This Endolife

If you’ve listened to my podcast recently, you’ve likely heard a lot about oestrogen dominance or excess oestrogen and the problems these two imbalances can bring. Oestrogen in itself isn’t a ‘bad’ hormone - it’s a wonderful hormone that plays a crucial role in our menstrual cycle and our overall health. But too much or too high in relation to progesterone is where the problems arise, and these problems can make our experience of endo worse. So what is oestrogen dominance? Oestrogen dominance occurs when the ratio of oestrogen to progesterone is too high, this can happen when progesterone is low, oestrogen is high or both! Excess oestrogen is when there is too much oestrogen circulating the body, and this would be likely cause oestrogen dominance, providing of course that progesterone isn’t also too high (which in my experience with clients at least, is generally less common). Why does oestrogen dominance occur? We deep dive into this topic in other interviews and episodes (so check the links below), but to

Bloating? Anxiety? Tearfulness? Painful breasts? If you experience any of these symptoms, you likely experience PMS in the lead up to your period. Even though PMS is very common, it doesn’t mean it’s just something we have to live with - especially when we’re dealing with endometriosis as well. In fact, PMS is caused by hormonal imbalances, often oestrogen dominance or excess oestrogen and sometimes low progesterone - and when we get these into balance, a lot of our endo symptoms ease too! So this week, I wanted to share with your seven foods that you can add in during your luteal phase (the phase after ovulation, before your period) that contain wonderful nutrients that have been shown to alleviate PMS and support healthy hormone balance… Leafy greens for magnesium, calcium and potassium. You guys must know by now how much I love magnesium! It helps to alleviate cramps, aids in oestrogen detoxification but also progesterone production and reduces bloating. Potassium additionally supports bloating, which

If you have endo, you probably know what it feels like to be unseen, unheard and dismissed. The gender pain gap is a real thing, and that becomes even more difficult to overcome if you’re black or a person of colour, especially given that medicine has a history of believing back women can tolerate more pain. As a result, many of us in the endo community are doing hard work - we may be advocating for people of colour with endometriosis, like Lauren at ENDO BLACK or advocating for the LGBTQIA+ individuals, like Les at endoQueer, or perhaps you have your own awareness page, or you volunteer, or you fundraise for a charity, or perhaps you make sure you’re verbal about endo and share your story with others. Whatever it is you do, advocacy and simply spreading awareness or fighting for your rights in the doctor’s office, can be tiring work, add a chronic illness or two on top of it and the stage is set for burnout. I don’t know about you, but trying to support our community during the start of COVID19 and also t

Krystal Kirton is a leading hormone and reproductive health coach, whose Instagram page is just a WEALTH of incredible information and accessible tips and advice. In today’s episode, Krystal and I are diving into her amazing pool of knowledge to explore heavy periods and endometriosis: what causes them and what you can do about it. Krystal Kirton is a certified nutrition coach, certified hormone health expert AND a trained fertility awareness educator. I know, I know. What can’t this woman do? She helps people from all over the world address their out of control period symptoms, from heavy bleeding, clotting, irregular cycles and pain, she does it all. After relocating to Spain, Krystal witnessed a radical shift in her health and the health of her family following their diet and lifestyle transformation. A healthy anti-inflammatory diet and more relaxed lifestyle led Krystal to experience the best periods of her life and after witnessing her clients struggling with their own, was motivated to learn everythi

Today I wanted to follow up on last week’s episode Six Tips for Reducing Endometriosis Pain in The Week Before Your Period, with something a little more focused around nutrition. As most of you will know by now, I lean towards making healthy choices to support us with endo all month long, but that doesn’t mean that focusing on foods to add in just before our period can’t be useful. In fact, if you’re struggling with where to get started with endometriosis management, I would start here and with my last episode. As always, these are just options - you don’t have to do them all nor do you have to do them exactly as suggested, tweak and tailor to your lifestyle and preferences. If you’re triggered by any of this, seek the support of a therapist and dietician/health coach/nutritionist before making further dietary changes. So, here are any foods to to eat before your period to reduce pain with endometriosis: Spinach and other leafy greens such as kale, boy chow, lettuce, rocket, chard and other greens. Add t

Most of us with endometriosis have experienced debilitating periods that stop us in our tracks and derail our day or week completely. Perhaps we get through with a mix of pain killers or maybe nothing helps at all - whatever is going on for you, today I want to offer you six simple pain relieving strategies that can help alleviate your endometriosis pain when your period arrives. These methods are best begun seven days before your period so the effects build up and compound and I do totally recommend continuing them into your period too, for extra benefits! As always, these are just options - you don’t have to do them all nor do you have to do them exactly as suggested, tweak and tailor to your lifestyle and preferences. Consult your GP before adding in supplements. Here are my six tips for reducing your endometriosis pain for when your period starts: Magnesium rich baths, 2 - 3 times the week before your period, with 500g - 600g Epsom salt baths, soaking for at least 10 minutes each times. Two porti

Dr. Nicole Cozean is the pelvic floor physiotherapist who is changing the way we think about and treat pelvic floor disorders and pelvic pain - and lucky for us, interstitial cystitis is her passion area. Dr. Nicole Cozean is the owner of Pelvic Sanity and author of the incredible The Interstitial Cystitis Solution, which is an amazing resource for both patients and practitioners alike. We know that endometriosis and pelvic pain are more often than not found together, causing those of us who live with them to often feel helpless and confused as we battle two chronic conditions at one time. But Nicole takes a refreshing and almost radical approach to IC and pelvic pain in contrast to the conventional medical approach - she rarely treats the bladder itself. Instead, through extensive research and clinical practice, Nicole has identified three key areas that she addresses to see long-term remission of IC: dysfunction, inflammation and pain signals. In this episode, we discuss: How do you know if you have in

Just a quick message to say I'm taking a season break on the back of ep.100 to batch record some really exciting interviews and get them all ready for you! I'll be back in two weeks. In the meantime, you can keep learning about endometriosis in my articles on Endometriosis News and Endometriosis Net.

It’s the 100th episode! To celebrate I’m sharing the foundation steps I take with my clients to create their personalised holistic healing plan for endometriosis. I’ve developed this approach after spending seven years working with the endo community and on my own healing journey, and studying with leading specialists such as Dr Jessica Drummond and Dr Allison Siebecker. I hope by sharing some of my core steps, it’ll help you navigate your own healing journey and give you a foundation on which to build your own plan. In this episode I share some of my main areas of focus when creating an endo healing plan: Nutrition for endometriosis - ant-inflammatory eating, foods for hormones and blood sugar Gut healing - removing trigger foods, getting to the root problem and gut recovery Restoration - optimising sleep, managing stress and recovering from HPA axis dysfunction Detoxification pathways - hydrate, heal gut, remove toxins Structural support - visceral manipulation, pelvic floor physiotherapy, good surgery

The SIBO queen, Dr. Allison Siebecker, is back with part two on our deep dive into all things SIBO, endometriosis and interstitial cystitis. In this episode, we’re talking about how to test for SIBO and how to interpret your results, how to treat SIBO and how to lessen your chances of relapse with prevention methods. It’s a great episode and one that I cannot recommend enough for starting out on this SIBO/endo belly journey. Here’s a breakdown of everything we discuss in this interview: How to test for SIBO and which type of test is best - the lactulose breath test or glucose? Why a three hour test is always recommended over a two hour test. How to interpret your results and what your gas levels mean for your treatment options and how to look for hydrogen sulfide clues. Why you have to test to know how to treat. The treatment options for hydrogen, methane and hydrogen sulfide. The types of antibiotics used for SIBO. The types of antimicrobial herbs used for SIBO. What the elem

Is this the highlight of my podcast career so far? Absolutely. Today I’m joined by my tutor, the wonderful Dr. Allison Siebecker discussing small intestine bacterial overgrowth, endometriosis and interstitial cystitis. A naturopathic doctor and SIBO patient herself, Dr. Allison Siebecker is one of the world’s leading SIBO experts and provides truly the best SIBO resource on the internet. Dr. Siebecker has worked with thousands of patients and has dedicated her career to treating some of the most difficult SIBO cases, whilst educating both health care practitioners and the general public about this commonly under diagnosed condition with her courses, website and upcoming book. In this episode, we discuss: Her own experience of developing chronic SIBO and how she manages it now. Why a chronic case of SIBO doesn’t mean you can’t live a full and happy life. The signs and symptoms of SIBO to look out for. The associated conditions including interstitial cystitis and endometriosis. The root cau

Some of you may know that I was recently diagnosed with both hydrogen and methane type SIBO, and suspected hydrogen sulfide type SIBO too. This diagnosis, whilst I was certain would come back positive, still knocked me emotionally. With this knowledge, I was able to piece together symptoms and struggles I have faced my entire life and begin making sense of my health story. Though endometriosis has played a huge part, SIBO has in fact been with me for much longer and has continued to cause me problems despite getting my endometriosis under control. Coming to terms with this news has been a relief but also a grieving process as I’ve looked back and realised how much SIBO had dictated my life up until this point. As a result, I thought it might be helpful to share with you my considerations when choosing my treatment, how I’m processing the news, my concerns about managing and/or treating my SIBO, how SIBO has affected my health and what I’m doing in the present moment to reduce my symptoms. In this episode,

It’s finally here! The long awaited episode on how to test for SIBO. Many of you have been contacting me to ask how to get tested or whether you can test at home, so here’s my episode discussing all the ins and outs. Here’s a breakdown of some of the key points in the episode: Hydrogen and methane type SIBO can be detected through a SIBO breath test. You can order at-home kits. In my experience, most GPs won’t/can’t order SIBO breath tests and aren’t familiar with it, though GI doctors may be able to and SIBO specialist doctors certainly can. A SIBO breath test involves drinking a solution of glucose or lactulose and breathing into a test tube for 2-3 hours. The substrate will feed the bacteria, which will create fermentation, and the gas is then collected in the test tube and measured in the lab in parts per million. Tests can be either 2 hours with 8 test tubes or 3 hours with 10 test tubes. 2 hours runs the risk of missing SIBO in a person with slow gut motility, so for that reason, I prefe

If you have endometriosis, it’s pretty like you have bladder pain or bladder problems too. Many us struggle with frequency, urgency, bladder pressure, bladder pain and chronic UTIs without much hope of resolution when we go and see our doctor. Elisabeth Yaotani experienced this for over a decade of her life. For years, her bladder pain and symptoms worsened despite undergoing the standard medical treatment for interstitial cystitis. Finally, she stumbled upon some alternative healing strategies and for the first time in 10 years, began to see symptom reduction. Today, she is the founder of IC Wellness. A digital space providing community, resources, education and services to put your IC into remission. In this episode, Elisabeth and I discuss: What interstitial cystitis is and the key symptoms. The root causes and associated conditions. The conventional approach to IC treatment and how that varies from the functional medicine approach. Her own story of healing. Her version of the IC diet

Dr. Juan Michelle Martin is a pelvic floor physiotherapist with a specialist interest in endometriosis and women’s health. Across 13 years of treating patients, Dr Martin has come to notice the inequalities and inadequacies within women’s pelvic health, especially for black women. Often when women finally see Juan, they’ve had years of various dismissive doctors and finding Juan is the first time they’re heard and see. Dr Juan Michelle Martin takes a holistic approach, focusing not just on the pelvic floor but the whole person - their nutrition, lifestyle, stress levels and much more. In this episode we discuss: The disparities in healthcare for black women and what needs to change in the medical industry. How pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to worsening endometriosis pain, even after surgery. How pelvic floor dysfunction and inflammation can affect abdominal organs such as the bladder and the intestines. Why pain spreads and why pelvic pain often worsens over time. Exercises to avoid w

Hi loves. It’s been a heart-breaking week or so, but an eye-opening one and hopefully a week that signifies the beginning of true change. Due to the unacceptable murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop and Ahmaud Arbery (and countless others), I decided not to continue with the planned podcast this week. Instead, I wanted to share two stories. One is a repost of my interview with Lauren Kornegay of ENDO Black, where she shares her story of racism, endometriosis and isolation in our community and what we can do to be better allies, and another is a story that I’m sharing, of a girl who is no longer with us, who should be. I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing sharing this story. But I’m convinced that she had endometriosis, and I am convinced that had she been white, the outcome would have been different and she’d be here within our community today. Of course, this episode comes with a trigger warning. The story I share is a story of yet another black death, I’ve seen various posts on IG with

Ah caffeine. That legal drug which apparently 90% of the world is consuming, which is pretty interesting when you consider the impact it has on our hormones and endometriosis. We’ve talked about caffeine and endometriosis before, but today I’m sharing an updated version on the subject as well as my own personal tips and experiences with reducing my caffeine intake. This is an exert from a Facebook Live I did in my Owning This EndoLife Challenge Facebook group - a safe space where each month you can learn new methods for reducing your endometriosis symptoms and thriving with endo. Here are some key takeaways from the episode: Caffeine causes blood sugar spikes, and if you were with us during March, you'll know how important stable blood sugar is for balanced hormones and endometriosis management. Read up on it all here. Whilst it's not an inflammatory for everyone, caffeine is an inflammatory for many of us. Higher levels of inflammation in our bodies mean worsening pain levels - not to mention a ho

Maybe you want to exercise with endometriosis but you find your fatigue overwhelms you. Perhaps you’re not sure whether you should exercise on your period. Or maybe you’re worried about the impact of exercise on chronic pain? Today I’m talking to Jenni Hulburt of WILD Wellness, the fitness specialist who is helping women and people with periods to live and sweat in sync with nature.  After Jenni’s own experience with HPA axis dysfunction and burnout, she began listening to her body and decided to apply her knowledge of fitness and exercise to the natural rhythms and wisdom of nature. With a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Masters in Sport Psychology, Jenni is the ideal guest to talk to us about exercising with endometriosis and how to move our body whilst listening to its signs and signals, and moving in harmony with our menstrual cycles. In today’s episode Jenni and I talk about - What over-training can do to your hormone levels and how cortisol can affect everything from your sleep to your

The endometriosis belly, the endometriosis tummy, the endo bloat, the endo belly, the endo pooch - whatever you call it, you know what I’m talking about. That weird phenomena where your belly suddenly decides to make you look six months pregnant, not only is it uncomfortable, sometimes painful (especially if you have adhesions), it can also affect us emotionally - whether it’s about our self-esteem or because it plays on our fears around fertility. But what is endometriosis bloating? What causes it, and what can we do about it? In this series of episodes, I’m going to be diving into all the above and more, and really exploring the role that gut health has in endometriosis.Today I’m talking about SIBO - Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. SIBO is a very common gut health condition, in fact, research has shown that 60-70% of IBS cases are actually caused by SIBO. To add to that, endometriosis is a risk factor for developing SIBO, so for those of us with endo and even with IBS too, this is a condition we w