Didyou know that fibroids affect an estimated 20-50% of all women? Thesebenign uterine growths can range in size from that of a pea to that ofa melon, and symptoms can vary from none at all to heavy or painfulperiods, bleeding between periods, pain during intercourse, and lowerback pain - to name a few.According to Western medicine, no oneknows for sure what causes fibroids. What we do know is that they seemto be affected by our hormones - in other words, excess estrogen in thebody seems to make them grow, and they will often decrease in sizeafter menopause (when overall body estrogen is lower). For womenexhibiting symptoms, doctors will most often offer the choice ofcontrolling growth through drugs, or removing the fibroids throughsurgery.There is another optionIf you've beendiagnosed with fibroids, and are looking for an alternative to drugsand surgery, consider this: There are ways to minimize the size andsymptoms of fibroids by using food therapeutically.How do we dothis? First of all, we work with you on food choices - finding thosefoods that will support your body in healing itself. In general, freshwhole foods - which are higher in fiber - help the liver in its job ofprocessing and removing toxins from the body, including excess estrogen.Stored emotionsNext we look at the flip side of the coin.Dr. Christiane Northrup (author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom)calls fibroids an "illness of competition." At LSW, we believe thatfibroids represent stored emotion - most typically anger or resentment.As modern women, we often don't have an outlet for the stressors in ourlives, leaving them to be stored in our bodies as unprocessed emotions.Investigatingyour relationship with these important emotions and finding healthyoutlets for their expression can be a key component in your healingjourney.First stepsIf you are suffering fromfibroids, call us for a free consultation and find out more about howwe can help. But in the meantime, start with these basic steps:* Increase: whole grains, green vegetables* Increase: rest, play time, down time* Decrease: sugar, alcohol, caffeine* For symptomatic relief: apply a hot water bottle - filled with warm to hot water (NOT boiling) - to the abdomenQuestions about fibroids?Askquestions and leave comments at in our comments section below, and anLSW Counselor will respond. If you’re dealing with fibroids, this is agreat opportunity to get your questions answered!LSW iscommitted to helping you understand the amazing natural healing optionsthat are available to you, so that you can make knowledgeable, powerfulchoices about how to care for your body and your menstrual and sexualhealth.