Align PT is hosting a Documentary and Film screening of “Below the Belt” to educate and support our loved ones and those with endometriosis. It is being held on Wednesday March 8th at the Longmont Museum Stewart Auditorium from 5:30 PM to 8 PM. You can buy tickets here.

Endometriosis is an extremely painful and debilitating disease that affects approximately 1 in 10 women. However, it’s possible that it affects even more women than we currently know because it is such a poorly understood disease. Did you know on average it takes 7-10 years for women to receive an endometriosis diagnosis? That’s way way way too long.

Diagnosing endometriosis is only done via laparoscopic surgery as well, which further prohibits diagnosis due to surgery being costly and invasive.

I am frequently helping women with endometriosis through diet and lifestyle medicine, acupuncture to increase blood flow, and herbal medicine to break up adhesions and blood tissue, decrease inflammation, and support the gut.

Endometriosis is frequently misdiagnosed as IBS or IBD as it often affects the intestinal tract as well as the lower reproductive organs. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue grows in places outside of the uterus. Unfortunately, endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is systemic, it is not just localized to the reproductive organs.

Endometriosis is a huge burden to women, as the extreme causes them to miss work, school, and social gatherings. Doctors often do not understand the disease so frequently tell women that “pain is normal” or that “some women just have it bad” and are not familiar with the full extent the disease.

There is so much that Chinese medicine can do to support women with endometriosis; however, we need more awareness about this to be spread and more funding to support research.

This research article explores the use of a safe and commonly prescribed herbal formula for endometriosis. However, please do not take this without the advice and dosing guidelines from an herbalist. Not all medicinals are safe for those with endometriosis- you need to make sure this is the appropriate formula for you as there are many formulas that can safely and effectively treat endometriosis. These formulas also need to be taken for the right length of time.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35181049/

I hope to see you all there!

~Samantha Kloss L.Ac, Dipl.O.M.