1 in every 9 women are diagnosed with Endometriosis. Thousands more go undiagnosed while struggling with debilitating pelvic pain and main other symptoms related to their menstrual cycle. Meanwhile, these women are told their symptoms are “normal” and that the only treatment is to take synthetic hormones (a birth control pill). 

I’m outraged about this – as a naturopathic doctor and as a woman who also experienced severe menstrual cramps for over 15 years of my life.  

It’s time that women are acknowledged for the pain – physical and emotional – they experience and receive REAL help, and hope, to feel better. Not only that, but to receive support with fertility, which is often compromised by this condition. 

Cindy Dabrowska, R.D., the Endometriosis Dietitian, agrees and focuses her work on helping women in this way. With her background in nutrition, she guides women to make changes that can transform their bodies and get them out of pain. She does this without overly restricting food choices, and by helping women to understand their bodies.  

Cindy and I discussed how it’s possible to support your ovaries to makes hormones in a balanced way, and to support your liver to detoxify those hormones efficiently and effectively. It’s also important to support healthy digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and balanced/optimized gut bacteria. 

We talked about the testing we both use to show us what’s out of balance and needs support. And how we can use nutrients, herbs, diet changes and stress reduction to rebalance and how to maintain over time and stress exposure. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Cindy’s health story that inspired her to help other women with pelvic pain 
• Common symptoms associated with Endometriosis 
• Why it is so difficult to get a diagnosis 
• Theories of the underlying cause of Endometriosis 
• How to think about heal Endometriosis, starting with digestion 
• How blood sugar levels and gut bacteria affect estrogen 
• Other possible triggers or underlying causes of Endometriosis 
• Diet changes Cindy suggests from the start 
• The power of the right kinds of fats to decrease inflammation and pain
  

Too often I hear from women that they feel alone in their pain, and as though they hit a dead end in terms of the options available through standard medical options. 

I shared about some of the things that helped me get out of pain, and what I’ve seen help my patients over the years. Dysmenorrhea (severe menstrual cramps) and the associated symptoms, including migraines, PMS/PMDD, and fertility issues can be addressed using natural approaches that are effective and lasting.  

It’s one of my favorite things to help, because it can make such a difference to get out of pain. This is why I’m so glad to introduce you to Cindy, who is an amazing and supportive resource. 

If you are struggling with Endometriosis – or severe menstrual cramps and pelvic pain – and would like more help, please reach out to me and Cindy so we can help you.  

To Go Further:

Because endometriosis can be hard to diagnose, I wanted to do a deeper dive and unpack ts underlying causes and more importantly – how to start addressing this painful condition. Here’s my recent blog post on the topic:

Connect with Cindy 

• www.endometriosisdietitian.ca 
• Social media links: www.instagram.com/endo.fertility.dietitian 

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