Treating Uterine Fibroids Naturally
written by Randine Lewis, reprinted with permission

Uterine Fiboids or myomas are benign tumors found in approximately 20% of women over 35 years of age. They are the most common abnormal tissue growth of the female reproductive organs and range from the size of a pea to the size of a grapefruit.  These growths are responsive to hormone fluctuations and can be associated with menstrual pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, and fertility problems.

In the terms of Eastern medicine, fibroids are considered lumpy nodulations within the body caused by hardening static Blood. The menstrual blood is unable to flow freely and women with fibroids often experience a sediment-like menstrual flow with dark, brown, clotted blood which has been allowed to oxidize. Acupuncture can frequently help shrink  fibroids and improve blood flow so the sediment will clear.

Other Natural Treatments for Uterine Fibroids

  1.  Rest and wear loose, comfortable clothing.
  2.  Perform deep breathing exercises and meditative practices.
  3.  Take warm baths.
  4.  Use essential oils like frankincense, myrrh, clary sage, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, juniper and thyme.
  5.  Use a heating pad or hot water bottle on your abdomen.
  6.  Apply warm castor oil packs on your abdomen to invigorate the blood, assist the lymphatic system, and balance hormone levels. Apply warm castor oil to the lower abdomen and cover with plastic wrap two to three times per day during the premenstrual and menstrual period. If you are not trying to conceive, you can do this daily through the rest of your cycle.
  7.  Regular, moderate daily exercise helps improve circulation and ease symptoms. Meditation, Qi Gong, and yoga are also helpful. However, you should not perform inversion techniques during menstruation, the energetic flow must always be descending.
  8.  Avoid all foods which have been treated hormonally.
  9.  Consume soy and soy products like tofu if you are not sensitive them.
  10.  Buy only organic fruits and vegetables.
  11.  Avoid refined and hydrogenated oils.
  12.  Use only unprocessed plant sources of essential fatty acids.
  13.  Use oils rich in both linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty acids such as flax-seed, pumpkin-seed and chia-seed oils, but only if they are recently cold-pressed and refined.
  14.  Include dietary spirulina, evening primrose oil, and oil from black currant and borage seeds.
  15.  Avoid sources of arachidonic  acid, which comes from animal meats, dairy products, eggs, and peanuts .
  16.  Decrease the amount of dietary animal products, except  fish. If you do consume meat, make sure it is organic, and not hormonally treated.
  17.  Eat walnuts, dark greens, saffron and cold climate root vegetables.
  18.  Foods which are especially good for resolving blood stasis include: Kelp, lemons, limes, onions, Irish moss, and bladder wrack.
  19. Supplement your diet with B vitamins and antioxidants (vitamins C, E, beta carotene, selenium, zinc). Include super-antioxidants (grape seed extract, pine bark extract, red wine extract, bilberry extract), which contain procyanidins, caffeic and ferulic acid, with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antispastic effects.
  20. Be sure to have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Fish oil is a good source of these Omega 3 fatty acids. Fish oil prevents abnormal blood clotting. If your menstrual blood contains clotty tissue, supplement with fish oil, linseed oil and evening primrose oil (which also contain gamma linolenic acid or Omega 6 fatty acids).