26 Mar Easing Endometriosis Pain Naturally
Over-the-counter (OTC) anti inflammatory and pain relievers are often a woman’s best friend when endometriosis is an issue. While effective, these medications can take a toll on your stomach and liver, and many women simply don’t want to be dependent on medications to find relief from endometriosis discomfort.
5 Ways to Find Natural Pain Relief from Endometriosis
Here are five of the most common ways our endometriosis patients find relief using natural remedies rather than medications or more invasive interventions.
1. Try a heating pad or hot water bottle
The soothing warmth of a heating pad can work wonders for soothing the aching pelvis, abdomen or lower back – one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis. Heating pads and hot water bottles are readily available at pharmacies, grocery stores, and online.
Decent- to high-quality heating pads range from $15 to $60 (although the $15 to $30 should suffice), and hot water bottles . If you suffer from endometriosis on a cyclical basis, we recommend keeping one at the read near your bed, your favorite couch, and work chairs. Look for heating pads with automatic shut-off features to minimize the risk of electrical or fire issues.
2. Massaging the abdomen with castor oil (timing is everything)
This remedy for endometriosis is hundreds of years old and is used in multiple cultures. Castor oil helps the body to flush excess fluids out of the body, which can encourage the release and flushing of endometrial lining outside of the uterus.
You can purchase castor oil in health food stores and some grocery stores as well as reputable online sources. Timing is important here; you should only massage castor oil into your abdomen/pelvis when pre-period cramps commence. Stop using it once you start bleeding. The massage is an added benefit, helping your muscles to relax.
You can also add drops of other relaxing essential oils to the castor oil – like lavender, rose, clary sage (said to support hormone balance), orange, or sandalwood – to make the gentle massage an even more satisfying experience. Relaxing essential oils also help with stress reduction (more below) and supporting healthy sleep habits – so this can be a win-win.
3. Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet
Inflammation is like the proverbial dog chasing its tail. It is the result of certain medical conditions and lifestyle choices, and then chronic inflammation becomes the cause of other problems, so it’s a domino effect. We’ve found that the more our patients work to reduce inflammation in general, the more relief and resolution they experience from underlying medical and infertility issues. This is certainly the case for both endometriosis and PCOS.
We recommend that any woman planning to get pregnant, especially women with endometriosis or other infertility issues, focus on a Pre-Pregnancy Diet that centers around anti-inflammatory ingredients and dramatically reduces (or eliminates) inflammatory ingredients.
Bonus Tip: As long as you’re focusing on diet, don’t’ forget that regular exercise has also shown to reduce endometriosis discomfort because it helps to release endorphins and excrete stress hormones.
4. Reducing stress
Stress exacerbates inflammation. It also causes tension throughout the muscles and connective tissue layers, and keeps your body in a state of fight/flight. The combination of these can lead to more intense endometriosis pain and discomfort.
If you are a high-anxiety person or life is feeling more stressful than normal, now is the time to focus on reducing your stress levels. In addition to supporting a more balanced physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, many patients find that their reduction in stress levels automatically leads to natural endometriosis relief.
5. Using natural (physician-approved) supplements
This is not an ad-hoc instruction to search online for any and all “natural” supplements advertised to cure or treat endometriosis. Instead, we recommend working with your physician and fertility specialist to find supplements that are safe, known to be effective in clinical trials, and that support your current fertility treatment plan.
Examples of supplements or ingredients that have supported inflammation and stress relief for women with endometriosis include:
- Turmeric (curcumin)
- DIM (diindolylmethane)
- Milk thistle
- Chamomile
- Ashwagandha
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- Ginger (supports both pelvic and stomach discomfort)
Your doctor should review and suggest pros, cons, and dosage recommendations with you before you start taking any supplements on your own.
Is endometriosis and its related discomfort inhibiting your ability to get pregnant? Schedule a consultation with the Fertility Center of Dallas.