How I Healed My Uterine Fibroids The Holistic Way
I never thought I would be writing an article about my personal health issues, let alone one about my journey with uterine fibroids.
My story started three years ago when I had an ultrasound displaying various growths comprised of muscle and fibrous tissue called uterine fibroids. Before the ultrasound, I wasn't familiar with the term "fibroid" and the full extent of damage they may cause. Each year during my annual exam, my doctor would casually mention the growths were harmless and that she will monitor them.
That was until they grew and started occupying my entire precious uterus.
What my doctor conveniently forgot to mention was that if fibroids are present and continue to grow, they eventually have to be removed or treated via a myomectomy (the surgical removal of fibroids only), a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the entire uterus), or a heavy dose of hormone suppression drugs that have side effects of early menopause.
Fast-forward to January 2016, not surprisingly, I started to have some of the symptoms associated with fibroids like frequent urination, constipation, and abdominal bloating. Waking up in the morning with my stomach resembling a pregnant woman in her final trimester is not my idea of bringing sexy back. This was my official wake-up call and the next day I made an appointment with my gynecologist.
During the examination, the doctor was not alarmed by the current size of my stomach and used medical phrases like, "It's 18 weeks in size." She also shared some of her previous surgeries she performed to remove fibroids. After explaining her prize-winning watermelon-sized fibroid removal story, she proceeded to give me my only two pitiful options: surgery or drugs.
I'm not completely sure why doctors tell patients to treat fibroids like they are a normal occurrence and we have nothing to worry about – when they really should say to us that they actually are and that we actually do. Perhaps, it gives them the green light to perform surgery or prescribe us a new “clinical trial" hormone suppressant drug the pharmaceutical rep bribed them to try out in exchange for a trip to Aruba – but I digress.
What immediately started to replay in my head is the fact that I'm a 36-year-old African-American single female with no kids.
Photo Credit: Carrie Strong
What am I going to do?
Being a woman with a full active life, and feeling that I wanted to "keep my original parts," surgery and taking medicine was not an option for me. So, I kindly told my gynecologist to keep her geeked-up surgery stories to herself and I will see her in one month. At the time, I walked out of the hospital scared and confused af but also determined as hell to shrink the abnormal demons trying to set up shop within my feminine goodies.
My first step was to consult several doctors to get a second and third opinion, only to receive the same response: surgery or drugs. Really???
So, I took matters into my own hands and engulfed myself in research. I found out an alarming statistic: over 80% of women will be diagnosed with fibroids by the age of 50. I wondered why. What is the root cause?
During my research, I stumbled across the key that unlocked my healing. There's a direct correlation between fibroids, the function of your liver, and estrogen imbalance. Basically, the foods we consume play a major part in the development and growth of uterine fibroids. If dietary choices can so drastically impact my fibroid suffering, imagine what simple nutritional changes could do for my body.
From that day forward, I made a conscious decision to not let anything or anyone stand in my way. Operation "Get Healed" was officially in full effect and here's how I did it.
My 7-Step Holistic Regimen
- Drastically limit your consumption of simple carbohydrates, refined sugar, and processed foods.
- Incorporate organic foods as much as possible. Food packed with hormones, specifically meat, feed the fibroid.
- Juice beets, spinach, kale, ginger, and turmeric daily to detox the liver. Also add fresh turmeric to your juice and tea. Likewise, you can take 3 or more turmeric capsule 3x daily. This will decrease inflammation and stop excessive bleeding and pain. I add raw turmeric to my dandelion root tea every day.
- Take an active dose of systemic enzymes 3x daily. My dosage consists of 12 pills daily (6 in the morning and 6 at night). This has aided tremendously in dissolving my fibroids.
- Exercise a minimum of 30 mins daily four to five times a week.
- Avoid consuming anything packaged in plastic. Bottled water is the major culprit of estrogen imbalance.
- THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT: Do castor oil packs every other day. I use Jamaican black castor oil by Island Tropic. Click here for more information on what castor oil can do for your fibroids.
Bonus Tip: Weight control and diet helped to decrease the fibroids. A diet that limits red meat and is rich in green leafy vegetables, fruit, and fish is VERY beneficial. Some of my favorite elimination guides can be found on gochefahki.com and fibroidelimination.com.
So where am I now?
Well, I'm happy to report that after a month of delving into my holistic practices, the fibroids have decreased significantly in size and my symptoms are almost non-existent. Incorporating a fibroid elimination regimen has been my saving grace. But I must confess, it's not easy and dedication along with consistency is KEY!!!!
Photo Credit: Carrie Strong
My regimen might be considered drastic but my goal is to live a FULL life fibroid-free. In retrospect, being diagnosed was a definite eye-opener and a blessing in disguise. I now live a conscious lifestyle and I am completely aware of the foods I consume and the chemicals my body is exposed to on a daily basis. I'm excited to be on the road to recovery and feeling like myself again! More importantly, I am here to provide hope to women dealing with the same issue and offer encouragement through writing this post.
Like myself, you can take full control over your health and walk into a new life healed!
*Originally published on velvetlope.com
Eureka Calhoun is the owner and operator of Velvet Lope Styling, LLC. Velvet Lope Styling is a wardrobe styling and image consulting company dedicated to the modern day man and woman looking to upgrade their visual presentation through expert styling. Follow her on her social media platforms @velvetlope and @qrushvelvet and visit her website velvetlope.com.
Photos courtesy of Eureka Calhoun; featured image by Getty Images
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Eureka Calhoun is the owner and operator of Velvet Lope Styling, LLC. Velvet Lope Styling is a wardrobe styling and image consulting company dedicated to the modern day man and woman looking to upgrade their visual presentation through expert styling. Follow her on her social media platforms @velvetlope and @qrushvelvet and visit her website velvetlope.com.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images