Endo is Not the End: An Overview of Endometriosis and its Chiropractic Remedy

Endo, as endometriosis is sometimes referred, affects five million women in the U.S. alone. It’s a common ailment for women in their 30s and 40s. Fortunately, women who seek chiropractic care for endo may experience an ease in pain.

Endo in a Few Words

Endo gets its moniker from endometrium, the tissue that lines the uterus. When this tissue starts to grow outside your uterus and in places like your fallopian tubes, ovaries or cervix, the condition is known as endometriosis. Some women with endo experience pain symptoms while others with the condition have none.

Signs of Endo

Pain is the primary mark of endometriosis. Women may suffer painful menstrual cramps, chronic lower back pain, pain after sex, intestinal pain, painful bowel movements, bleeding and spotting, infertility and digestive problems.

How Likely is it That I Will Get Endo?

If you have menstrual periods, you are a candidate for endo. This condition is hereditary—and especially likely if it affects members of your family. Women who never gave birth, those with periods lasting over seven days and women with short menstrual cycles of less than 27 days are also likely to experience endo.

Can I Prevent Endo?

No one knows what causes endo, and the disease cannot be prevented. The good news is that women can reduce their chances of developing endo by lowering their estrogen levels. Here are a few tips to lower your estrogen levels:

• Lower body fat through regular exercise
• Avoid an excessive intake of alcohol
• Avoid caffeine—more than one caffeinated drink, like green tea or soda, can boost estrogen levels

Pain Relief is Within Reach

Symptomatic pain can be relieved—however, there is no cure for endo. Chiropractic care is one form of alternative treatment that Chiro One chiropractic doctors, like Dr. Dana Zeina, D.C., swear by for symptom alleviation. Chiropractic care can improve sufferers’ lives greatly, even if, like in Dr. Dana’s case, it’s coupled with surgery and natural healing methods, like acupuncture or naturopathic remedies. How so? Dr. Dana, in a personal testament to chiropractic care, explains that a misalignment of her lumbar spine added significant pressure to her surrounding neurological structures, causing pain. After both surgery and chiropractic adjustments to treat her endometriosis, Dr. Dana says she was “symptom free” and experienced an enhanced quality of life. Let chiropractic treatments—rather than surgery—be your first stop in treating pain associated with endo.

Pregnancy and Endo

Like Dr. Dana, women with endo can still hope to have children, though getting pregnant may be more difficult. “Endometriosis affects about one-half (50%) of women with infertility,” claims WomensHealth.gov. Talk to your physician or chiropractic doctor for recommendations of additional forms of treatment options.