Homeopathy & Endometriosis
Current treatment options of surgery, pain relief, and hormonal treatments are all considered clinically sub optimal.
Reproductive system diseases have become a public health problem that endangers human physical and mental health.(1) Endometriosis harms all aspects of quality of life.
In New Zealand, 10% of women suffer with endometriosis, the average age of onset is 15 years, and the top five reported symptoms are all pain-based. Current treatment options of surgery, pain relief, and hormonal treatments are all considered clinically sub optimal – laparoscopy alone is considered an effective treatment by 67% of sufferers.(2)
Endometriosis disrupts delicate female hormonal balance, it is a complex disease process which is not fully understood. In healthy endometrium, progesterone and estrogen are balanced resulting in a normal menstrual cycles and uncomplicated conception. Common to endometriosis is estrogen dominance which often leads to heightened inflammation and increased pain.(3)
Current treatments focus on suppression or inhibition of estrogen production, a key promoter for endometriotic lesion growth within the pelvic cavity, progesterone tightly controls estrogen actions.(4) Multi-disciplinary treatment teams, including pain specialists, physiotherapists, dieticians and psychologists, are shown to be an improvement over just pain management drugs(5) however, time and costs are often prohibitive.(2)
A recent New Zealand survey of the illicit use of cannabis for endometriosis symptoms found 80% had decreased pain, improved sleep, and reduced use of other medications.(6) A 2020 Australian study found 56% of endometriosis patients using cannabis for symptom management reduced use of pharmaceutical medications by at least half.(7) This is not an endorsement - it is an ultra, big, fat, myth that cannabis is harmless to human health.(8,9)
Studies found 62% of women with endometriosis utilize complementary medicine,(10) and 28% use homeopathy for their symptoms.(11)
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) have shown:
Dysmenorrhea, pelvic, bowel, and body pain, vitality, mental health and depression symptoms were improved in fifty women (in the homeopathic group) with a diagnosis of deeply infiltrating endometriosis.(12)
Homeopathy acted favourably in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.(13)
Improvement of PMS, reduced sick days and reduced medication in the homeopathic group.(14)
Sarah Penrose BSc(hons)Hom can be contacted at goodhealthforgreatlife.com
References
1 Pan J, Zhang J. 2021. Research Progress of PCNA in Reproductive System Diseases. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. Oct 21;2021:2391917. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34721621/
2 Ellis et al., 2022. The experiences of endometriosis patients with diagnosis and treatment in New Zealand. Front Glob Womens Health. Aug 31;3:991045. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9471549/
3 Marquardt et al., 2019. Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis? Int J Mol Sci. Aug 5;20(15):3822. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31387263/
4 MacLean & Hayashi, 2022. Progesterone Actions and Resistance in Gynecological Disorders. Cells. 2022 Feb 13;11(4):647. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8870180/
5 Opoku-Anane et al., 2020. The development of a comprehensive multidisciplinary endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain center. J Endometriosis Pelvic Pain Dis. 12:3–9. 10.1177/2284026519899015. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2284026519899015
6 Armour et al., 2021. Illicit Cannabis Usage as a Management Strategy in New Zealand Women with Endometriosis: An Online Survey. J Womens Health (Larchmt). Oct;30(10):1485-1492. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33275491/
7 Sinclair et al., 2020. Cannabis Use, a Self-Management Strategy Among Australian Women With Endometriosis: Results From a National Online Survey. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. Mar;42(3):256-261. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31722852/
8 Vithoulkas, 2012. Materia Medica Viva, volume 7 (2nd ed.) International Academy of Classical Homeopathy, Alonissos, Greece.
9 Payne et al., 2019. Cannabis and Male Fertility: A Systematic Review. J Urol. Oct;202(4):674-681. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30916627/
10 Schwartz et al., 2019. The use of home remedies and complementary health approaches in endometriosis. Reprod Biomed Online. Feb;38(2):260-271. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30612955/
11 Adamietz et al., 2021. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in women with endometriosis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2021 Jul;262:7-12. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33984728/
12 Teixeira et al., 2017. Potentized estrogen in homeopathic treatment of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain: A 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. Apr;211:48-55. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28187404/
13 Ghosh et al., 2021. Efficacy of individualized homeopathic medicines in primary dysmenorrhea: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. J Complement Integr Med. Jun 3. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34085495/
14 Yakir et al., 2019. A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Randomized Trial with Individualized Homeopathic Treatment Using a Symptom Cluster Approach in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome. Homeopathy. Nov;108(4):256-269. Available from: https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0039-1691834