Above is a uterine image of all the different locations a fibroid can grow. Basically there are three main kinds of fibroids that occur in the uterus. They are listed below.
1) Intramural fibroids grow inside the muscle wall of the uterus.
2) Submucosal fibroids grow inside the uterine cavity.
3) Subserosal fibroids grow on the outside of the uterus into the body cavity.
Information on Fibroids
Here is a short and concise article on fibroids that felt timely as about 15-20% of all the women that walk into my clinic are dealing with major fibroids issues. Almost all of these women are hoping for a holistic method to address fibroids and to avoid surgery and hysterectomy altogether. This topic also feels timely as it’s estimated about 70% of women will have a fibroid or two within their lifetime. Most women, however, will not know they have a fibroid(s) unless they show up in a scan, pelvic exam or they are causing issues (Cite 3, WikiHow). My aim in this article is to give a little more understanding about fibroids and also list ways at prevention and addressing any current fibroid issues. I hope you find this article helpful. If yes, please feel free to comment or sign up on my mailing list, which you can do at the bottom of my.
So what are some fibroid symptoms? Here is a list of possible symptoms, but remember most women have no symptoms at all.
As a special note, here is a piece of advice to any person getting a scan for fibroids: make sure to request a copy of the image and details from the doctor before leaving the office. These details are about the size, location and how many fibroids. So many of my patients come in saying they know they have fibroids but they don’t know anything more about their fibroids. Having detailed information about the fibroid is very useful to:
a) monitor the growth of the fibroid(s) - the bigger they get the more trouble they cause and also the harder to deal with holistically.
b) If clients come in for an Arvigo™ treatment, it helps me as a clinician, work with the fibroid(s) and give realistic expectations to my clients as some fibroids are easier to deal with than others. Knowing where the fibroid is located and how big helps with the treatment process too.
Who might be affected by fibroids?
If fibroids occur, they are most likely going to occur in women in their mid-30’s to late 40’s, yet they can occur at any stage during the reproductive years of a woman (Cite 4, Wikipedia). Our ethnicity, genetics, weight, diet and lifestyle play a role too. Overweight women and African American women seem to be more at risk. Women that have had babies or a baby seem to have some protection against fibroid development (Cite 4, Wikipedia). However, more than half of my fibroid clients have had babies, so I’m not so sure how accurate this statistic is. Generally, fibroids will stop growing once a woman reaches menopause but again this isn’t always true. And fibroids often grow fast and bigger when women are pregnant, then slow down growth once the baby is born.
Why do fibroids occur?
Scientist don’t really understand why women grow fibroids but Dr. Rosita, creator of the Arvigo Therapy™ techniques, felt that because women are having less babies these days the uterus essentially is unemployed so gets into trouble by growing things (fibroids in this case). However, Dr. Rosita also observed that if women have a good, strong healthy outlet for creative energy such as in a project, career or something else they can love and put themselves into completely, they were less likely to grow fibroids. These women with a creative outlet were also more likely to cope with and manage current fibroid growth. The uterus is an organ of creation, whether it’s another human being or just a source of great creative energy for that next art project.
Another possible cause of fibroids is believed to be hormone imbalance related due to an excess of estrogen, known as estrogen dominance in the body (Cite 4, Wikipedia). Women that grow fibroids, and for that matter endometriosis, tend to be estrogen dominant and have too much of this hormone in their bodies. Also, there seems to be an issue of the body moving out inflammation and maybe injuries or abnormalities to the blood vessels and tissue can lead to fibroids, but again doctors aren’t certain (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). Because of the hormone connection, fibroids can’t grow without estrogen and progesterone, hence why they mainly occur during the reproductive years. However, it’s still a good idea to consider gentle herbal cleansing when dealing with fibroids or as prevention, because herbs like dandelion and milk thistle support the body in detoxification of hormones.
Dandelion supports the liver in removing excess estrogen and milk thistle supports the rest of the body in eliminating excess estrogen (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). Some herbalist have even recommended getting on Vitex/Chasteberry tincture/ supplement to help balance woman’s hormones. Chasteberry is also useful in detoxifying excess hormones (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). If you go the herbal route of self-healing consider working with a naturopath or other herbalist to support and correctly use the herbal formula. Be mindful of any contradictions of using herbal support. For example, Chasteberry makes hormonal contraceptives less effective. It’s that good at helping the body cleanse!
Other good news about fibroids is they are rarely cancerous. They are basically slow growing tumours, also known as uterine leiomyomas (Cite 4, Wikipedia). When they are a nuisance, this is when they have gotten too big or are growing in an awkward place, such as when they are growing on the outside of the cervix and into the vaginal canal, hence why the painful sex. Again, most women won’t have symptoms until the fibroids are big or in that awkward place and most fibroids stop growing and even shrink a little after a woman goes through menopause. However, for whatever reason, I’ve personally seen a few clients with very fast growing fibroids going through menopause and one client was well past menopause, in her 60’s, with a fibroid growing so fast and big she had a hard time with bodily functions.
About 100% of all my fibroids clients have come into my office because of major fibroid issues. However there are ways to holistically protect ourselves against fibroid growth. As with most things, prevention is key and living a healthier life means we are healthier in other areas, as health benefits tend to spill over. Here is a list of recommended health practices that help minimize the risk of fibroid growth.
c) Serrapeptase (this is a type of enzyme, not a brand)
Note: it’s better to start on lower dosage of enzymes like with Vitalzm as not all women will tolerate Serrapeptase well, which can be really strong. All enzymes thin the blood so you have to be careful when on certain medications. Again, work with a health care professional to be sure. We are now carrying enzymes in our clinic if you’d like to know more.
Note: Do Not do enzymes if pregnant. There is a risk of miscarriage.
7. Consider getting on turmeric or curcumin supplement or adding more turmeric to your diet. Know your supplements well because if you take curcumin or turmeric at therapeutic dosages they can interfere with blood clotting medications and also lower blood sugar levels, so be careful if on diabetes medications (Cite 2, Turmeric for Health).
8. Do castor packs over your pelvic region and uterus. Castor has many healing benefits and can be used to aid the body naturally to help heal fibroids. It also has mild anti-inflammatory properties and can help with pain.
9. Take one of the Rainforest Remedy formulas (through an Arvigo™ Practitioner), either Female Tonic, and/or Ms. Hortense formula. Note: Ms Hortense
formula is only available through an Arvigo™ practitioner as it’s very strong. Both these formulas support the body into pinching off the blood supply to
the fibroids and encourage the uterus to cleanse itself and sometimes dislodge fibroids, especially if submucosal.
10. Work with a Chinese herbalist and also acupuncturist that understands working with fibroids and traditional Chinese medicine. Many fibroid clients will experience some pain reduction with acupuncture and certain Chinese herbs and herbal formulas have been shown to help reduce the size of fibroids (Cite 3, WikiHow). Here is a list of possible helpful Chinese herbs:
a) Kuei-chih-fu-ling-wan is an herbal formula
b) Tripterygium wilfordii extract, (雷公藤-pronounced ‘léi gōng téng’)
Note, it is advisable to be on either Maya herbs (Rainforest Remedies) or Chinese herbs, but not both. It is ok to take Chasteberry with some of the Rainforest Remedies and it’s ok to get Arvigo Therapy™ while seeing an acupuncturist and being on Chinese Herbals. These go together well, just not combining South American and Asian herbs.
11. Drink more green tea (2-3 cups/ day) or consider a green tea supplement of 400 mg green tea (take two capsules daily) (Cite 3, WikiHow). Make
sure the green tea is organic or is at least spray free.
Note: Do not try any of the above if pregnant unless you are working with a health care provider that understands all the processes involved and can safely advise you of the proper dosage and use. If you try any of the above suggestions, you do so at your own risk, so be responsible with the knowledge and do your own research as well.
With any of the above suggestions, these are all going to be a several month commitment and ongoing process. None of these recommendations are a quick fix and will take time and dedication. Many people will feel results in about a month’s time, but it will take longer to correct the issue. It is advisable to plan on at least four months. Longer is better.
All this said, there may still be women that will have to resort to surgery and maybe even hysterectomy. However, I do feel confident most women on a combination of mentioned above suggestions will gain improvement. No matter what you do, make sure to monitor the fibroid growth and perhaps consider getting an ultrasound every 4 months to see if the fibroid has stopped growing and is shrinking.
I like to tell my clients “if the plumbing isn’t right, nothing’s right,” whether it be the plumbing in our home or in our bodies. Here’s to our health and to a happy and healthy uterus!
Here is a short and concise article on fibroids that felt timely as about 15-20% of all the women that walk into my clinic are dealing with major fibroids issues. Almost all of these women are hoping for a holistic method to address fibroids and to avoid surgery and hysterectomy altogether. This topic also feels timely as it’s estimated about 70% of women will have a fibroid or two within their lifetime. Most women, however, will not know they have a fibroid(s) unless they show up in a scan, pelvic exam or they are causing issues (Cite 3, WikiHow). My aim in this article is to give a little more understanding about fibroids and also list ways at prevention and addressing any current fibroid issues. I hope you find this article helpful. If yes, please feel free to comment or sign up on my mailing list, which you can do at the bottom of my.
So what are some fibroid symptoms? Here is a list of possible symptoms, but remember most women have no symptoms at all.
- Pain during intercourse (your partner may notice something has changed inside too)
- Low back ache (though this could be for a lot of other reasons too!)
- Extra heavy bleeding during menstruation
- A change in your menstrual cycle such as sudden increase of pain (usually sharp) or extra bleeding (again this could be caused by other reasons too)
- Conception issues depending on the location of fibroids and this is rare
- Frequent urination
- In extreme cases, difficulty with urination and/or defecation
- You feel or see an extra lump inside the low belly region (be mindful to stay calm as sometimes lymph nodes get more noticeable but these lumps are small, maybe the size of a pea or marble). A fibroid lump is a lump that doesn’t go away, and it grows. They often feel quite firm.
- Heaviness and pain in the pelvic region.
As a special note, here is a piece of advice to any person getting a scan for fibroids: make sure to request a copy of the image and details from the doctor before leaving the office. These details are about the size, location and how many fibroids. So many of my patients come in saying they know they have fibroids but they don’t know anything more about their fibroids. Having detailed information about the fibroid is very useful to:
a) monitor the growth of the fibroid(s) - the bigger they get the more trouble they cause and also the harder to deal with holistically.
b) If clients come in for an Arvigo™ treatment, it helps me as a clinician, work with the fibroid(s) and give realistic expectations to my clients as some fibroids are easier to deal with than others. Knowing where the fibroid is located and how big helps with the treatment process too.
Who might be affected by fibroids?
If fibroids occur, they are most likely going to occur in women in their mid-30’s to late 40’s, yet they can occur at any stage during the reproductive years of a woman (Cite 4, Wikipedia). Our ethnicity, genetics, weight, diet and lifestyle play a role too. Overweight women and African American women seem to be more at risk. Women that have had babies or a baby seem to have some protection against fibroid development (Cite 4, Wikipedia). However, more than half of my fibroid clients have had babies, so I’m not so sure how accurate this statistic is. Generally, fibroids will stop growing once a woman reaches menopause but again this isn’t always true. And fibroids often grow fast and bigger when women are pregnant, then slow down growth once the baby is born.
Why do fibroids occur?
Scientist don’t really understand why women grow fibroids but Dr. Rosita, creator of the Arvigo Therapy™ techniques, felt that because women are having less babies these days the uterus essentially is unemployed so gets into trouble by growing things (fibroids in this case). However, Dr. Rosita also observed that if women have a good, strong healthy outlet for creative energy such as in a project, career or something else they can love and put themselves into completely, they were less likely to grow fibroids. These women with a creative outlet were also more likely to cope with and manage current fibroid growth. The uterus is an organ of creation, whether it’s another human being or just a source of great creative energy for that next art project.
Another possible cause of fibroids is believed to be hormone imbalance related due to an excess of estrogen, known as estrogen dominance in the body (Cite 4, Wikipedia). Women that grow fibroids, and for that matter endometriosis, tend to be estrogen dominant and have too much of this hormone in their bodies. Also, there seems to be an issue of the body moving out inflammation and maybe injuries or abnormalities to the blood vessels and tissue can lead to fibroids, but again doctors aren’t certain (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). Because of the hormone connection, fibroids can’t grow without estrogen and progesterone, hence why they mainly occur during the reproductive years. However, it’s still a good idea to consider gentle herbal cleansing when dealing with fibroids or as prevention, because herbs like dandelion and milk thistle support the body in detoxification of hormones.
Dandelion supports the liver in removing excess estrogen and milk thistle supports the rest of the body in eliminating excess estrogen (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). Some herbalist have even recommended getting on Vitex/Chasteberry tincture/ supplement to help balance woman’s hormones. Chasteberry is also useful in detoxifying excess hormones (Cite 1, Top10HomeRemedies). If you go the herbal route of self-healing consider working with a naturopath or other herbalist to support and correctly use the herbal formula. Be mindful of any contradictions of using herbal support. For example, Chasteberry makes hormonal contraceptives less effective. It’s that good at helping the body cleanse!
Other good news about fibroids is they are rarely cancerous. They are basically slow growing tumours, also known as uterine leiomyomas (Cite 4, Wikipedia). When they are a nuisance, this is when they have gotten too big or are growing in an awkward place, such as when they are growing on the outside of the cervix and into the vaginal canal, hence why the painful sex. Again, most women won’t have symptoms until the fibroids are big or in that awkward place and most fibroids stop growing and even shrink a little after a woman goes through menopause. However, for whatever reason, I’ve personally seen a few clients with very fast growing fibroids going through menopause and one client was well past menopause, in her 60’s, with a fibroid growing so fast and big she had a hard time with bodily functions.
About 100% of all my fibroids clients have come into my office because of major fibroid issues. However there are ways to holistically protect ourselves against fibroid growth. As with most things, prevention is key and living a healthier life means we are healthier in other areas, as health benefits tend to spill over. Here is a list of recommended health practices that help minimize the risk of fibroid growth.
- Practice Self Care massage as taught by an Arvigo™ practitioner. This is probably the most important as it helps with hormone regulation and helps support the body to heal and cleanse itself. Remember as mentioned above some scientist feel fibroids are in part due to a buildup of inflammation and estrogens that the body has a hard time clearing out. Doing the Self Care massage helps support the body in cleansing and healing itself.
- Get more turmeric in the diet as this herb helps stop and slow the growth of fibroids. Turmeric has been found to be beneficial in stopping tumour and cancer growths in lab test for many kinds of tumours including fibroids (Cite 2, Turmeric for Health). Here is a yummy activated turmeric paste and milk recipe to get more Turmeric into the diet: http://dailyhealthpost.com/turmeric-ginger-golden-milk-drink-recipe/ (*Note: Make sure to add the paste to the milk with spices and perhaps a natural sweetener of choice. This is what tastes yummy! The paste by itself isn’t yummy.)
- Have a creative outlet, something that you can really put your whole self into and love, similar to having and raising a child or, have a child if this is what you want and are able to do.
- Make sure you have enough iodine in the diet. Iodine is a critical nutrient essential for the body to detoxify and control rogue cells. You are less likely to grow fibroids and more likely to deal with and heal fibroids if iodine levels are healthy. Always treat iodine with respect as it’s a powerful nutrient. It’s also a good idea to work with a health care provider if any thyroid issues.
- Check the above list of preventions. Follow the above recommendations as they also help with the healing process of having fibroids. It’s highly advisable to work with a health practitioner that understands fibroids.
- Eat clean food and drink clean water so there is no or minimal interference on the hormone system. This is especially true of any animal products. You may even want to avoid red meat for a while as some statistics show red meat consumption can contribute to fibroid growth (Cite 4, Wikipedia).
- Do self-care massage as shown by an Arvigo™ practitioner. Arvigo™ practitioners have had the most success managing and shrinking fibroids at 5 cm or less in size. I’ve personally had some success helping women manage their pain with fibroids at 10 cm.
- Pelvic/Vaginal Steam with dulse seaweed. Some women have even passed their fibroids using this method combined with the Self Care massage.
- Know what kind of fibroid you have. Is it intramural, submucosal or subserosal? If you have a submucosal fibroid, it can be passed by the body. However, the other kinds of fibroids have to be reabsorbed by the body or surgically removed. See above image for a clearer understanding of this. For fibroids that need to be reabsorbed, make sure to talk to your body and ask the body to reabsorb the fibroid. The mind is very powerful in the healing process. One lady I know growing fibroids inside her uterine muscle walls (intramural fibroids) instructed the fibroids to die. Note: she was also doing castor packs and on other herbal support. Her fibroids died, then they became infected and she got very sick and ended up needing to have surgery and a hysterectomy. Remember, the mind is a very powerful tool.
- Speaking of reabsorbed, you may want to use therapeutic dosages of enzymes. Enzymes could be a great consideration when working with any fibroid type. There are three types of enzymes/brands that some women have had success in dealing with fibroids. Here are the three types/brands: a) Vitalzym
c) Serrapeptase (this is a type of enzyme, not a brand)
Note: it’s better to start on lower dosage of enzymes like with Vitalzm as not all women will tolerate Serrapeptase well, which can be really strong. All enzymes thin the blood so you have to be careful when on certain medications. Again, work with a health care professional to be sure. We are now carrying enzymes in our clinic if you’d like to know more.
Note: Do Not do enzymes if pregnant. There is a risk of miscarriage.
7. Consider getting on turmeric or curcumin supplement or adding more turmeric to your diet. Know your supplements well because if you take curcumin or turmeric at therapeutic dosages they can interfere with blood clotting medications and also lower blood sugar levels, so be careful if on diabetes medications (Cite 2, Turmeric for Health).
8. Do castor packs over your pelvic region and uterus. Castor has many healing benefits and can be used to aid the body naturally to help heal fibroids. It also has mild anti-inflammatory properties and can help with pain.
9. Take one of the Rainforest Remedy formulas (through an Arvigo™ Practitioner), either Female Tonic, and/or Ms. Hortense formula. Note: Ms Hortense
formula is only available through an Arvigo™ practitioner as it’s very strong. Both these formulas support the body into pinching off the blood supply to
the fibroids and encourage the uterus to cleanse itself and sometimes dislodge fibroids, especially if submucosal.
10. Work with a Chinese herbalist and also acupuncturist that understands working with fibroids and traditional Chinese medicine. Many fibroid clients will experience some pain reduction with acupuncture and certain Chinese herbs and herbal formulas have been shown to help reduce the size of fibroids (Cite 3, WikiHow). Here is a list of possible helpful Chinese herbs:
a) Kuei-chih-fu-ling-wan is an herbal formula
b) Tripterygium wilfordii extract, (雷公藤-pronounced ‘léi gōng téng’)
Note, it is advisable to be on either Maya herbs (Rainforest Remedies) or Chinese herbs, but not both. It is ok to take Chasteberry with some of the Rainforest Remedies and it’s ok to get Arvigo Therapy™ while seeing an acupuncturist and being on Chinese Herbals. These go together well, just not combining South American and Asian herbs.
11. Drink more green tea (2-3 cups/ day) or consider a green tea supplement of 400 mg green tea (take two capsules daily) (Cite 3, WikiHow). Make
sure the green tea is organic or is at least spray free.
Note: Do not try any of the above if pregnant unless you are working with a health care provider that understands all the processes involved and can safely advise you of the proper dosage and use. If you try any of the above suggestions, you do so at your own risk, so be responsible with the knowledge and do your own research as well.
With any of the above suggestions, these are all going to be a several month commitment and ongoing process. None of these recommendations are a quick fix and will take time and dedication. Many people will feel results in about a month’s time, but it will take longer to correct the issue. It is advisable to plan on at least four months. Longer is better.
All this said, there may still be women that will have to resort to surgery and maybe even hysterectomy. However, I do feel confident most women on a combination of mentioned above suggestions will gain improvement. No matter what you do, make sure to monitor the fibroid growth and perhaps consider getting an ultrasound every 4 months to see if the fibroid has stopped growing and is shrinking.
I like to tell my clients “if the plumbing isn’t right, nothing’s right,” whether it be the plumbing in our home or in our bodies. Here’s to our health and to a happy and healthy uterus!