*Uterine fibroids grow on the inner or exterior muscle walls of the uterus.
The cervix can sometimes be involved, too. These benign or noncancerous growths are abnormal muscle cells, and are not really
fibrous at all. They can be small (pea-sized)or quite large (grapefruit or cantelope-sized). Most shrink after menopause,
but up to 30 percent of all women have these muscle cells gone awry.
When fibroids create problems
Fibroids may cause no trouble at all, in fact, you may not even know you have
them, unless they cause heavy bleeding, anemia, infertility, fatigue, increased vaginal discharge, or painful intercourse.
As the fibroid grows, it can stretch the uterus lining and cause more bleeding than usual. Depending on where the fibroids
are, they can press on your bowels, bladder, or urethra (causing urination problems). If you have heavy bleeding---use more
than one tampon or pad an hour---consult your health care provider. Heavy bleeding is a major reason physicians suggest a
hysterectomy. (For a small percentage of women, heavy bleeding can be due to drinking too much or having liver disease.)
What causes fibroids?
Because fibroids develop when women are in their thirties and forties, it is
suspected that estrogen is involved. But not all women develop fibroids, so they could also have a genetic factor, and maybe
even a nutritional one. Emotions may also play a role as may thyroid insufficiency. Like most conditions, fibroids are probably
caused by an interaction of many factors.
What self-care measures can you take?
*avoid estrogen birth control pills; consider other measures such as a diaphragm
and/or condoms
*eat a high fiber, whole-foods diet that includes five servings of fresh vegetables
and fruits daily
*eat sea vegetables and use kelp in your diet to help with thyroid function
*eat soy foods that can exert an estrogen-like effect that helps regulate hormonal
irregularities
*avoid fried foods, animal fats and hydrogentated fats and oils and refined
sugars, caffeine and alcohol
*eat fresh pineapple--the bromalein helps reduce inflammation in the body
*eat plain yogurt with active cultures or take a digestive enzyme to help with
digestion---this is especially good for bloating
*grind flaxseeds in a coffee grinder and put in salads, soups, or drinks to
reduce inflammation
*exercise daily--yoga may be most helpful
*morning and night spend at least 15 minutes picturing your fibroids turning
into liquid and leaving your body
*cook with iron pots to make sure you get sufficient iron
*take a multivitamin and multimineral to ensure you get all nutrients in a
balanced format
*foot reflexology has helped dimish pain and may even reduce the size of a
fibroid
*look into Reiki, therapuetic touch, body work, acupuncture, and meditation
*according to Dr. Vaillancourt, a natural remedy to shrink even large
ovarian cysts and fibroid tumors and other growths, heal vaginitis and other vaginal uterine infections is:
· At bedtime, mix two teaspoonfuls of Ichthammol
black salve (drug store) with two teaspoons of vegetable glycerine (health food store), and make a paste
· Tie a nylon string tightly around the middle
of a cotton gauze pad leaving about a ten inch piece of string hanging; make sure the knots are good and tight
· Saturate the gauze with the paste and insert
it into the vagina up to the cervix, leaving the string hanging outside to enable retrieval the next morning
· Wear a sanitary napkin at night to prevent
leakage
· Optional: douche after removing the gauze with
one teaspoonful each of powdered Goldenseal and Myrrh (4 capsules = a teaspoon) into a quart of boiling water, cover and steep
for 15 minutes
· Strain and add one teaspoonful of apple cider
vinegar
· When cool enough use the douche
· Do this for 5 nights a week
*if none of these ideas work for you, talk to a surgeon about removing only
the fibroid, not the uterus
This article is for information purposes only. For treatment, consult your
health care practitioner.
Sources/Resources:
Baird, D. D.,
Dunson, D. B., Hill, M. C., Cousins, D., & Schectman, J. M. (2007). Association of physical activity with
development of uterine leiomyoma. American Journal of Epidemiology, 165(2), 157–163.
Flegal, K. E., Kishiyama, S., Zajdel, D., Haas, M., & Oken, B. S. (2007). Adherence to yoga and
exercise intervention in a 6-month clinical trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 9, 37.
Mehl-Madrona, L. (2002).
Complementary medicine treatment of uterine fibroids: A pilot study. Alternative Therapies
in Health and Medicine, 8(2), 38–40, 44–46.
Shushan, A., Ben-Bassat,
H., Mishani, E., Laufer, N., & Klein, B. Y. (2007). Inhibition of leiomyoma cell proliferation in vitro by genistein
and the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor TKS050. Fertility and Sterilization, 87(1),
127–135.
Ronald J. Vaillancourt, Simple Earth Solutionhs: Powerful Paths to Health
and Healing Through Natural Remedies.
