Facts About Fibroids

The good news about fibroid tumors is that they are rarely cancerous. The bad news is that they tend to develop during a woman’s peak reproductive years and they can affect your ability to become pregnant.
Fibroids are the most common type of tumor found in the pelvis and they are generally located in various spots in the uterus. Normally, you wouldn’t even be aware that you have them, unless they grow excessively large or cause discomfort. They rarely develop before the age of 20 and are non-existent before the onset of puberty, leading many experts to believe that they may be an adverse reaction to estrogen production. Generally, they shrink in size and in some cases can actually disappear in post-menopausal women who do not take estrogen supplements.
Pregnancy, a time when there is increased estrogen production, and the use of birth control pills that contain estrogen, may cause fibroids to grow more rapidly.
Most women with fibroid tumors experience no symptoms at all. When they do, they generally complain of pain and excessive bleeding during menstruation, which may not be noticeable at first. But then the woman’s periods may begin to last longer, and sometimes there is constant bleeding. Another symptom may be an enlarged stomach due to the stretching of the uterus that results in the intestines being pushed upward.
Fibroids are usually discovered during an annual gynecological examination when a mass may be detected. Many doctors will perform an ultrasound to properly diagnose the mass.
While hysterectomy was once the treatment of choice for fibroids, there are far less invasive alternatives. Some believe that fibroids are the result of certain trace mineral deficiencies, estrogen imbalance, inflammatory diet, obesity or the way we handle stress.
Our office has helped many women with fibroids, by restoring harmony to the nervous system through adjusting, nutritional guidance, and weight reduction.
Surgery and the use of pharmacological agents should always be the last resort for treating any health problem. Try natural, safer, less-invasive methods first!
Call us today to see if we can help you!   (386) 492-4881 or reach us at here!

Flax Seeds and Menopause

Several studies looked at the consumption of flax seeds and its effect on menopausal symptoms. One study
published in the Journal for the Society for Integrative Oncology (2007Summer; 5(3): 106-12) involved 30
women having at least 14 hot flashes each week. The subjects were given 40 grams of crushed flax seeds each day. Over a six week period, the women experienced a mean 57% decrease in the number of hot flashes. Subjects receiving the flax seed also experienced less joint and muscle pain, a reduction in sweating and chills, and a general improvement in the quality of life.

Another study, appearing in Family Practice News (February 1, 2005:48), was double-blind and placebo
controlled. It involved 85 women who were experiencing at least 5 episodes of either hot flashes or night sweats per day. They were randomly assigned to receive either 40 grams per day of flax seed or a placebo for three months. After the initial three month therapy, the subjects switched roles, with the placebo group receiving therapy and the initial therapy group receiving a placebo (crossover). There was a 38%
decline in the median number of hot flashes when a group was receiving the flax seed. Occurring with the decline in symptoms was an increase in enterodiol, enterolactone and other lignans found in the urine.

Other Flax Seeds and Menopause research appearing in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Preview
(October 2000;9:1113-1118) also found an increase in urinary lignans when women were supplemented
with flax seed. The flax seeds may affect estrogen levels. A study that appeared in Cancer Epidemiology
Biomarkers Preview (July 2000;9:719-725) found that supplementation with flax seed increased the ratio of the urinary excretion of 2-hydroxyestrogen and 16 alpha-hydroxyesterone. A study appearing in Gynecology
and Obstetrics Investigation (2007; 64(4): 204-207) looked at the effect vitamin E supplementation had on
hot flashes. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 51 female subjects who were given
either 400 IU of vitamin E or a placebo for a period of four weeks. They were taken off of the
supplement for a week and given it again for another four weeks. The vitamin E supplementation produced
statistically significant reduction in the number of hot flashes experienced by the group receiving the therapy.