Health/Natural: Fibroids

Q. I have fibroids on my uterus and looking at the MRI they are covering my uterus. What do you recommend for treatment? I'm 38 and still would like to have children.

A. Many questions come to my mind regarding your situation. You have given very little information regarding your case. For example, I could easily spend 2 hours talking to you about your case history, gathering details and offering some suggestions to start. Therefore, my first suggestion is for you to find a qualified naturopath or other licensed practitioner who can work with you in greater detail. Make sure they specialize in natural alternatives for women and have a good track record working with fibroid problems.

There is not a "magic pill" to make fibroids go away. But, there are highly proven, traditional herbal, nutritional and homeopathic possibilities to consider. In natural medicine, we commonly treat fibroids with an overall program, and it usually takes time for the body to respond. Fibroids are benign tumors inside the uterus, in the uterine walls, or growing outside the uterus, and can be very stubborn and can grow very quickly at times depending upon many different factors. Hormones, time of month, nutrition, toxicities in the blood, lack of exercise, low thyroid, candida and taking birth control pills can all have a negative effect upon them. Many women have them and never have any problems from them. Others have great problems from the smallest fibroid growths. It depends upon the individual, which is why natural medicine would seek to treat the woman herself with all her unique symptoms, not just the "disease" itself.

Here are some things to consider. Since I don't know your specific case, take these as mere suggestions and try to find that qualified practitioner in your area to work personally with you.

Healthy Diet - Those of you who may read my column regularly, already know what I'm going to say. It seems that I am always talking about making healthy nutritional changes. It is true . . .

These are foods which we believe can have a negative effect on fibroids and other reproductive-related imbalances, boosting excess "bad estrogens" and leaving a toxic residue in the body with unassimilated proteins and fat residues, which can contribute to growths and tumors. Sugar is also one of the worst things for promoting growths in the body, along with caffeine, too:

Dairy products - anything made from cow's milk
Meats - beef, pork, chicken, turkey . . . any meat
Bleached and processes grains
Hydrogenated fats, fried foods, and rich foods
Excess salt
Sugar
Caffeine

On the other hand, what you want to do is to boost fiber intake (for cleansing the system), water intake, antioxidant intake . . . all found in the following foods, along with many other nutrients. Foods to include more of are:

Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains
Beans
Fish
Dairy alternatives such as: brown rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, soy milk.
Sugar alternatives such as: brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, stevia, lo han fruit, fruit juice, dried fruits, Sucanat pure cane sugar, honey in moderation.
Water - at least 6-8 glasses of filtered, spring or distilled per day.

Other suggestions you can check into are:

• A high quality multivitamin/mineral formula. You totally get what you pay for in the world of vitamin supplements. Choose a good quality formula with high quality source ingredients and make sure it is "iron-free." Excess iron is not recommended for any situation with growths or tumors.
• A high quality mineral formula. (See one of my previous columns called "What About Minerals?")
• A good essential fatty acid formula such as, flax seed oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, omega-3 oils, or a formula that combines these into one. EFA's (essential fatty acids) are good oils which help to reduce swellings, inflammations and pain in the body. They also have many other great benefits.
• A good quality green food formula which combines everything from barley grass to wheat grass to spirulina to chlorella, along with other immune supporting herbs and foods. I have several good brands I usually recommend. Just taking plain chlorophyll extract in water daily by itself is also very important. Plant chlorophyll is a very important purifier, detoxifier and antioxidant.
• Cleansing is very important. There are different ways to begin cleansing toxins from your system and this is really, really important with fibroid conditions. Check with a practitioner for good natural cleansing programs for you.
• Vitex (also known as Chaste Tree Berry) is considered one of the main women's herbs and its usage goes back centuries. There have been cases, written about in the old herbal texts and in some of the newer ones too, about stubborn cases of uterine fibroids being relieved and resolved with the use of this herb. It works to support healthy progesterone levels in the body, and helping to bring down excess estrogens (which are believed to be a major factor behind the growth of fibroids.)
• Indolplex with DIM (diindolylmethane) -- this is a new supplement which is derived from certain vegetables such as broccoli, and is proven in research to lessen the amount of excess estrogens in the body. This may be a good option for you, too. There is a good amount of info available on this new supplement and some practitioners and doctors are having positive results with all kinds of reproductive imbalances with the use of DIM.

Good luck with your process and check out the Reading List below. It will give you some other places to check for options in your particular case.

Reading List:

Herbal Healing For Women by Rosemary Gladstar
Women's Herbs, Women's Health by Christopher Hobbs
The Complete Women's Herbal by Anne McIntyre
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by C. Northrup, M.D.
The Way Of Herbs by Michael Tierra

©Copyright 2002 by AlternativeApproaches.com

Susie Cooper, ND earned her Doctor of Naturopathy degree at the Southern College of Naturopathic Medicine, and is Board Licensed and Certified. She has continued most of her study in Classical Homeopathy with the New England School of Homeopathy. Dr. Susie has taught workshops in homeopathy, herbal medicine and nutrition in North Carolina for many years. She now teaches all her workshops in her shop, Blue Mountain Herbs & Supplements, in beautiful Pilot Mountain, NC, where she also takes private appointments for herbal, nutritional and homeopathic assessments. (336) 368-5955.

Important note: The information contained in this column is not meant to diagnose or prescribe for specific ailments, but is intended for educational support only. Please seek the advise of a licensed health practitioner for specific illnesses and emergency situations.