I wanted to do an episode on the back of my 9 Root Causes of Painful Sex with Endometriosis episode, as I talk about bloating, bladder pain, brain fog and fatigue a lot, but I haven’t covered painful sex much lately. This episode contains a range of strategies, some long-term, some more short-term and this list certainly isn’t exhaustive. Many of the changes you make to improve your endometriosis in general, such as healing the gut, are not covered here but will certainly make a difference to th...
Jan 04, 2021•33 min
Today’s episode is another in the root causes series and I’m talking about the root causes of painful sex with endometriosis. 92% of you voted for this episode, so I’m assuming that if you voted, you likely struggle with this symptom. But having painful sex isn’t just part and parcel of having endometriosis - there are things that can be done, and it begins with identifying why you’re experiencing pain in the first place. Endo is complex and the stress it puts on the body can lead to other condi...
Dec 28, 2020•34 min
1. Endometriosis on the bladder - If you have endo lesions on the bladder or infiltrating the bladder, these will be causing scar tissue, inflammation and irritation to the surrounding area, especially during menstruation when this tissue begins to shed. This inflammation causes pain as the body attempts to alert us of a threat (endo), but as our immune system is unable to ‘clean up’ the endo, the body continues to inflame the area and continues to send pain signals. 2. Chronic inflammation - In...
Dec 21, 2020•50 min
Last week I polled 600 of you on my Instagram and 96% of you said you suffer with bloating or what is dubbed in our community as the endobelly. Additionally, only 48% of you had heard of small intestine bacterial overgrowth, which is in fact a leading cause of IBS issue such as constipation, diarrhoea and bloating within the endo population. Bloating is one of the biggest symptoms for those of us with endomertriosis, but it’s not impossible to treat. It’s not about masking the symptoms though - ...
Dec 15, 2020•55 min
If you experience bladder pain alongside endometriosis, you may have experienced first hand how hard it is to know what to eat. Over the years, I’ve spoken to countless people with endometriosis who also have bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis, and are totally confused over what which foods may be triggering them. The general anti-inflammatory diet that can help lower endometriosis pain, partially conflicts with the general interstitial cystitis diet, which recommends cutting out foo...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr
For the past two weeks I’ve been diving into the undeniable link between endometriosis, allergies and histamine. To give you guys a recap: 61% of people with endo have been found to have allergies. 88% of people with endo and fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome also have allergies. Mast cells (which produce histamines) have been found in higher levels within endometriosis lesions and have been shown to be involved within the inflammatory process of endo Endometriosis is an oestrogen driven ...
Nov 30, 2020•38 min
Happy Thanksgiving to our lovely community! I’ve been working on something in the past few months, and as a thank you for being such an amazing bunch, I wanted to finally share it with you today. Ever since I started This EndoLife, I wanted to make it accessible. Having worked with vulnerable groups in my past life in charity, I’ve seen first-hand the need for accessible health care. Not just in the form of conventional medicine, but in the form of empowering, alternative options that people can...
Nov 26, 2020•12 min
Endometriosis, small intestine bacterial overgrowth and allergies. What do they have in common? Histamines. Whilst these conditions are multifaceted and often don’t have one root cause, there is a clear common thread connecting them all. Here’s some key takeaways: 61% of people with endo have allergies Research has shown up to 80% of those with endo also have SIBO (some doctors argue it’s even higher at 100%) SIBO can impair the body’s ability to break down and remove histamines from the body Ma...
Nov 23, 2020•42 min
Do you have suffer with food allergies or airborne allergies? Perhaps you get fits of sneezing or watery eyes in the summer, or maybe you suffer with a chronically stuffy or runny nose? Perhaps you flare up with dairy or break out in a rash after shellfish. Sound familiar? You're not alone. Research has found a significant prevalence of allergies within the endometriosis community, showing that people with endo are at an increased risk of experiencing allergies. But without this knowledge to con...
Nov 16, 2020•24 min
Rebecca Sairs is the PMDD health coach helping people with PMDD take back control of their wellbeing with natural methods, self-care and empowering coaching. After experiencing PMDD herself, and struggling with the options of treatment available, Rebecca started down a holistic healing journey which eventually led her to specialise in PMDD as a health coach. She now helps people all over the world with the condition, and as many of us endo warriors also live with PMDD, I thought it was an essent...
Nov 09, 2020•49 min
Brain fog and fatigue. These are two of the biggest symptoms you guys tell me you suffer with and they’re two symptoms that I found hardest to shake, whilst my symptoms have dramatically improved, they are the two that I sometimes need some extra help with. Now, before we dive in - I want to state that the root cause should be investigated, rather than just slapping superfood biohacks over the problem. Chronic inflammation, dysregulated blood sugar and hormonal imbalances are just some of the is...
Oct 26, 2020•25 min
In episode 107 I took you through what oestrogen dominance is, the causes and the symptoms, alongside seven foods to help alleviate the hormonal imbalance. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go ahead and check it out, then come back to this one! But why is oestrogen dominance even a problem? Oestrogen has been shown in multiple studies to play a pivotal role in the development and growth of endometriosis, it’s why many doctors use progestin only hormonal birth control methods to possib...
Oct 12, 2020•40 min
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 oc...
Oct 05, 2020•42 min
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 th...
Sep 28, 2020•24 min
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+ ind...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 22 min
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? S...
Sep 14, 2020•53 min
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...
Sep 07, 2020•32 min
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 reco...
Aug 31, 2020•34 min
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 li...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 12 min
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.
Aug 07, 2020•1 min
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 t...
Jul 31, 2020•35 min
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 t...
Jul 24, 2020•55 min
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...
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 8 min
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 pro...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 22 min
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 ab...
Jul 03, 2020•59 min
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 ...
Jun 28, 2020•1 hr 18 min
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 p...
Jun 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Jun 12, 2020•6 min
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 com...
Jun 05, 2020•1 hr 27 min
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 ...
May 29, 2020•41 min
