In Northern Ireland the waiting list for patients to be seen by a gynaecologist for endometriosis treatment is one of the highest in the UK. There is no known cause in western medicine, it is seen as a mysterious condition that’s increasing commonly. In endometriosis the tissue that is normally in the uterus grows in other areas of the pelvis, sometimes attaching to the bowel or even reaching up to the lungs.

If the immune system detects the cells in the wrong place, it creates an inflammatory response to protect the body. This inflammation can contribute to infertility, fibroid growth, pelvic pain, pain with bowel movements, nausea and bloating. In Chinese Medicine “endometriosis” does not exist. It is a more recent western medical diagnosis.

For treating endometriosis with Chinese medicine we are looking at the presenting patterns that the patient has. Presenting symptoms can include:

– Painful menstruation
– Profuse menstruation or heavy bleeding
– Infertility
– Menstrual movement disease (the endometrial tissue moving to different parts of the body such as the lung, bowel, nose. This tissue responds to hormonal surges just has the tissue in the womb and can result in bleeding and pain in these parts of the body where the tissue gets lodged)

In TCM gynecology female physiology is so dependent on blood and most disease
patterns will be because of blood, either blood deficiency, blood stagnation or blood
heat. This is because each month we bleed and lose blood in our monthly cycle.

Chinese medicine sees endometriosis as stagnant blood in the uterus, but will also look into the cause of the stagnant blood which may be due to emotional issues and Qi stagnation. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are used to regulate the immune system and reduce the inflammatory response produced by these cells.

Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan is one of the most commonly prescribed herbal formulas for treating endometriosis in Taiwan. It has anti-inflammatory effects and pain relieving properties. In TCM it removes blood stasis, activates blood circulation and removes abdominal masses. [1]

Emotional and spiritual causes of endometriosis

Dr Christiane Northrup describes endometriosis as a competitive disease. When a woman’s most inner emotional needs to herself are in competition from what the world is asking of her. There is a mental-emotional split. Women are now part of the hyper productive driven world of competition, work and business.

When women are involved with this, emotional support and nurturing herself are the last priority.
Women drive themselves to the brink, rarely resting and tending to their emotional needs. As the female cycle has a 28 day cyclical nature, being in this hyper-productive world is in direct contrast to a male 24 hour hormone cycle led by testosterone. A Jungian analyst has called it “a blood sacrifice to the Goddess”. It is seen as our bodies reminding us to come back to our feminine cyclical nature.

Healing may involve examining our role as a female in this hyper masculine product driven world. More women now are dropping out of the corporate world to start their own business or work from home. A balance of the external and internal world is needed for healing to begin.

In the future it is my dream that care of endometriosis is integrated. Gynaecologists working with herbalists together. From looking at studies in Taiwan, when herbal remedies are used together with conventional medicine, great transformation and elimination of pain can happen in many women’s lives.

[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3463977/

If you are struggling with Endometriosis and intrigued by an alternative approach to managing it email to book a consultation:  jennysmithherbalist@gmail.com