Annalise and I have been friends for over 20 years but it wasn’t until she opened up to me about her fight with a staggering 57 uterine fibroids completely obstructing her ovaries that we became partners in her battle to eliminate them and reclaim her life!
RELATED: How & Why Fibroids Affect Black Women Differently
Her struggle hit home as I personally battled these smooth muscle benign tumors that wreaked havoc on my size two frame for 14 years. I endured 10 surgeries, five of which were to remove fibroids. The other five were a direct result of the complications from the fibroid surgeries.
Annalise’s story was too similar to that of the numerous women I hear daily as a Fibroids & Fertility Coach. The fibroids epidemic affects 70 percent of women at large and up to 90 percent of Black women by age 50, according to the National Institute for Women’s Health. Too many are plagued with fibroids — having their personal and professional lives derailed by life-threatening hemorrhaging and resulting anemia, debilitating cramps, embarrassing incontinence and so much more.
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Through my partnership with Aboriginal Medical Association naturopathic doctors Dr. Amsu Anpu and Dr. Amun Neb, we co-founded the holistic 90-Day Hope Beyond Fibroids Elimination Program. Using the four parts of our program —coaching, diet, herbal supplements and medical Qi Gong, Annalise won her fight!
Here are three critical things every woman battling fibroids should know:
1. The Root Cause
For years, I was infuriated when OBGYNs told me that the cause of fibroids was unknown. Even more discouraging was the fact that little to no research was/is being done to unearth the answer. But one word kept popping up in my research—estrogen. While doctors hesitated to name it as the root cause, they did agree that estrogen made fibroids grow.
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In 2015, I learned of the work of Dr. Amsu Anpu and Dr. Amun Neb. While other doctors seemed unsure, they were clear and unequivocally asserted that estrogen dominance is the root cause of reproductive diseases such as fibroids, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and more.
2. The Process
Estrogen dominance develops in our bodies through:
- Diets rich in estrogen—including, meat, dairy, soy, sugar, hybrid fruits and vegetables and more. Some of the superfoods that many of us trust can actually hurt us.
- Stress stemming from high-pressure jobs, and spiritual and emotional factors release tidal waves of toxins into our bodies.
- Prescription drugs such as contraceptive pills and other estrogen-based synthetic drugs.
- Pesticides that make food products grow quickly to meet consumer demands cause fibroids and other unhealthy growths in our bodies.
- BPA plastics Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor, which interferes with the production, secretion, transport, action, function and elimination of natural hormones. We unknowingly expose ourselves to them every day.
3. The Solution
A lifestyle of healing that reduces stress, starves the body of estrogen, incorporates the right kinds of movement and exercises and uses “Food as Your Medicine, Not Your Entertainment!™”
So what can you do now?
Regulate Your Diet
One of the most important changes is to reduce or eliminate red meat and ham as well as processed meats from your diet. Eating these foods puts women at higher risk for developing fibroids.
- Think green. Eat lots of leafy green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans, and Brussels sprouts. They are detoxifying and contain Vitamin K.
- Lose weight. Losing weight will help to reduce the growth of fibroids. Being overweight leads to high blood pressure increasing the risk for premenopausal women.
- Avoid refined carbs like white bleached flour.
- Cut down on alcohol and caffeine.
- Choose organic foods free from pesticides.
Reduce Stress
Easy enough to say, but life throws us curves. Major life events are associated with the growth of fibroids. Our adrenal glands release the hormone, cortisol, which increases fatty tissues leading to fibroid growth. Consequently, reducing stress will aid in reducing and shrinking fibroids.
Take up yoga and/or meditation, and do more exercise like walking or jogging to help reduce stress.
Drink Herb Teas
Choose red raspberry and teas that contain milk thistle, dandelion root, and nettle for your afternoon tea time. Green tea is especially helpful in treating fibroids.
The goal should be to promote healthy circulation and detoxify the tissues in the uterus. A happy woman can manage the pain and reduce the heavy and mid-cycle bleeding due to fibroids.
Annalise started our 90-Day Hope Beyond Fibroids Elimination Program on January 25, 2016, and her ultrasound report dated July 10 revealed that she eliminated a whopping 50 fibroids through the program without surgery and her ovaries are now free and clear! There’s no better time to declare true independence from your fibroids.
Coach Gessie is a Fibroids Survivor turned Health Activist and founder of TheDeToxNow.com — a holistic health provider of education and supplements to combat the health and nutrition disparities that lead to obesity, chronic disease, reproductive health issues (like fibroids and infertility) and lower life expectancy rates. Take our Free 3-Min Quiz to learn how we can help support your health and healing and save 25% off your entire cart!
