by Dolphyn Wisdom

Created on: January 06, 2007   Last Updated: January 19, 2009

When I was a young girl, my mother used to offer me a shot of whiskey with a sprinkling of black pepper on top or a shot of blackberry brandy for menstrual cramps. Both my sister and I used to suffer terribly and Mom became quite the expert at healing our monthly ills. I can't say that Mother's home treatment worked very well, although the alcohol probably let me sleep better. However, that was then and this is today .... many years and a hysterectomy later.

Little did Mom know that the cause of all the discomfort (yeah .. that's what the doctor called it, I called it 'torture') was a condition known as endometriosis. Endometriosis is aberrant tissue growth in the abdominal cavity and female organs, which can grow so wildly that it can glue organs together, and close off the fallopian tubes rendering the woman infertile. Endometriosis is a debilitating condition that can be treated. One of the most telling signs of endometriosis is extremely painful monthly periods.

Left untreated endometriosis will cause scarring and adhesions which cause further pain, discomfort and further complications of fertility.

A number of treatments exist, some as easy as presriptive birth control pills which help to balance the hormonal acitivities resulting in reduction of tissue growth. Danazol, a synthetic male hormone, has been used successfully to reduce endometriosial swelling and the resultant associated pain. Monthly injections of the female hormone progesterone also assist in reducing the swelling of tissues. However, neither treatment is a cure for endometriosis and pain returns when the treatment is withdrawn.

Much more is known now about endometriosis, monthly menstrual cramping and itheir causes and there is no reason for women to suffer horrendous pain every month - and infertility that can accompany painful menstruation. Naturopathic medicine has stepped in with alternatives to allopathic treatments such as accupuncture, homeopathy, herbal remedies and aromatherapy.

Yoga and Qi Gong energy therapy have also been recommended as viable treatments to ward off painful mentrual periods by relaxing the body and feeding it positive energies, rather than allowing stress to overwhelm it causing more pain.

If you suffer from terrible monthly pain, have your medical practitioner look into endometriosis as a cause. If your practitioner won't test for it, then seek the help of another doctor. There are numerous treatments from drugs to laser surgery to remove endometriosis and stop the serious cramping and back pain associated with it. You can have your life back and feel better!

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