244-SYNCPodcast_Endo

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[00:00:57] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today we’re diving into the topic that I wish I had known more about in my 20s, and that is how to relieve endometriosis naturally. You see, when I was in college, I had a roommate who suffered from endometriosis and she was bedridden for a week or more at a time when her period would hit.

[00:01:15] Jenny Swisher: Her doctor prescribed her high dose painkillers to get through her cycles every month, those long, heavy, painful bleeds. And I always felt for her because she missed out on so much those years. Fast forward to age 27 for me and my husband and I found ourselves sitting in a fertility specialist’s office, thinking that we had absolutely no reason to be there.

[00:01:33] Jenny Swisher: After all, we were both in peak physical shape and I had 28 day menstrual cycles like clockwork. My OBGYN suggested that we see him, since we had removed the goalie for a few years with no pregnancy. In our first office visit, he asked me to fill out a questionnaire and when he entered the room to shake our hands and meet us, he said, do you really take this much Advil on your period?

[00:01:54] Jenny Swisher: I nodded, thinking it was no big deal. After all, didn’t every woman take Advil on her period? Well apparently, the 3 4 capsules I was taking every 8 hours was too much. He looked at me and said, I think we’re likely dealing with endometriosis. Fast forward through laparoscopic surgery and the confirmed diagnosis and there I was.

[00:02:13] Jenny Swisher: And it was all starting to make sense. You see, for the 5 years prior to this, I had been through the chronic migraine journey that I’ve shared so much about here on the show. Transcription I had finally found relief using progesterone cream, and turns out, being low progesterone and more of an estrogen dominant woman was likely also contributing to the endometriosis.

[00:02:31] Jenny Swisher: Interestingly, but worth noting, when I went on high doses of progesterone recently in 2020, I was actually able to thin my uterine lining as proven by quarterly pelvic which eliminated my heavy, painful cramping and even lessened my migraines. And this was in my late 30s. , in the last 13 years since that day in the fertility doctor’s office, I’ve done so much to become more hormone literate about my own body, to self-advocate, and ask the right questions and to utilize the four fundamentals of hormone balance for my benefit.

[00:03:00] Jenny Swisher: My functional doctor started me on magnesium, B vitamins, which were likely depleted from years of birth control use, and so much more in the realm of helping my unique body supplement in the unique ways that it needed. Boy, there’s so many things that I wish I had known at 27 that I know now. So today, I’ll share with you some top suggestions I have on relieving endometriosis naturally.

[00:03:21] Jenny Swisher: Things that have worked for me. I will also link up for you in the show notes, an article that I’ll be referencing from Dr. Jolene Brighton as well. So what is endometriosis? Let’s define it. Well, according to Brighton, she says, quote, endometriosis is a complex and often very painful condition caused by the growth of endometrial like tissue outside the uterus.

[00:03:40] Jenny Swisher: typically in the pelvic cavity. It affects approximately 10 to 15 percent of reproductive age women worldwide, causing symptoms ranging from pelvic pain and heavy menstrual bleeding to infertility. There’s a variety of symptoms that women can experience with endometriosis, including painful periods, heavy bleeding, even painful sex, digestive issues, mood disorders, fatigue, and infertility.

[00:04:03] Jenny Swisher: If you are someone listening who uses NSAIDs to cope with your period, or you schedule your life around your period as I used to do, take note. Once again, according to Brighton, quote, while the exact cause of endometriosis remains unclear, factors such as genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalances, immune system dysfunction, poor gut health, and inflammation all seem to be contributors to its development.

[00:04:26] Jenny Swisher: End quote. So, let’s talk about the top supplements for endometriosis. Dr. Brighton has a list in this article, and oddly enough, I take about 80 percent of these supplements myself. End quote. They are omega 3s, which of course, omega 3s, right? They’re anti inflammatory. Almost everyone should be on omega 3s.

[00:04:44] Jenny Swisher: Magnesium, which I recommend glycinate because it typically is best absorbed for most women. I use up to 800 mg of magnesium myself and have found it widely helpful with my migraines and painful periods. Pre and probiotics, which actually I would recommend looking into a spore based probiotic, and I’ll link up for you my favorite in the show notes.

[00:05:03] Jenny Swisher: N acetylcysteine. turmeric, and vitamin D. When it comes to relieving the pain, my friend, heat is your best friend. Heating pads or castor oil packs combined with a heating pad, what I do is I just put the heating pad on top of the castor oil pack on my lower belly, can be game changing for relieving the pain.

[00:05:23] Jenny Swisher: Pelvic floor therapy can also be helpful. I will link up for you a recent episode replay that I did with some pelvic floor therapists. Organic raspberry leaf tea is known for its anti uterine contraction mechanisms. I always have some handy when I’m on my period each and every month. Reducing inflammatory foods, of course, in your diet.

[00:05:41] Jenny Swisher: My friends, this is a huge one, and yet so many women resist. Cheese and dairy, even though yummy, are not serving you. If endometriosis is part of your story, eliminate the dairy and even consider eliminating gluten too. Not to mention refined sugars, only in moderation. Consider Semaine Health. This is S E M A I N E.

[00:06:01] Jenny Swisher: It’s a great company with lots of herbal blends catered to period pain. I will link them up in the show notes as well. Finally, I also want to mention that you can look into cycle soother patches. This is sort of a newer, newer thing that I’ve been playing with recently and they’ve been really helping me as well.

[00:06:17] Jenny Swisher: Simply swipe up after you’ve listened to the episode and you’ll get all the links. Last but not least, know this. Exercise can help some women with cramps, but can also cause more issues for others. I know for me, any exercise on my period is a no go, and actually will make matters worse. But some women may find it helpful.

[00:06:36] Jenny Swisher: You do you. For me, it’s a simple walk, or just allowing myself rest while my hormones are bottomed out. By the way, did you know that we require one to two more hours of sleep on our periods? This is true, my friends. We really are that tired. Friends, if endometriosis is something you think you may be dealing with, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor about it.

[00:06:56] Jenny Swisher: But once again, just know that taking a natural approach, even if it is alongside a modern medicine approach, can do wonders for your quality of life. If I could go back to my 27 year old self, I would tell her to follow the naturopathic advice and to do the lifestyle things that could help, because it really does.

[00:07:13] Jenny Swisher: While bioidentical progesterone is also a huge player for me and my story, I hesitate to mention it because so many women will run and ask their doctor for it, when in reality we should always test and not guess. Once again, having a functional doctor in your corner can be game changing, as can BioHRT.

[00:07:31] Jenny Swisher: Speaking of which, I’m excited to announce that at the end of this month, May of 2024, I’m launching virtual health consults with Dr. Page as part of the Jenny Swisher LLC offering. This is something that we’ve been doing for about eight months now to just our sync community, but we’re opening this up to the public.

[00:07:47] Jenny Swisher: Dr. Paige Gutile is our resident hormone health doctor who will be offering virtual telehealth appointments to any woman seeking to live with maximum energy. She can do all the things from typical testing, modern medicine approach, all the way to the more naturopathic angles that we discuss here on the show.

[00:08:03] Jenny Swisher: I will have links for you in the show notes so that you can hear more about that on your own time. All right, my friends, thank you so much for listening in. Share this with a friend who you know suffers from painful periods and or endometriosis. It could really be game changing for them until next time.

[00:08:15] Jenny Swisher: We’ll talk soon. Bye bye.