Cannot let the month close out without discussing #Fibroids for #FibroidsAwarenessMonth.
From a research article published in 2014 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology: “Fibroids should be considered a public health issue, given the magnitude of the problem and the costs of health care for this disease. African American women have a 3-fold increased age-adjusted incidence rate and 3-fold increased relative risk of fibroids. Surgical treatment for fibroids is especially prevalent among African American women; they are 2 to 3 times more likely to undergo hysterectomy for fibroid tumors than other racial groups.”
The biggest issue with invasive surgeries is that they do not address the root cause. So many women have the fibroids removed, only to have them grow back with a vengeance. That is because surgery does not address the root of the problem.
The root cause of fibroids is estrogen dominance. There are many ways this can develop. In my black female clients it can often be traced to excessive consumption of dairy, followed by birth control – which actually creates an even more fertile ground for abnormal growths such as cysts and fibroids to grow. There are other reasons too, but this is the most common narrative I encounter.
As women we are not taught that our period relays important information about the status of our health. We believe and are told from a young age that horrific periods with heavy bleeding, cramping, migraines, vomiting or more are “normal” and we should deal with it or stop the symptoms using birth control. This has to stop. Because when we ignore the signs our period is trying to tell us, we set the stage for imbalance to continue until it manifests into a full blown diagnosis. I address the root cause in my practice and approach fibroids by dealing with diet, stress, toxin exposure, lifestyle, supplementation, and herbs.
If you or someone you know is struggling with fibroids, please listen to my podcast episode with Dr. Alan Warshowsky, who has been healing women with fibroids for over a decade. It is really important that this health issue is demystified and that women are aware of all of their options. -XO