EP.256/ How to Choose the right supplements for your endo symptoms
Something I hear a lot of people struggling with is the overwhelming amount of supplement options out there. Many of us don’t know which ones to choose, which ones can help us personally and how and when to take them, and how long for. As a result, when I meet clients some of them are on double figures of supplements, and others have given up taking any entirely.
So, today I wanted to share this tip when choosing supplements. Find 1-4 supplements and choose ones that can target multiple symptoms – and then commit to them for 3-6 months minimum.
So, what do I mean by choosing supplements that target more than one issue?
Most of us have trouble with bloating, fatigue, PMS, blood sugar issues, histamine intolerance, pain and heavy bleeding to name a few, so ideally, we want a supplement that doesn’t just target one, but multiple.
For example, let’s look at quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to reduce uterine contractions in animals and in vitro, which means when tested on cells in labs. The way it does this is by lowering prostaglandin levels, which are the inflammatory chemicals largely responsible for pain with endometriosis, and heavy bleeding and period pain in general. Quercetin also lowers inflammation levels by blocking the same inflammatory pathway that NSAIDS do, making it a potential alternative to these commonly used pain-relieving drugs.
Now, I know many of you are shouting at me right now, telling me that this doesn’t mean quercetin will work for human period pain or endo pain, but clinically, we see it works very well for many clients and patients.
Other studies, again not yet in humans, have shown that quercetin can inhibit endo growth and shrink the size of lesions.
Quercetin is also a very effective antihistamine, often used in cases of mast cell activation syndrome, a histamine condition that affects many in our community. Because excess histamine levels are involved in oestrogen excess, endo development, period and endo pain, quercetin may also help target endometriosis and pain by lowering histamine levels, plus alleviate some of those awful histamine intolerance and MCAS symptoms like congestion, fatigue, dizziness, chest pain, breathing issues and allergy reactions.
Additionally, quercetin has been shown to reduce pelvic pain in IC patients, and as we know, up to 90% of us with endo also have interstitial cystitis and I see it work with this demographic very well.
Finally, quercetin can also alleviate inflammation in the gut and helps to heal leaky gut, so for those of you with digestive issues, quercetin can be helpful there as well.
If you’re someone who suffers with a lot of histamine-y and allergy issues on top of your endo, consider giving quercetin a go. The chances are that if you’re suffering with histamine reactions, it’s probably driving a lot of your pain and endo symptoms too, so utilising quercetin can help target both these issues.
Another example is magnesium. Magnesium has been shown in many studies to alleviate period pain, it’s also incredibly anti-inflammatory and works to reduce those pesky prostaglandins. Additionally, it boosts progesterone production, helps with oestrogen clearance and has been shown to alleviate PMS. To top it off, it’s essential for energy production so can help combat fatigue and helps to stabilise blood sugar levels.
So, if you’re someone who struggles with energy dips or general constant fatigue, you have a lot of hormonal symptoms, have signs of blood sugar instability like hanger, mood swings and dips mid-morning and mid-afternoon, plus you have endo pain, then magnesium could be a great choice for you.
Let’s look at one final supplement, curcumin.
Curcumin has been shown to reduce the spread of endo, shrink lesions, slow down growth rate and speed up endo cell death in animal studies and in vitro studies. In human studies, it’s been shown to significantly regulate blood sugar, be as effective as ibuprofen for pain relief when taken daily at 1500mg a day, boost mood and cognitive function, help to heal leaky gut and lower intestinal inflammation, and reduce oxidative stress levels, which lead to inflammation.
Clinically, when taken consistently, I see curcumin significantly improve pain levels with my endometriosis clients. So, if you suffer with brain fog, blood sugar instability, daily endo pain or period pain and you’re also trying to work to heal your gut, curcumin could be a really helpful option for you.
In terms of how many to choose, we don’t want to overwhelm your body or you in general, as I appreciate it can be hard to remember to take lots of supplements, but often, people with endo do need a little extra support, so one supplement doesn’t typically cut it in terms of pain relief, at least. We often need a couple to address the pain from different angles, for example, quercetin helps to lower histamine levels, magnesium helps to balance blood sugar levels and hormone levels, both of which can contribute to pain and period problems, and curcumin helps to lower the oxidative stress, which again, plays a role in endo pain and development. So, essentially, we’re looking at the different ways pain is produced with endo, and we’re targeting a few, for a multi-angled approach. There really isn’t a wonder supplement that can do it all for endo, unless you’re getting a complex, which has a few of these combined.
Now, once you have your selection of supplements, in an ideal world, we’d start with one at a time and give yourself a month on that supplement to allow your body to adjust, and observe any reactions, good or bad. That way, you clearly know whether something is causing an adverse reaction and you can take it out of your regime, rather than getting confused about which one is causing it. You can then introduce the next supplement, the next month, and so on.
In reality, most people want and need relief from their symptoms fast, so if that’s you, try introducing one new supplement a week or every other week.
Once you’re on your supplements, try committing to at least three months of consistent use, because the effects are accumulative and will build over time, especially in the case of inflammation, as it can take some time for levels to lower and for tissue to repair and recover following that. Now of course, if you feel like the supplement is not good for you, you’re having adverse reactions, etc. then you need to come off that, don’t force yourself to stick with it – and on that note, always inform your doctor before taking supplements as well, this is especially important if you’re on medication or having a surgery coming up.
Don’t expect to see overnight improvements either. Some of my clients admittedly see dramatic changes in one cycle, whereas others see gradual, small improvements month on month and it’s not always the pain that changes first. For some, it’s a little less PMS, and then it’s more energy and brain function, and then it’s requiring less pain meds, and so on. So, observe your symptoms, and if you see any changes, no matter how small, this is a sign that things are moving in the right direction, so keep going – at least to the three-month mark. At the point, you can review and if you’re really not feeling much of a difference at all, maybe consider bringing in a new one or swapping one of them out for something different and trying that combination.
Finally, before we wrap up, I will say that for those of you with extreme pain, you’ll likely benefit from a combination of supplements that work to reduce inflammation over time, but also one or two supplements that will work in the moment, for pain relief then and there. So, for example, it’ll take at least a month, based on the studies, for curcumin to work for pain relief, whereas ginger can be used in place of NSAIDS and works in the moment. Of course, the effects of ginger are best when taken consistently, but it can also just be taken as a pain killer, when needed, so this is a good one for those of us who have really excruciating period pain or endo flares and need that extra something whilst the others get to work over time.
The last point is dose matters. The studies that have shown the effectiveness of certain supplements, are based on therapeutic doses, taken at certain times (for example, twice a day), for a certain time period. Just getting any old supplement that’s low dose and taking it for a week is not going to be effective. We need to use therapeutic doses to see the effects.
If you want to learn more about these supplements, how to take, what doses are actually effective, then I’ve linked to two episodes in the show notes that takes you through lots of supplements, their research and their benefits. You can also buy my Natural Pain Relief Tool Kit Masterclass, that lists not just supplements, but tools that bring in the moment pain relief, for when you need it most.
Okay, that’s it for this week! Let me know if you found this episode helpful or if you try any certain supplement combinations that work for you.
Show Notes
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/supplements-shown-to-target-endometriosis
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/supplements-for-period-pain-menstrual-symptoms
Quercetin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19462895/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/781684/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808895/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19297429/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6273625/
https://avivaromm.com/remedies-seasonal-allergies/
Magnesium
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/5/10/3910
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dme.12250
https://drbrighten.com/boost-low-progesterone/
https://www.composednutrition.com/blog/increase-progesterone-naturally
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2675496/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25023192/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30880352/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4847116/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17229895/
Curcumin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4533742/
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/491886
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0753332217346838?via%3Dihub
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464615000092
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407015/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24672232/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25277322/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476912/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7694612/
Ginger
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23865123/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26177393/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.6730
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This episode is sponsored by Semaine. Semaine is a plant-based supplement for reducing period pain and inflammation, that you take for 7 days of your cycle, during your period. Semaine is made up of 9 super-powered plant extracts and minerals that are all vegan and sourced for maximum quality and bioavailability and selected based on the latest clinical research. If you want to try Semaine, they are currently offering 15% off your first order and they deliver worldwide! Head to: www.semainehealth.com
This episode is sponsored by BeYou Cramp Relief Patches. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk/pages/how-it-works
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