Health Wellness
Small fibroids often disappear spontaneously. Larger fibroids are more difficult to resolve, but not impossible to control with natural measures.
• Avoid weight gain after age 18. Try to maintain a normal body weight compared to your height. Being overweight can cause increased estrogen levels which stimulates fibroid growth. In addition, exercise helps insure regular ovulation, and irregular ovulation seems to worsen fibroids.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise helps to control your weight and aids in the decreasing of estrogen.
• Eat a low fat, high fiber diet.
• Eat whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. Consuming three or more servings of whole grains or beans reduces the size of fibroids. Also, try to eat organic when and where possible. Herbicides and pesticides used on food crops can mimic estrogen.
• Eat more cold water fish like salmon, herring, mackerel anchovies and tuna. In addition, take fish oil supplements daily.
• Avoid dairy, red meat, refined sugar, fried foods, saturated/hydrogenated oils, trans-fatty acids (in margarine and hydrogenated oils)
• Drink lots of water. In fact, drink half your body weight in pounds in ounces of water. For instance, if you weigh 180 lbs, drink 90 ounces of water per day. Keeping your body hydrated is important to maintaining good weight.
• Avoid caffeine as it has a dehydrating effect on the body
• Strengthening the liver with herbs such as dandelion, milk thistle seed, or yellow dock root helps it metabolize estrogen out of the body, thus reducing fibroids
• Warm castor oil packs on the belly, or ginger compresses (soak a towel in hot ginger water) relieve pain and help shrink the fibroids
• Avoid estrogen containing birth control pills and tampons that are bleached with chlorine which may mimic the bad effects of estrogen, too.
• Include Ginger tea and other natural anti-inflammatory substances in your diet daily
• Avoid stress. Research studies have confirmed the negative effects of stress on many different diseases. In women with fibroids, stress may negatively affect hormonal balance, upsetting the estrogen levels. This means that fibroids tend to grow during the times of stress.
It is very important for you to know your own body. Also, do your homework. This means to know your options. Studies show that hysterectomy is the solution of choice for many including those whose fibroids are not causing symptoms. Certainly, if your symptoms are severe, surgery may be your only option. But you have to do your homework to know that. Stay well, stay informed.
Note: Natural (Organic) vegetables may be best for your health. They do not contain pesticides, growth hormones, additives or preservatives.