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Endometriosis

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Can Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Treat Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting 5-15% of reproductive age women. The cells of the uterine lining dislodge and travel to other parts of the body, particularly the bowel, bladder, fallopian tubes and ovaries.  Endometrial tissues have been found as far as the sinuses contributing to cyclical nose bleeds.  It can cause a number of painful conditions including pelvic pain, painful menstrual cycles, urination pain, painful intercourse, difficulty and painful bowel movements as well as having a negative impact on a women’s ability to conceive.

Many women live with the pain and don’t seek help until they are trying to start a family.  Statistically, a women’s change of conceiving is 10-20% on any given cycle but in a women with endometriosis the chance is 1-10%.  There are a number of ways endo can affect a couple’s fertility.  It can distort the structures of the pelvis through adhesions and scarring especially of the fallopian tubes, it alters your immune system which is thought to impact conception, it changes the hormonal environment where your eggs grow affecting egg quality and implantation. 

How is Endometriosis Treated?

In the Western science world they use birth control and in severe cases estrogen blocking medication to shut down the hormone process which is the life cycle of the endometrial tissues. But if you are trying to conceive this isn’t an option.  I would also suggest that addressing your endometriosis issues and resolving them earlier on in one’s menstrual life is far better than taking birth control pills with all its other disadvantages such as increased risk for weight gain, migraine headaches, blood clots and elevated blood pressure. 

How Does Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Treat Endometriosis?

  • Reducing Estrogen Levels.   Studies have shown that after 4 weeks of treatment women with endometriosis have reduced serum estrogen levels.  Elevated estrogen is associate with endometriosis as estrogen stimulates the growth of endometrial tissues and once these tissue become cysts they have the ability to create their own local estrogen.
  • Improving Inflammatory Levels.  Endometriosis is associated with increased inflammatory markers.  I think we all know that too much inflammation is not a good thing and it’s is especially problematic when your are trying to conceive.  One marker that has been studied is CA-125.  Elevated levels are seen in women with endometriosis and as the severity and staging of endometriosis increases it is correlated to an increase in CA-125.  Studiies have shown that after 4 weeks of acupuncture the CA-125 marker decreased significantly compared to controls.
  • Reducing Pain Levels.  One of the first benefits noted in the West for acupuncture was pain.  Back pain, knee pain, neck pain.  Still today if your insurance policy have acupuncture benefits almost always pain is a covered condition.  And again studies show that acupuncture works for pain when it comes to endometriosis.  Both through increasing the levels of our “feel good” hormones serotonin and dopamine as well as increasing our pain thresholds. 
  • Regulating the Immune System.  There are numerous studies showing the effect of acupuncture on both cellular and humoral immunity.  Research has show that after acupuncture the proliferation of T cells, improved CD4 and CD8 T cells, increased number and activity of NK cells.  The pathogenesis of endometriosis is thought to have abnormal NK cell activity.  Fertility acupuncture offers a simple non invasive way to address the immune component of endometriosis.

If you are interested in addressing your endometriosis and all the pain and discomfort that come with it give Enliven Health and Wellness a call. 210-999-5579.

 

Bethany Richardson is the owner of Enliven Health and Wellness located in San Antonio, Texas. She is a fellow with the Acupuncture and TCM Board of Reproductive Medicine. (FABORM.) To book an appointment, click here. If you live outside San Antonio, TX, you can book a Telehealth fertility appointment. We go over your lab results and create a diet, supplement, lifestyle and herbal regimen to regulate and optimize your fertility.

 

Reference:

Acupuncture and CA-125
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5659600/

Acupuncture and pain
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/relieving-pain-with-acupuncture#:~:text=Traditional%20Chinese%20acupuncture%20involves%20the

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18794019/

Acupuncture and the Immune System
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1566070210000573

NK Cells and Endometriosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26104509/