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Gynaecology |
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Endometriosis |
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Endometriosis refers to a condition where tissue that looks and acts like the lining of the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows outside of the uterus. These tissue deposits can be called growths, tumours, implants, lesions, cysts or nodules.
Most endometriosis is found:
- on or under the ovaries;
- behind the uterus;
- on the ligaments that hold the uterus in place; and/or
- on the bowels or bladder.
Pain is one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis. Usually the pain is in the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. The amount of pain a woman feels does not depend on how much endometriosis she has. Some women have no pain, even though their disease affects large areas. Other women with endometriosis have severe pain even though they have only a few small growths.
Symptoms of endometriosis include:
- very painful menstrual cramps;
- pain with periods that gets worse over time;
- chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis;
- pain during or after sex;
- intestinal pain;
- painful bowel movements or painful urination during menstrual periods;
- heavy and/or long menstrual periods;
- spotting or bleeding between periods;
- infertility; and/or
- fatigue.
Women with endometriosis may also have gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea, constipation, or bloating, especially during their periods.
Naava Carman has many years of experience using Traditional Chinese Medicine to support patients suffering from endometriosis. Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnoses endometriosis as ?Blood Stasis?. Each patient is different however and after the initial consultation Naava is able to make a layered diagnosis identifying the root cause from a Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view. Such a diagnosis might be ?Kidney Yang Deficiency leading to Blood Stasis? or ?Blood Deficiency leading to Blood Stasis?. This specific diagnosis informs the selection of acupuncture points and the herbal formula prescribed to the patient, providing an individually tailored treatment programme.
Naava specialises in treating Blood Stasis and may refer patients to Western medical specialists for a laparoscopy to aid the diagnosis and to identify the extent of the problem. Naava also uses Basel Body Temperature charts to track temperature through the menstrual cycle. It is common for patients suffering from endometriosis to have a spiky pattern on the chart with large fluctuations in temperature from day-to-day. Having established a base line pattern through a cycle, the charts can be used to track the progress of the treatment as they should begin to settle into the normal pattern for the monthly cycle.
There is no clearly established Western medical opinion on the efficacy of acupuncture in treating endometriosis. Most of Naava?s patients report decreased pain and discomfort throughout their menstrual cycle and a laparoscopy performed after the completion of treatment will often show an improvement in the condition (i.e. less, or in some cases no, re-growth of endometrial tissue outside the womb). Nevertheless the results achieved with one patient cannot be taken to be indicative as to the results that will be achieved for another patient.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complementary therapy and the Fertility Support Company does not advocate it as an alternative to Western medicine. If you are in any doubt about your health or symptoms you are experiencing you should consult your doctor. The Fertility Support Company and its practitioners do not claim to "cure" endometriosis or any other ailment.
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