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Frustrated- Difficult Menstrution

One of the main reasons I went raw was to heal my painful menstruation due to fibroids. Ive been raw since the end of January and it seems to be getting worse. This month it was very heavy on day 2 as usual, less heavy on day 3 (today) but unbelievably painful this morning. Yet, I can tell that my fibroids have gotten considerably smaller, so I dont understand why my menstruation has not been impacted in any way!

I as close to 100% raw as I can, fruit in the morning and before dinner; veggies and nut-based recipes for lunch and dinner. I was having maca in order to HELP, but I decided to cut it out this month to see what would happen.

I want from 135 lb in January to 114 right now. My scale says Im 18% body fat, which seems about right to me. Back in January I was 28% body fat.

I know that fat affects estrogen production, but Ive lost so much fat and weight already that Im afraid to lose more. I think if I cut out fat altogether, it will cause more complications, maybe loss of ovulation.

I want to reduce my menstruation on the 1-2 heavy days but Im not sure how to do that. Ive though about herbal tinctures but they are not raw and contain alcohol. Even dried herbal remedies are not raw. So that would be defeating the purpose in my mind.

I need advice on how to modify my diet (maybe cutting out condiments and nuts?) and maintain my exercise program (calisthenics) so that I become more ‘clean’ yet maintain my current weight.

Any thoughts?

2

Comments

  • Brownie, thanks. I was using cloth pads with organic tampons for @ 5 months with no impact either. I’m aware of all the ‘usual suspects’. Ive done SOOOO much research over the years and I thought going raw would be the thing that gave me normal periods.

    I just came back from the market and bought mostly fruit, greens, tomatoes, zukes and some parsley and cilantro that I can use in place of the dried condiments.

    This morning Im down to 112, so my weight is still going down. BTW im 5’5”.

    I usually get a full physical with bloodwork and GYN examination every year with nothing wrong except the fibroids.(of course Im anemic due to the extra blood loss on day 2) I haven’t been yet this year though. Honestly, I dont really see the point, they’ll just try to put me on birth control.

    However I am going to look for a midwife who may be able to give me some insight into this.

    Also Im going to go ‘fresh raw’ this month and see what happens. And of course keep up the exercise.

    If anything spectacular happens, I’ll let you know!

    Anyone else have any other opinions or suggestions?

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    A lot of herbs do a lot of good. You have to decide what feels right to you, but for me, a lot of times the herbs are doing me a whole lot more good than the possible negative effects I would get from the heating or small amounts of alcohol. Raw cacao – only the Sunfood brand – has helped me a lot with menstruation issues – i.e. much less pain or other PMS symptoms. Other brands made my periods MORE painful. I don’t have the fibroid issue, and cacao may not be for everyone, but it’s a lifesaver for me!

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    I don’t think that taking herbal products that may be heated (e.g. tinctures and tea) will be enough of a non-raw intake to affect you adversely; it’s certainly better than hormones or pharmaceutical pain relievers. I find that maca helps me out; I also like Female Toner tea from Traditional Medicinals. And lots and lots of water. Oh, and cutting back on the sweet stuff when you menstruate is supposed to help with the pain and heaviness of the flow, though I have a sweet tooth and so this is tough for me.

    Of course, try to follow your instincts; what works for me may not work for you. Best of luck!

  • Ceasarea…I also have 2 fibroids. One is around 3 cm and the other when last checked was 5 cm. I started the raw diet in April but have been very bad at sticking to it. I did lose around 25 lbs very quickly when I first started eating raw. I am also 5’5” and I weigh 130 today. Around the same time as going raw, I started taking Vitalzym (systemic enzymes you can buy at the health food store). The theory is that the enzymes eat away at fibrous tissue anywhere in the body if you take them on an empty stomach. I did notice profound improvement after only being on them 3 weeks. I was having 9 day periods with 4 of those days being VERY heavy and very painful. The first period after being on the enzymes only 3 weeks was only 5 days long with 1 heavy day! I stopped taking the enzymes for a while and my pain is coming back. Also, my ob/gyn did an internal exam just the other day and he said the fibroid is a “pretty good size.” He couldn’t give exact size without an ultrasound though. So it is still there but my symptoms are better as long as I stay on the enzymes. They are expensive though but well worth giving it a try. Good luck…I hope you feel better soon!

  • Paxton SquiggledyPaxton Squiggledy Raw Newbie

    Silly question, maybe. But you don’t drink any coffee, do you? The caffeine always makes me cramp when menstruating.

  • Thanks to all!

    Angie & Ambiguous, i”ll try the herbs this month and monitor effects. You’re right, hopefully the non-raw impact will be minimal to none.

    Re: Cacao, if I ever decide to try it I’ll definitely go the Sunfood route.

    Re: Sweet tooth, I actually had a slice of Deep Forest Cake (Ani Phyo) on the evening of Day 2, so that may be why Day 3 morning was so hellishly painful! :)

    Amydala, I have contemplated taking Vitalzum MANY times, but the cost stopped me. Also after reading so much about the high level of enzymes in raw foods, especially sprouts, I didnt think it was necessary to go the synthetic route. If cutting out salt, fat and dried spices doesnt help, I’ll try Vitalzym. (though I dont want to have to take it forever) Thanks for reminding me about it! :) You’ve had fantastic results, and that gives me so much hope!

    Hi Paxton, not a silly question, but I gave up coffee a couple years ago when I went vegetarian. You’re right caffeine and sugar do a number on us. I’m cutting out the raw desserts this month and hopefully it will have an impact!

    I’ll update this post next month. Thanks again everyone!

  • I found for me no salty food or tomato based foods help me tremendously. I don’t know what it is about tomatoes but they give me cramps every time. I start off the day with coconut water blended with raw cacao, maca, almond butter, tahini, and maybe a banana. Does me wonders!

  • Wow Sejuwan, tomatoes? I can only think that it’s the sodium content that would cause cramps. Not sure, but I’ll keep it in mind, thanks!

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Cesarea

    For what its worth-Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family and can exacerbate inflammatory conditions in the body.So it would not be suprising if they triggered discomfort during your cycle.

    Good Luck

    Oh one other thing. Raw helped get rid of my fibroids but my cycle was seriously messed up for a year or two despite a stellar raw diet. What has helped me tremendously in the past few months is taking Vitex also known as chasteberry daily. Its a traditional female herbal tonic. It seems to be working to regulate everything.

  • I have been reading Alissa Cohen’s “Living on Live Food”, and just today I was reading therein about a woman who was thin when she started going raw, and got even thinner and was worried about losing so much weight…Alissa writes: “This phenomenon is known as ‘losing your false body’. Your ‘false body’ consists of excess fat and toxins that inhibit the proper, healthy functioning of your ‘true body’. Once your body is free of its excess fat and toxins, you will regain some healthy pounds, as your body achieves a stable equilibrium.”

    About the woman’s particular case, Alissa says: “I tried to explain to her that even though she was thin, she still needed to purge the elements in her system that were causing her sickness. Still the loss of weight alarmed her enough to keep her off the diet- and keep her eczema and other ailments.

    “Eventually, she decided she simply did not want to live in pain anymore. She took the plunge and went 100% raw. She did lose more weight and in fact got very thin, but she stuck with it. After eight weeks her eczema was gone, along with her migraines. She remained at a low weight for about a year but then began to put on some healthy weight and soon developed a well-stabilized body. Today, she looks beautiful, has never felt better in her life, and no longer struggles with weight issues.”

    Marichiesa is giving you much better first-hand info than I could ever provide, but I wanted to speak to the excess weight loss aspect. Hope it helps. I wish you the best in your healing!

  • Thanks Marichiesa, I was always allergic to eggplant as a kid,(it burned my lips) and never have it because of that. I do however eat alot of tomatoes. I eat a small amount of red peppers and rarely green peppers. Ive only had potatoes once or twice since going raw, or TRIED to I should say. :)

    I took Vitex in capsule form years ago when I was first diagnosed. I remember thinking it helped a bit. But of course on a terrible SAD diet the Vitex probably didnt have a chance to do much for me. I am thinking about taking it again, what form do you take it in?

    Thanks so much!

  • Jennifer, I recently read Alissa’s book and I remember what you quoted. Yes, I suppose I am losing my ‘false body’ in order to regain my ‘true body’. Okay, this has got to be a new mantra for me along this journey. That definitely helps in dealing with the weight loss.

    Though I dont know what to do about new clothes! Im already wearing a size 0!!! I know that certain labels are actually smaller than others, anyone know what they are? We need to start a thread that lists clothing brands that carry extra small sizes, because this is getting difficult to keep up with!

  • Blue_EyesBlue_Eyes Raw Master

    Ceasarea Have you thought about a Holistic practioner for help? This can get worse I feel your pain that was me as a teenager. No one believed me they just called me a baby and told me to buck up. anyway it started with my very first period and grew worse each year. Even though I only had four a year no one told me it was not normal. Not until I was 19 and it lasted 6 six weeks at my sisters house and she saw first hand the mess and the constant crying. My mom finally took me to see a doctor. They said I had possible endometriosis and that I would probably go sterile by 25. They put me on birth control pills and that stopped the pain they said it would dissolve the rest. And then they also did not tell me what would knock out the birth control so basically after taking antibiotics for pneumonia then I ended up pregnant( I was very naive and the only think my mom told me when I had my first period I was about 11, she said never use tampons until you are married, and she never talked about it again). And other than very painful sex I never had problems again until I had a hysterectomy at the age of 40 for having pre cancerous cells. My doctor said the fibroids were really big. I then found out I was Celiac. Can’t tell you how to fix it naturally but I feel for you. Seriously glad it is all over. My teenage years sucked royally

    As far as body fat I was always stick thin and pale white everyone told me I looked sick for years but no one would believe I really was. At 5’4”I weight 98lbs until I had my second child at 24 and then only went up to 110 until after my surgery where I went up to 145 before trying to go raw I now weight 119. Body fat has nothing to do with this. I had none what so ever and my periods were so heavy and lasted for weeks not days I had to dye my jeans because I did not have the money to buy new and they were all stained and I could not hold a job.

    It is a vitamin and mineral defiency I hope you find yours

    I wish you the best and I hope you find the answers you seek as soon as possible. I wish I knew then what I know now. You seem to be much better than I was. No one should have to go thru this.

    My mother did show me a grave once of a relative that died very young back when she was a child. she said she had female problems and the parents refuse her medical care because it was a sin to take out female parts.

    I hate religion

  • Thanks blueeyes. Im really sorry to hear all that you had to go through, how terrible to have spent to many years of your young life like this.

    Ive never been thin, always average size, always healthy looking. I am ‘slim’ looking now that Im on raw and still look very healthy. I feel great for most of the month, but for 2-3 days a month I feel like crap. I agree, going through what I am right now, that body fat has nothing to do with it. But I am still leaning towards cutting out estrogenic foods like cashews. Just to see what happens, you know? I just need to do this trial and error to figure out what is going on with my body. That said, I do think I need to be patient, after all it’s been 7 months, not two years on raw.

    Im hoping that whatever the underlying problem is, besides the fibroids, the Raw diet will continue to heal it.

  • Today I ordered some Vitalzym and bought some herbal tinctures. Im going to cut back on overt fats and nuts which are estrogen-producing, salt and dried condiments. I’ll let you all know what happens in 3 weeks. Thanks for all your help and support!! :)

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Hi Ceasarea,

    I’m taking Nature’s Path brand of Vitex. ( Purchased from whole foods ) As far as the body regulating itself with weight I agree wholeheartedly with what has been said in the last few posts. When I first went raw I lost a lot of weight. In fact I overshot my mark and was too thin. Part of me ( the unhealthy part) was thrilled but in truth I looked like crap. Anyhow, after about 9 months looking like a waif the weight started coming back on so that I looked trim still but healthy. After being so thin for a while it was a hard adjustment. But today I can see that everything is as it should be. Hope that anecdotal story helps!

  • Thanks Marichiesa, I got an organic Vitex tincture yesterday, which I’ll take daily to balance everything out (hormonally).

    I also got a Reishi (medicinal mushroom) Extract tincture which I’ve read is great for destroying tumors of all kinds. I’ll also start taking the Vitalzym for this purpose.

    The other tinctures I’ll use during PMS (which Im glad to say has improved immensely since going raw. No more breast tenderness at all!) and my actual period. Those tinctures are Shepherd’s Purse, Lady’s Mantle, Yarrow and Partridgeberry which my research says will reduce menstrual flow.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    The “estrogenic foods” I have read about have phytoestrogens that act like estrogen & bind to estrogen receptor sites in the body. These are weaker than the natural estrogen and bind to the estrogen receptor sites, so there is a weaker estrogenic effect in the body overall when eating these foods, versus not eating them. These phytoestrogen foods seem to be what makes all the difference for me regarding PMS. If I eat plenty of cacao (raw, Sunfood brand), broccoli, etc. I have little or no cramps, breast tenderness, moodiness, etc. but if I don’t get what I need, the cramps & all other symptoms are AWFUL and I remember why people take drugs (Midol, etc.) for PMS!

  • Angie, so the idea is that they phytoestrogens actually weaken the effect natural estrogen has on the body?

    I keep hearing the cashews are estrogenic, do you think this theory would apply?

  • reishi is fabulous!

  • kedamono, what’s your experience with Reishi? And did you take the liquid extract or the mushroom itself?

    thanks! :)

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    You know whether or not cashews are estrogenic or not I’d ditch them. Even if you are not obviously allergic to them they are pretty toxic. ( and even tho’ I’m not super wound up about 100 percentages- they are definately not raw) I never used to be bothered by them UNTIL I went raw. Now my throat closes up if I eat them. Clearly they have some major inflammatory properties. Try hemp seeds in recipes instead. They may actually help your cramps/bleeding etc…

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    You know whether or not cashews are estrogenic or not I’d ditch them. Even if you are not obviously allergic to them they are pretty toxic. ( and even tho’ I’m not super wound up about 100 percentages- they are definately not raw) I never used to be bothered by them UNTIL I went raw. Now my throat closes up if I eat them. Clearly they have some major inflammatory properties. Try hemp seeds in recipes instead. They may actually help your cramps/bleeding etc…

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    You know whether or not cashews are estrogenic or not I’d ditch them. Even if you are not obviously allergic to them they are pretty toxic. ( and even tho’ I’m not super wound up about 100 percentages- they are definately not raw) I never used to be bothered by them UNTIL I went raw. Now my throat closes up if I eat them. Clearly they have some major inflammatory properties. Try hemp seeds in recipes instead. They may actually help your cramps/bleeding etc…

  • Hmmm, I buy my Cashews from Raw Food World and they state:

    ‘Our Cashews are organically cultivated in Sri Lanka selecting only the finest. These cashews are truly raw – the nuts are hand peeled avoiding high processing temperatures. To obtain maximum nutritional value, Cashews are best eaten raw.’

    I only use them in recipes like Rich Chedddar Sauce of which I use about a tablespoon per meal, and not even everyday. I never eat them by themselves.

    But what Im planning on doing is eliminiting everything that could be exacerbating the problem and then re-introducing each one to see which is the culprit.

  • Hmmm, I buy my Cashews from Raw Food World and they state:

    ‘Our Cashews are organically cultivated in Sri Lanka selecting only the finest. These cashews are truly raw – the nuts are hand peeled avoiding high processing temperatures. To obtain maximum nutritional value, Cashews are best eaten raw.’

    I only use them in recipes like Rich Chedddar Sauce of which I use about a tablespoon per meal, and not even everyday. I never eat them by themselves.

    But what Im planning on doing is eliminiting everything that could be exacerbating the problem and then re-introducing each one to see which is the culprit.

  • ceasarea – i didnt take it myself, i work in a health/supplements store and i regularly sell it to people. many of them are cancer patients who have told me how much of a difference it made for them. it’s pretty incredible to see these people who were basically dying and then they come back and they look noticeably better. i guess legally we can’t say it’s for treating cancer, but that’s like.. the number one thing i have people come get it. it’s just an all around awesome mushroom for the immune system. i’ve only seen it in pills and liquid extract, but that’s just because we dont carry bulk herbs/plants at my work :)

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I love the truly raw cashews I buy from www.sunfood.com :) I could never tolerate cashews (raw or not) until after I had been raw a while. Same with a lot of other things – bananas, oranges, tomatoes, etc.

  • Wow kedamono, how great to hear first hand accounts of healing from cancer patients! Very inspirational!

    Angie, for me I wonder if too much fat (raw or not) makes my hormones wacky, ie, over-production of estrogen.

  • jellibijellibi Raw Newbie

    Marichiesa, you could be allergic to cashews, many people are. In their raw form, they contain the same oil (urishiol) as is found in poison ivy. They make my mouth and throat swell up too—so do mangoes, although not as bad.

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