Solid tumors made of fibrous tissue are called fibroid tumors. Most of the time, they are benign and non-cancerous and are found in the uterus. Other names are myomas or leiomyomas. Generally, fibroids develop only during the time estrogen is produced by the body.
When the medical world is not sure about what really causes fibroid tumors, there is a certainty that estradiol - present in estrogen promotes the growth of tumors. So birth control pills, hormone therapy like ERT/HRT as well as residues from pesticides used on food crops and from chlorine, add to the risk of developing the fibroids. Brown and dark coloured women stand a higher chance of developing them.
Many women develop no symptoms at all when they have fibroids, but quite a few of them have abnormal bleeding and painful menses. As the fibroids grow in size, they have a swollen abdomen. This causes bladder incontinence and frequent urination. The patient may develop constipation/abdominal pain or backache as the case may be if the fibroid presses on the bowels or onto her back. Also they will experience pelvic discomfort and will have pain during intercourse.
Some women never even know that they have or had had fibroid tumors because they had no symptoms or negligible symptoms from them and the fibroids often disappear spontaneously. Only when the fibroid tumors start growing and the women experience the symptoms, they seek medical attention which may be surgery and/or hormonal treatment.
But there are quite a number of alternative medicines and natural remedies to eliminate fibroid tumors and their symptoms. Lifestyle changes like exercising, detoxing and adhering strictly to a fibroid diet with dietary supplements are a few of the strategies to fight the tumors along with herbal remedies. They all play an important role in helping reducing the size of the tumors and to restore hormonal balance before, during and after menopause also.
Lifestyle changes help a lot. It is essential to lead a more active life, have a regular exercise regimen and adhere to the regimen.
* Exercise ensures regular ovulation as irregular ovulation makes fibroids worse. It will keep the weight down and have better blood circulation.
* Stop smoking and stop alcohol ingestion as these help raise the estorgen level.
* A plant based low-fat diet with whole grains and beans, with lot of fibre and without animal proteins.
* Organically grown food and organic meat are better.
* Avoid processed and junk food; and animal fats are best avoided as fat cells store excess estrogen.
* Drink a sufficient amount of water which will help cleanse the system and shrink the fibroids.
* Regular intake of green leafy vegetables and fruits is deemed helpful.
* Avoiding foods made from white flours like bread, pasta and pastries etc which indirectly cause the aggravation of fibroids.
Detoxing helps in getting rid of the toxins that may cause the fibroid tumors to grow; body cleansing regularly with herbal products will also help greatly.
Castor oil packs and compresses of ginger help shrink the tumors.
There are a lot of herbs in the health store that can be used in shrinking the fibroids.
Following is a list of items found in various preparations for treatment of fibroids: nettle leaves, chamomile, sweet clover, pine kernels, knotweed roots, arnica flowers, celandine grass, calendula flowers, valerian root, nutmeg, birch buds, red clover flowers, dandelion, milk thistle, yellow dock root, poke root, etc.
Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis), Vitex, red raspberry, myrrh cayenne yarrow are some other herbs that may help.
Various preparations and methods are used and the patient should seek proper advice and guidance to utilize them for correcting the irregular periods and reducing the inflammation and the size of fibroids.
