that I worked hard. I “treated” myself to a lot of fast foods and sweets. I don’t drink carbonated drinks like soda, I don’t smoke, I rarely drink alcoholic beverages, and I was not using birth control pills.

In 2006 I started to feel very tired all the time. I had joint pain, and I would have these wicked leg cramps. I was hungry all the time. I was stressed out. I could eat and eat and never feel satisfied. My periods started wigging out. I went from no cramps, no PMS and 4 days of light bleeding to 7 to 9 days of cramps, acne breakouts, PMS, and heavy to moderate (including blood clots) bleeding. Over time my period got worse, i.e. heavier and longer to the point where I became anemic. I was depressed and tired all the time. I tried dieting to lose weight, but it was so hard or harder than usual. I lacked the energy to exercise, and my hunger and craving were overwhelming. I’m telling you all this because I think my excessive weight (my FAT) and my completely non-nutritious diet was a direct contributor to my fibroids. In effect I feel as though I was poisoning myself, and I was not listening to what my body was telling me. It wasn’t until the Doctors told me that they wanted to take my uterus and maybe my ovaries out of me, that I woke up.

Obesity seems like a ticking time bomb that is fueled by our diets and sedentary lifestyles. For me (so far) my bomb was fibroids, but obesity can manifest in our bodies in all kinds of nasty ways. There are so many articles about obesity and hormone imbalances, obesity and cancer, obesity and infertility, obesity and heart attacks, the list goes on. Check out the links below.
OHSU Research Reveals The Complexities Of Obesity/cortisol Interactions
It is shear luck that I stumbled across a book that got me thinking that maybe I had other options besides surgery. My holistic regimen is about taking control of what I put and do to my body, understanding my body, balancing out my hormones (i.e. my estrogen to progesterone ratio) and supporting/healing my liver (so that it can do it’s job of removing/detoxing excess estrogen and other toxins) with lots of reading and talking to medical professionals, an anti-inflammatory diet, supplements and herbs. I know there are lots of overweight and skinny women who are perfectly healthy, and I’m glad for them, but I had to listen to my body I had to empower myself. I do all this so I can hopefully keep my uterus and ovaries. I eat right to live right; to live longer and healthier, I eat right to keep myself whole, intact and healthy. Crazy as it might sound so far its been working.

To sum it up: Being, fat, over weight, sedentary, obese, however you want to put it….FAT is BAD. Estrogen overload is BAD. Not listening to your body, ignoring signs like menstrual and reproductive abnormalities, can lead to BAD things.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Herbs for Women - Wednesday Night Free Lecture At The Heb Shoppe

Join Dr. Sarah Wylie ND, Licensed Midwife, this Wednesday February
13th for a lecture on herbs and botanical medicine for women. Dr.
Wylie is very knowledgeable on the varies herbs used to support and
nourish the female reproductive system. She is also a trained
professional in the mayan abdominal massage. The focus of this lecture
will be herbs to balance and support the uterus, menstruation and
reproductive health.

Wednesday February 13th - 6:15



--
J.J. Pursell ND, LAc., Certified Herbalist
Owner
The Herb Shoppe
2410 E. Burnside
Portland, OR 97214
503-234-7801
Hours: Mondays 10-5
Tuesdays-Saturday 10-6
Sundays 12-5

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

.....Can You Walk the Walk

I made a lot of assumptions when it came to the Menstrual Cycle and Menstruation. I now realized that there is a lot I do not know about it. I put up some links.

I got my treatment plan from JJ. Wow! Kind of intimidating but not as intimating as a hysterectomy, so to me the plan is doable. I’ll up date the My Regimen Post. The hard part (relatively speaking) looks like the diet and just the shear volume of things I have to do. I have to be diligent, persistent and patient. I can’t miss or skip something. For example yesterday I forgot to take my Reliva (Iron pill) and I started bleeding and cramping again. Luckily when I got home I had some shepherds purse tea and it stopped. But missing that one pill set me back even if it was for a few hours. I may go Vegetarian. I can still eat chicken and very little organic beef but Vegetarian is the best course of action. It takes the most discipline. I know yesterday I was all fired up about diet and nutrition, but it's easy to talk the talk. We are talking no Pork Chops!!

I informed my primary doctor and my Interventional Radiologist of my holistic approach, and my blog and I received positive feedback from both. The Interventional Radiologist suggested I also see a fertility specialist in regards to my fallopian tubes because s/he could tell me if my tubes can be unblocked and if they will work again. I will do that but not right now. I do not think I am emotionally ready to deal with the can or can’t I have a baby. I’ve compartmentalized all this and I can only deal with one piece at a time and my focus now is keeping my uterus.

In this blog I am sharing my course of action in regards to my fibroids that is based on the recommendation of licensed and experienced Doctors and certified Herbalists. If you think you have similar health issues, I urge you to go see a medical doctor and get a diagnosis. After that if you decided to treat your issues holistically than see a certified and recommended specialist.

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