Struggling with Endometriosis and How CBD Changed my Life
Today I want to talk about endometriosis, something that has been heavy on my heart for a long time. Break down the word endometriosis and you get: “the state of the inside of the uterus”. Endo means "inside" or "internal", metrio means uterus and sis means "state of". A normal functioning uterus has endometrial tissue inside of it. For women like me, the endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus which causes severe pelvic pain. As you can imagine, when something isn't where it's supposed to be in your body, it reacts the only way it knows how. The problem with endometriosis is that it is directly influenced by hormones. When you are on your period or the week leading up to it, it typically feels the most unbearable because this is when your body is going through the most hormonal changes. Here is a brief backstory of how I got here:
Rewind back to when I was about 16, awkward and pimple-faced- not knowing how to deal with the immense amount of pain I would get when I was on my period. My mom took me to the gynecologist because it never got better as the months went on, nor did the 2 ibuprofen I would pop anytime the pain came on. The doctor diagnosed me with adenomyosis and put me on birth control. Adenomyosis is when the uterine cells grow into the uterine wall, whereas endometriosis is where they grow outside the uterine walls. The reason for the birth control was because it reduced periods as a whole, thus reducing my symptoms. I was on it for about 6 years until I was 22, then decided to come off it because I did not want to continue to put something so synthetic and hormone altering in my body (this is when I became super aware of my health and what I put in and on my body). After spending some time off it (about a year and a half) my symptoms starting coming back. Each period seemed to intensify and I felt miserable. I learned from my gynecologist that I most likely have endometriosis because of the symptoms I was experiencing and he recommended getting back on the pill.
I consider myself a healthy person who exercises, eats clean, meditates and laughs a lot thanks to the amazing people in my life. I never understood why I was plagued with such horrible pain every time Mother Nature decided to give me a gift. There had to be a way to get through this WITHOUT the pill. For months I felt absolutely helpless. Last year I ended up in the ER 3 times because of these debilitating pains. Morphine, Oxycodone, Ibuprofen, you name it! Nothing. Helped. What was a girl to do? One day while scrolling through my health and wellness account on instagram, I noticed a story from a health food blogger who was chatting about something called CBD on her stories. I was like, what the heck is that? So, I curiously watched the entire thing. To my surprise, I had come across the primary source of my pain management that would change the way I think about women’s reproductive health and endometriosis forever.
What is CBD? In short, CBD stands for cannabidiol. Cannabidiol is a chemical constituent from the marijuana plant that contains powerful ingredients that help relieve pain, anxiety/depression, reduce acne and even has neuroprotective properties. CBD in most forms is non psychoactive which means there is no THC- the stuff that makes you feel high. The reason why this works so well for someone like me is because humans have something called an endocannabinoid system aka “the multi-facet therapeutic target” or “ECS”. What’s promising is that a recent article shows that humans produce endocannabinoids naturally. The ECS is essentially a signaling system in your body that regulates vital processes like pain, mood, appetite, memory and even immunity. Any type of dysfunction of this system can lead to a wide range of health issues. The reason CBD is so crucial for people with debilitating pain or mood disorders is because it targets the ECS because the chemical compounds mimic the molecules your body produces naturally (Garland, R. 7 Surprising Facts about Cannabis and Endometriosis). Evidence shows that women who suffer from endometriosis have fewer of these CB1 receptors in their endometrial tissue which can make symptoms worse and even cause the condition to spread to other areas. Crazy right!? The ECS regulates vital processes like pain, mood, sleep, memory, immunity and more (Garland, 2018). After reading this article about the ECS and its close relationship to CBD, I now have so much faith in this wondrous plant!
I feel so empowered that I have the ability to change the course of my ever complicated reproductive/ endocrine system for good. Everyone is different, and what works for me and my body may not work for you and yours. However, I am certain that if I can help myself get through this naturally and holistically, I sure as heck will be able to give you some insight and perspective to help you get through it too. I’ve always tried to take the road less traveled as far as my health goes and getting off the pill has been one of those decisions. Unfortunately, there is no way you will balance your hormones fully while being on some type of contraceptive. But the good news is “A growing body of research suggests that there is a profound link between cannabis and endometriosis.” This article literally brought me tears of joy, as I have never thought of using cannabis as a form of pain relief- especially for something like endometriosis. Cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties, is an effective sleep aid, and even helps enhance female libido! It truly has been my holy grail product for helping me to heal and be pain free.
It’s important to note that nutrition plays a huge role in my healing and living with endo. Things like cycle syncing and seed cycling are ways that I’ve been able to manage my periods with minimal symptoms and ease. Since taking CBD my quality of life has significantly improved and I no longer fear for that time of the month. It has also helped me to become more in tune with my body’s natural cycle and its reaction to various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This derivative of cannabis is on the rise in the wellness world, and I would love to do more to promote it and speak on it from a female perspective and from personal experience. Even if I can reach only a few of you, that means the world to me. I hope this article was helpful, and if you suffer from endometriosis or any female reproductive issues, just know you are not alone! Don’t hesitate to reach out to me, I’m always here to listen and provide support. Stay tuned for my next blog post about eating for your cycle and more on these related topics!
Feelin’ good, livin’ better!
Ro
Although I am a CHNC (Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach) please note I am not a Doctor, medical professional, therapist or lawyer. My blog posts are for informational purposes only and intended to motivate and empower readers to make their own nutrition and health decisions after consulting with their health care provider. The information I provide is not intended as medical advice, nor as diagnoses to determine treatment for a medical condition. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2241751/
Garland, R. ( Jan 2018). 7 Surprising Facts about Cannabis and Endometriosis. Retrieved from https://www.green-flower.com/articles/597/surprising-facts-about-cannabis-and-endometriosis