Christine Keller LAc

If severe enough, medical treatment for endometriosis may include laparoscopic surgery to remove or excise endometrial implants, scar tissue, and adhesions. For women who are not looking to become pregnant and if the condition is very severe, the most drastic form of surgical treatment involves a complete hysterectomy.

Obviously for those wanting to create a family or expand an existing one on their own, the last option takes that ability away.

In Chinese medicine, endometriosis is viewed as a blood stasis pattern and can be complicated by other existing constitutional patterns. Herbal formulas and acupuncture can help immensely with existing symptoms as well as address underlying root causes of blood stasis.
Diagnosed with endometriosis or not, if you present with any sort of menstrual irregularity or pain, a trained and skilled acupuncturist can help identify your pattern and create a treatment plan to help.

Endometrial implants respond to the different phases of the cycle, these implants also grow, and bleed outside of the uterus which causes pain, irritation, and inflammation. Chronic inflammation can create scar tissue and also create a state of chronic pain and mental distress.

Foods to avoid with endometriosis:

Gluten - Often is a cause of inflammation and with existing inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis, gluten can exacerbate symptoms. Whether it is the wheat sugar that disrupts insulin and throws hormones into a tizzy, or whether it is the sensitivity to GMO and commercially farmed protocols, gluten should be avoided.

Dairy - Dairy also creates an already inflamed state to be worse. Dairy may also create “stickiness” which for a blood stasis pattern in Chinese medicine, will also exacerbate inflammation, discomfort, and pain. In theory, dairy may worsen endometrial adhesions and implants.

Red meat and Pork- Commercially raised beef has been shown to contain xenohormones and antibiotics which are known hormone disruptors and considered to be toxic to the body. Endometriosis is an estrogen dominant condition so to ingest xenohormones, hormonal balance may potentially worsen.

Soy - Soy contains phytoestrogens which again, can worsen an existing estrogen dominant condition and worsen symptoms of endometriosis.

Non-organic foods - contain several hormone disruptors if exposed to pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.

The four stages of endometriosis

Stage 1: Consists a small amount of endometrial implants found outside of the uterus and possible adhesions.

Stage 2: Consists of slightly deeper endometrial implants as well as present, or increased adhesions.

Stage 3: Consists many deep endometrial implants, implants and cysts can be present on the ovaries, and scar tissue may be present.

Stage 4: Consists of several deep endometrial implants, cysts known as chocolate cysts or endometriomas are present on the ovaries and several thick adhesions on nearby tissues and organs.

March is endometriosis awareness month.

According to WHO:

"It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual in*******se, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility."

To get diagnosed with endometriosis is by way of an invasive laparoscopic exploratory procedure. Many women go their whole lives with such severe symptoms and do not get diagnosed, and sadly, women are often treated with dismissive attitudes from the medical community, school, work, and even family members who have not gone through it. It truly impacts life on many levels.

In Chinese medicine, endometriosis is viewed as a blood stasis pattern and can be complicated by other existing constitutional patterns. Chinese herbs and acupuncture can help immensely with existing symptoms as well as address underlying root causes of blood stasis.

Diagnosed with endometriosis or not, if you present with any sort of menstrual irregularity or pain, a trained and skilled acupuncturist can help identify your pattern and create a treatment plan to help!

Can being on all-fours (hands and knees) help a baby rotate? Actually not more than other positions. So why do so many birthie folks say it does?
This advice comes from a 1980s study that was never able to be replicated. Six more studies showed no statistical difference.
Can being on all-fours help a labor? Yes! First, it’s more comfortable compared to lying on one’s back or sometimes, one’s side. The sacrum is more mobile than lying down. A massage or therapeutic bodywork on the back and pelvis feels “great” in this position. What feels great during labor is relative to labor, right? Keep all-fours on the list of birth positions but not on the list of recommendations to turn a posterior or breech baby.

Milk thistle is one of the prettiest herbs that you will find growing.
This herb, often called a w**d and treated as such, produces sharp leaves, grows quite tall, and has a spiky purple flower. Milk thistle has been used as a natural remedy, specifically an herb that helps to detoxify the liver, and also provides high levels of vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acids, that helps support the body’s immune system,protects the skin, and eyes, and helps to prevent damage caused by oxidative stress.

Because it is able to prevent damage by oxidative stress, milk thistle helps to cleanse the blood, keep the digestive tract healthy, and slow the aging process.

Milk thistle is said to help rebuild liver cells and simultaneously reverse damage done to the liver from lifestyle factors and internal and external toxic exposure. Milk thistle has also been studied extensively and has shown that it is helpful in conditions such as hepatitis, fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.

In addition to its renown affinity for the liver, milk thistle has also been shown to help lower inflammation in relation to lower cholesterol levels, and helps to improve both insulin and blood glucose levels in those with insulin resistance.

If you are thinking of doing a “detox” this January, make sure to add in milk thistle. An easy way to get it in is to add a tea bag to your coffee, your favorite tea, or drink alone. It is bitter in flavor but added to your morning cup of joe will often disguise the bitterness, especially if you add your favorite additions like cream or sugar. Often, “detox” herbal teas contain milk thistle as an ingredient in combination with other detoxification herbs like dandelion or nettles.

In Chinese medicine, winter is associated with the water element, the kidneys, and a time of “hibernation” where things move much slower and energy moves inwards in efforts to be conserved for the rebirth of energy in spring. Winter is a great time for inward reflection, restoration, and healing. The kidneys in Chinese medicine are considered to be the storehouses of our “jing”, or life essence.

Get cozy, grab a blanket, a cup of tea and enjoy relaxing with the natural rhythm of the seasons.

Many celebrities have opened up about their experience living with endometriosis.
Recently, Bindi Irwin shared what she was told after years of having "insurmountable pain".

“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely,” the 24-year-old said, “trying to function through the pain.”

While there isn't much for a cure, this response is unacceptable. There are different treatment options such as hormone therapy and birth control, pain relievers, and surgery. Because endometriosis can affect fertility, birth control often isn't a choice women want to rely on if they are thinking of planning a family. Pain relievers aren't a long term solution and surgery is often exploratory and is dependent on the skill of the surgeon. Sometimes too, additional surgery is needed.

Acupuncture and herbs have been shown to help manage pain and symptoms of endometriosis.

March is Endometriosis awareness month.

Here are some facts that you may or may not know regarding endometriosis:

"Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition where endometrial tissue (tissue similar to the lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus.

It is primarily found on the pelvic peritoneum, on the ovaries, in the recto-vaginal septum, on the bladder, and bowel.

In very rare cases it has been found on the diaphragm and in the lungs.

Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years (ie. usually between the ages of 15 to 49), which is approximately 176 million women in the world [3-4].

However, endometriosis can start as early as a girl’s first period, and menopause may not resolve the symptoms of endometriosis – especially if the woman has scar tissue or adhesions from the disease and/or surgery.

The symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods, painful ovulation, pain during or after sexual in*******se, heavy bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, and infertility, and can impact on general physical, mental, and social well being [1,5].

A general lack of awareness by both women and health care providers, due to a “normalization” of symptoms, results in a significant delay from when a woman first experiences symptoms until she eventually is diagnosed and treated.

There is no known cure and, although endometriosis can be treated effectively with drugs, most treatments are not suitable for long-term use due to side-effects. Surgery can be effective to remove endometriosis lesions and scar tissue, but success rates are dependent on the extent of disease and the surgeon’s skills.

Pregnancy may relieve symptoms but is not a cure for the disease. Hysterectomy, with surgical removal of all the disease at the same time, may relieve symptoms, but may not be a “definitive cure” either. Removal of the ovaries at the same time as a hysterectomy is performed increases the chances of pain relief but also results in an immediate menopause.

There is no known cause of endometriosis but it is highly likely that certain genes predispose women to develop the disease. Thus, women have a higher risk of developing endometriosis if their mother and/or sister(s) are also affected. It is possible that age when the menstrual period starts, other gynecologic factors, and environmental exposures influence whether a woman is affected. Whereas evidence has been weak with regards to exposure to dioxin (an environmental pollutant) some evidence now supports exacerbation of its symptoms due to PCBs.

Some studies have linked the presence of endometriosis with the development of ovarian cancer; however, the association is not definitive and the absolute risk for a given woman with endometriosis is exceedingly low. Whereas endometriosis cells have been localized adjacent to ovarian cancer cells, the former has not been proven to be a pre-cursor to cancer.

Even though endometriosis is associated with inflammation and immunological dysfunctions, it has not been proven itself to be an autoimmune disease."

Taken from https://endometriosis.org/resources/articles/facts-about-endometriosis/

And all the people you love.

Happy Valentine's Day!! Sending you each some love on this day.

Your health is your best investment. Spend time doing something that your future self will thank you for.

Understanding cold in the uterus Part II

There are two different types of cold patterns in Chinese medicine. The first type is acquired from our parents’ kidney jing or life force, which includes their constitutional health and DNA, and other hereditary traits, and the other type of cold is endogenous cold. Our lifestyles, good or bad habits will either nourish our own kidney jing or deplete kidney jing. As mentioned earlier, kidney jing provides the internal life fire. When this is depleted, so is kidney yang qi. Deficient kidney yang qi results in cold patterns. Often, chronic cold patterns may lead to cold in the uterus in women. This often creates irregular menstrual cycles, painful periods, and can lead to miscarriage, and infertility. As mentioned in a previous post, more than half of the female population have cold in the uterus. While common, it is not normal.

How do we warm kidney yang?

Living with the seasons is important. For those that live in the cold north, winter is the time to focus on staying warm both internally and externally. Eating foods that are in season as well as consuming easily digestible such as soups and stews, cooked rice and grains, as well as including vegetables that are lightly sauteed or steamed is appropriate. Eating foods that have a special affinity for the kidneys to warm yang qi should be eaten. These foods include whole grains, aduki beans, black beans, kidney beans, meat warmer in nature such as lamb, beef and pork, and cooked vegetables and greens.

Avoiding ice cream, ice water, cold smoothies and too many raw fruits and vegetables would be appropriate. Keeping the body warm, and dressing appropriate in the winter is especially important. Applying direct warmth to the lower back and the lower abdomen will directly help with warming the uterus and boosting kidney yang qi.

Using acupuncture, herbs, and moxibustion are also other great ways to help nourish kidney yang qi.

Ginger Cinnamon Tea to warm yang qi
This simple tea recipe nourishes yang qi of the body which is also responsible for warming the uterus. These herbs are warm and invigorating and encourages warmth and movement of both qi and blood. This tea can be helpful if cold in the uterus is present.
Ingredients:
Sliced fresh ginger to taste (1-3 slices)
2-3 dried red dates (seeds removed)
2g of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
Instructions:
Add the ingredients into a cup and add 250ml of boiling water.
Let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain, sip and enjoy. This tea can be taken up to 3 times a day.

Understanding cold in the uterus, according to Chinese medicine, part 1.

Cold in the uterus is a pattern in Chinese medicine that is present in more than half of the female population. What is cold in the uterus? In a nutshell, it is when the body lacks sufficient yang energy (progesterone) in the luteal phase.

As we know, when we are cold, we tend to contract and ball up to stay warm and we slow down. When there is a lack of sufficient yang energy, cold energy takes over. Cold will lead to contraction of blood vessels specifically in the reproductive system, slows the flow of both blood and energy and in turn creates stagnation. Stagnation in the reproductive system can cause irregular menstrual cycles, dark, clotty menstrual blood, painful periods alleviated by warmth, can cause spotting, or early me**es, miscarriage, and infertility. In addition to menstrual symptoms, a yang deficiency, or lack of warmth may also show other symptoms such as low libido, low back soreness, cold and weak knees, cold hands and feet, excessive clear watery discharge, frequent urination, early morning diarrhea and digestive disorders. Miscarriage and infertility may also be seen.

There are two different types of cold patterns. The first type is acquired from our parents’ kidney jing or life essence, which includes their constitutional health and DNA, and the other type of cold is endogenous cold. Our lifestyles including good or bad habits will either nourish our kidney jing or deplete kidney jing. Kidney jing provides the internal life fire. When this is depleted, so is kidney yang qi which is essential for "warmth".

Obesity

There are several nutritional deficiencies that can occur with obesity.

-Dysfunction in cortisol is associated with dysfunction in blood sugar-> weight gain
-excessively Cortisol-> excessive nutritional deficiencies (vitamin A, B, C, D,E, magnesium)

So if someone attempts to lose weight by calorie restriction than you will also increase nutrient deficiencies even further and further increase weight.

Than you get people who attempt to lose weight through exercise. Exercise will further increase nutrient deficiencies as well. Sweating causes rapid nutrient loss of chlorine, sodium, magnesium, potassium.

Research has shown numerous times that calories only matter when you add fructose to your meal. If fructose is consumed than a high fat diet drastically increases weight gain.

Your stomach has receptors that can sense nutrients therefore if you arnt consuming enough nutrients your brain will tell you to keep eating until nutrition is obtained. Aka eat 2,000 calories of chips and 2,000 calories of steak then you will see what I mean.

At the end of the day we need to shift the focus of obesity to a nutritional deficiency disease and NOT a disease because you eat too much or not enough exercise.

January is cervical cancer awareness month.

According to the WHO, cervical cancer is on the biggest causes of female cancer mortality worldwide. Most of these deaths could've been prevented through proper screenings and follow ups.

Things you can do to avoid cervical cancer:

*Avoid exposure to HPV by using condoms
*Get your regular Pap smear
*Follow up with any abnormal Pap smears
*Educate yourself on HPV vaccines and decide if this is right for you.

Taking care of yourself isn't selfish. Now that the holidays are over, put yourself back in that number one spot and take care of yourself. Self care includes drinking plenty of water, having a healthy sleep schedule, eating nourishing foods, and even just having down time to yourself.
Need a kickstart? Make an acupuncture appointment and enjoy an acu-nap while you balance your energy. :)

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and fun filled New Year! 💗

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!

Wrapping up Bladder Health Month, D-Mannose is on deck!

D-Mannose is a natural simple sugar similar to glucose in structure, that is believed to be the active ingredients in cranberries, which have been long touted to alleviate urinary tract infections.

D-Mannose is thought to attach itself to the bacteria that causes a UTI and inhibits its ability to attach to the urinary tract and bladder walls. D-Mannose is rapidly excreted by the body taking with it the attached bacteria, which helps to reduce harmful bacterial growth and infection.

For those with chronic UTIs, consider adding D-Mannose and a cranberry extract into your routine to help curb infections.

I am grateful for each and every single one of you. 🥰

5 ways to help you from over eating this holiday season:

1. Use a smaller plate
2. Take a very small portion of everything you want to eat/try.
3. Fill your plate like you would a child's - small and healthy choices.
4. Do not save up to eat the feast. Eat normally throughout the day.
5. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Stay hydrated.

Uva-ursi is a cool,dry, and bitter herb that is used as an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic astringent and diuretic herb. This herb also goes by the names kinnikinnik or bearberry and grows in dry, sandy areas with low pH near coastal and mountainous regions.

Uva-ursi is used to treat urinary and bladder infections and supports renal health.
Usually uva-ursi can be used in combination with other herbs that help to support and promote urinary health such as nettle, rose, and marshmallow root.

Here is a recipe from Nitty Gritty Life: https://nittygrittylife.com/uva-ursi-bladder-health/

Ingredients:

1 oz uva ursi leaf dried
1 oz nettle leaf dried5 oz rose petal dried5 oz marshmallow root dried

Instructions:
Mix dried herbs together and store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
To prepare steep 1-2 teaspoons of the blend into 8-10 oz of just boiled water. For a tea, steep 5-7 minutes; for a stronger infusion steep for 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten slightly if desired. Drink up to three times daily for persistent, low-grade bladder complaints.