What causes fibroids to develop and grow?

Trawl the internet, flip through self help books and chances are you wont find a definitive answer.

Whilst many scientists and doctors now believe fibroid growth is fueled by excess estrogen and probably progesterone (or the lack of it) no one really knows what kick starts the disease process in the first place.

I’m firmly of the belief that we reap what we sow! and I can certainly hold my hand up to the fact that in my late 20’s early 30’s I lead a less than healthy lifestyle.

I smoked, I drank alcohol, I worked hard and I played hard and stress through work was off the richter scale.  My diet was chronic and exercise simply didn’t register on my radar.  Frankly I was lucky that I only developed fibroids!

Fibroids, endometriosis, PMS, ovarian cysts, fibrocystic breast disease are all symptoms of inflammation and today I can look back over the years and see how and why I developed fibroids.  Quite simply I had set the stage for chronic inflammation.

Inflammation is normal and beneficial to our health and we need a certain amount of it to stay healthy.   It is only when inflammation gets out of control is it detrimental to our health.

But controlling inflammation is also incredibly important to our health as excess inflammation in our body can fester silently for years until a disease or symptom develops such as fibroids.

Some scientists believe that low grade or chronic inflammation is associated with everything from heart disease, diabetes to alzheimer’s and arthritus!

Both excess insulin and excess estrogen in our bodies are highly inflammatory molecules and are strongly implicated in the growth of fibroids.  The good news is that both insulin and estrogen can be successfully controlled through exercise and diet.

The following conditions can increase your risk of chronic inflammation

• Being overweight
• Eating a poor diet
• Being insulin resistant
• Leading a sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Poor immune system
• Stress

Lifestyle changes that can help reduce chronic inflammation in your body

• Avoid pro-inflammatory foods such as trans-fats, all processed foods, fast foods, fried foods, foods high in sugar and fructose
• Eat a moderate amount of fish. The omega-3 fats in fish can help reduce inflammation. 
• Learn to optimise your insulin levels - have your GP or doctor test your fasting blood glucose levels
• Exercise - regular exercise will get excess glucose and insulin out of your system faster - doing less damage to your body
• Improve your immune system - one method is to improve your gut flora, consider taking probiotics
• Take steps to reduce your levels of stress, stress causes the release of your ‘stress hormone’ cortisol.  Your body makes cortisol from progesterone the most fundamental hormone needed to help balance estrogen within your body.  Prolonged bouts of stress will deplete your body’s reserves of progesterone.

One such herb which helps reduce inflammation in our bodies is ginger.  Fresh ginger from the root, widely available in most supermarkets, is wonderful grated over a salad or grated and steeped in boiling water as in a cup of green tea.

Turmeric, used in curries, is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects!  Aside from its uses as a culinary herb it is also available as a health supplement. 

Interestingly turmeric is a member of the ginger family!

SHOULD YOU USE PAIN KILLERS FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

It’s all too easy to reach for that large bottle of anti -inflammatories/pain killers when menstrual cramps strike... but are you aware that they come with a huge list of unpleasant and debilitating side effects.

REGULAR USE OF NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) INCREASES ALZHEIMER’S RISK

Researchers followed 2,736 dementia-free people age 65 and older for up to 12 years, during which time 476 developed dementia.

Those who were "heavy" NSAID users (the equivalent of approximately six Advil per day) were 66% more likely to develop dementia, and 57% more likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease in particular. 

These statistics held true after the researchers controlled for other factors that might make people vulnerable to dementia -- among them education, APOE gene status and diabetes.

So rather than helping slow the onset of Alzheimer's, NSAID's may actually increase your risk of developing it!

* Medical studies have repeatedly shown that taking traditional painkilling drugs like ibuprofen and diclofenac have a 55% and 24% increased risk of heart attack respectively.

These drugs can also INCREASE your risk of peptic ulcers, diabetes and breast cancer.

* NSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – commonly used as a first line arthritis treatment, result in a staggering 100,000 hospital admissions per year due to gastrointestinal problems linked to long-term use.

Even worse: approximately 15 per cent of those patients die as a result of their adverse reactions.

* Cox-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Cerebrex have been found to substantially increase your risk of heart attack, to such an extent that Vioxx was withdrawn from sale when it was found to DOUBLE the risk of heart attack and stroke.

* TNF-Blockers, such as Rituximab, have been shown to cause respiratory failure, as well as nausea, myalgia (muscle pain) and low blood pressure.

* SAARDs and DMARDs, like Methotrexate – an immuno- suppressant used to treat patients whose arthritis is at an advanced stage – can exacerbate side effects such as serious gastrointestinal disorders, cause liver damage and can even cause death.

It’s quite likely that you’re already taking one of these drugs without realizing it…..and without even realizing what the full side-effects and risks may be.

If you’re unsure, then check out below some of the drug names that you need to watch out for, such as:

Acetaminophen,oxycodone, tramadol, diclofenac potassium, diflunisal, etodolac, fenoprofen calcium, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, meclofenamate sodium, meloxicam, nabumetone, naproxen, piroxicam, celecoxib, valdecoxib, aspirin, choline salicylate, magnesium salicylate, cortisone, dexamethasone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, auranofin (oral gold), azathioprine, cyclosporine, hydroxychloroquine sulphate, methotrexate, minocycline, penicillamine, sulphasalazine.

Source:

John C.S. Breitner, MD, MPH, of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and head of geriatric psychiatry at University of Washington School of Medicine.

If you must use a pain killer or anti inflammatory for the management of pain only use if you really have to and try to avoid any long term dependence on them, better still try to find an alternative pain relief technique that works for you.

Here are some suggestions for alternative pain relief techniques to help with menstrual cramps that don’t require the use of drugs.

Take a warm bath

Taking a warm bath can also help lessen heavy menstrual flow, and the warm water will alleviate lower abdomen pain, and relax the muscles.

Excercise

Probably the last thing you want to do besides curling up in bed with a hot water bottle but regular exercise, including exercise right before and during your menstrual cycle can help lessen the severity of menstrual cramping.

Valerian Tea or Tinctures

Medicinal uses of valerian date back to 400 B.C. with the Greek physician Hippocrates. Valerian is traditionally used to improve sleep and treat insomnia. However, it may also be effective for treating menstrual cramps. Take valerian in liquid tincture, tea, capsule and tablet form.

Valerian contains valepotriates and valerenic acid, which can attach to the same brain receptor sites as Valium. This makes valerian beneficial for treating pain, anxiety and insomnia.

Therapeutic Heat

Take advantage of therapeutic heat to relax your menstrual cramps.  ThermaCare^® Menstrual provide soothing heat that relaxes muscular contractions to relieve menstrual cramps. 

ThermaCare are heat patches and their ultra-thin design conforms to your lower abdomen for discreet comfort.

They can provides soothing heat for 8 hours of menstrual-cramp pain relief and are thin enough to wear under clothing and on the move.

Omega-3 and Magnesium supplements

For further information on supplementing your diet with omega-3 and magnesium citrate see earlier article '2 excellent remedies for menstrual cramps'

WHAT'S THE BEST NATURAL REMEDY FOR Fibroids?

What's the best natural remedy for fibroids and their unpleasant symptoms?... well in my opinion and experience it's exercise.

But before I go any further I have to tell you that I absolutely hate exercising! and will do anything to avoid it!

So let me bring you bang up to date with the latest research regarding exercise and just how much of it we really have to do to reap the benefits or rather how little of it we should be doing!

But first let's look at why exercise is so important and so very beneficial to us fibroid sufferers.

Estrogen - American English spelling

Oestrogen - British English spelling

• Many scientists and doctors now believe estrogen plays a large role in stimulating fibroid growth, exercise helps reduce and normalise estrogen levels 

• Excercise can really help with menstrual cramps as it boosts circulation, prompts the body to release pain-killing endorphins and relaxes muscles

• Stress is another antagonist for fibriods, exercise is a great stress buster and helps by lowering cortisol levels.  Excessive exercise stresses the body and raises cortisol levels!

• Exercise can help you manage your weight and the amount of fat you store in your body.  The more fat you carry the more estrogen you are able to store in your fat cells, effectively 'feeding' your fibroids!

• Exercise helps reduce blood glucose and manage your insulin levels.  Insulin is your fat storage hormone.  Too much sugar and unhealthy carbohydrates in your diet will spike your insulin levels causing your body to store more fat and prevent it from burning fat as fuel

• For every additional hour of physical activity during the day, children fall asleep 3 x times quicker and sleep 20 minutes longer.  The same pattern holds true for adults!  Good restorative (healing) sleep helps balance our stress hormones!

EXCERCISE LESS... REALLY IS MORE!

If you lead a busy life, finding the time to exercise can be difficult or if you’re like me and you simply don’t like exercising then you’ll love this recent research into fitness that suggests that exercising just a few minutes each week can be just as beneficial as jogging round the park for an hour or so. 

More gain for less pain! Sounds too good to be true? ....read on! 

Professor Julian Baker from the University of the West of Scotland is at the forefront of this startling new research into fitness. His fitness regime involves short bursts with high intensity activity. For example you can run or step (anything that involves high intensity exercise) flat out for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. You then repeat this cycle 4 times over. Professor Baker’s research has found that pushing muscles to their absolute limit can improve your fitness. But what’s incredible about this fitness regime is that it lasts for only 4 minutes with 2 of them spent resting! Or put another way with only 2 minutes spent exercising! 

Professor Baker recommends that you would need to do the exercises about 3 times a week and your initial fitness level will depend on how quickly you improve your overall fitness. 

Current UK government guidelines recommend that we exercise 30 minutes to an hour a day of moderate exercise 5 times a week! 

The data compiled by the University of the West of Scotland suggests that this type of training improves above and beyond the benefits gained from exercising for 30 – 60 minutes. 

So how can a man or woman who is effectively only exercising for 2 minutes get the same or better fitness benefits as someone who exercises for longer. 

One line of reasoning is that if you do short burst exercising you’re working 250% harder in terms of the intensity of the exercise than say a jogger. The exercise for the jogger is much more gentles on the muscles where as the short burst exercises is pushing your muscles to the max, which has the maximum benefit on your fitness. 

Scientists are still trying to find out why this type of exercise should work but they do know that exercising to the absolute limit is more effective in reducing blood pressure and widening blood vessels and strengthening muscles. 

Depending on your initial level of fitness over a 5 week fitness period of exercising in short burst high intensity could result in a significant loss of body fat and loss of weight but could up your overall level of fitness by as much as 50%. 

If you haven’t exercised in a while don’t start running, stepping or any high intensity exercising straight off. You will need to build up from a gentle pace and see your doctor before you start any exercise regime if you have any concerns. Women who have fibroids need to get advice on their exercise regimens from a health care provider, especially those who are anemic, have additional medical conditions or bleed heavily during the menstrual cycle.

I think everyone no matter how busy and hectic a life they lead can find 12 minutes a week to exercise!