Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects between
five and ten percent of women and can make the discomfort of menstruation much
more extreme.
During the normal menstrual cycle, the endometrial tissue
grows inside the uterus and is expelled during menstruation. Endometriosis
occurs when this tissue grows outside of the uterus, sometimes attaching to
other organs and causing significant pain, bleeding, and inflammation.
The symptoms of the condition tend to get worse with time if
they go untreated, so treatment is vital to combat this condition. In addition
to medicinal options, diet and exercise have been shown to have a beneficial
effect in dealing with the symptoms of this condition.
Benefits of Exercise
In general, the benefits of exercise are somewhat mixed in
terms of their success in alleviating pain that results from endometriosis. Among the side
effects of this condition are extremely painful periods, pelvic soreness,
fatigue, and pain because of exercise. Because of that, women who experience
endometriosis are typically hesitant to pick up new exercise routines to combat
the symptoms of their condition.
Still, exercise can have certain positive effects. One of
the benefits comes before the condition develops. Research indicates that women
who exercise vigorously are far less likely to develop endometriosis, although
there is less of a pattern for women who exercise less.
For women that have already developed the condition, some
level of exercise may help alleviate some of the pain. During exercise, the
body releases endorphins, which are natural chemicals that relieve pain and
improve mood. These feel-good chemicals work for everyone doing exercise—not
just those with conditions that cause significant pain—but this endorphin
production can be especially helpful in dealing with pain as significant as
that caused by endometriosis.
In general, light to moderate exercise is advised for women
with this condition. Exercise beyond that may be impossible, as the body
experiences more pain with high levels of exertion. Exercises like walking and
yoga, however, require relatively little stress on the body and can produce
endorphins to provide some level of pain relief.
Dietary Suggestions
Diet appears to have a much more significant effect on
symptoms, so it is important for women that experience this condition to focus
on regulating their diet with the proper nutrients.
Certain fatty acids can aggravate pain that is caused by
endometriosis, and others can help to relieve that pain. The bad kind of fatty
acids are found in foods like meat, dairy, and palm oil, so women with endometriosis
would do well to cut these foods out of their diet as much as possible. On the
other hand, omega-3 acids fall in the good category, so it helps to consume
plenty of food that includes these compounds. Examples of foods that are high
in omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, olive oil, and legumes.
Cutting meat and other animal products out of your diet
carries the risk of having an unbalanced diet, with too little protein and
calcium intake. Having a balanced diet is vital for stabilizing your hormones,
and hormones are ultimately responsible for the development of this condition.
Thus, balancing your diet with the right nutrients is vital. To keep your
protein levels high, replace meat products with foods like tofu, nuts, and
fish, and replace the calcium that you get from animal products with leafy
greens, almonds, and tofu.
There are a few foods that you will want to avoid in case of
endometriosis and other conditions, like arthritis. Caffeine and refined sugar
are two of them, as these ingredients tend to result in nutrient loss, allowing
additional pain and inflammation to occur in the body because of endometriosis.
Valerie
Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions
of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she
keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.
Special thanks to Valerie Johnston of HealthLine for sharing such an informative post.
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