It’s hard to know whether you’re coming or going when trying to find ways to treat fibroids. You go to one source and it tells you one thing. You go to another source and it tells you the complete opposite. Take broccoli for example. Some of the material you’ll find around the Internet, purportedly written by doctors, discourages eating broccoli if you have fibroids. Others recommend broccoli, those too supposedly written by doctors. So which is it? Is broccoli good or bad to eat when fighting fibroids? How do you decide who to believe?
It’s possible that both sides of the equation might be right to some extent. There could be components of broccoli that have the tendency to feed the conditions in which fibroids thrive and there could be components that help with hormone balance which could help towards eradicating the problem assuming fibroids indeed grow as a result of hormone imbalance. I’m no expert in science. It was my worse subject in fact so you’d do well to consult with someone who knows what they’re talking about; but based on the research I’ve done for my own benefit, my conclusion is that avoiding broccoli is not necessary as broccoli contains diindolylmethane (DIM) which is said to have the capacity to balance hormones. How much DIM broccoli contains I suppose would be the next question and does it contain enough to be of any benefit to women in treating fibroids, and is the hype surrounding DIM based on truth about its effectiveness or is it just another way for the industry to cash in on our willingness to try anything they can convince us will help up to get well?
As I mentioned previously I have been trying the apple cider vinegar remedy for fibroids more out of desperation than because I believe it can actually work to shrink my fibroids. I have been drinking apple cider vinegar for about 2 months now. I first started with regular White House apple cider vinegar. I drank 2 tablespoons with one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda straight, no water to dilute. It was horrible tasting but I stuck with it for a few weeks. Once it ran out I purchased a 32-ounce bottle of Bragg Organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar. I decided to leave off the baking soda and make a tea concoction with the vinegar and some other ingredients instead. I drank this tea every morning until I finished the 32 ounce bottle of vinegar.
In addition to drinking this vinegar tea concoction I also started working out more frequently focusing on kick boxing and yoga. I cannot say if the vinegar is actually working to shrink my fibroids as I haven’t gone to get them checked and will not have an appointment with the doctor until November. However while my stomach is still protruding it is definitely flatter. I did start out with fibroids large enough to make me look like I was in my third trimester of pregnancy so I don’t expect that two months of trying the apple cider vinegar fibroid remedy is going to give me back my flat stomach, but I will be sticking with the vinegar tea recipe at least until my next doctor’s visit and I will be continuing with regular yoga and kick boxing and documenting my progress.
I have a long way to go and I don’t have any idea if this is going to work. Can you shrink fibroids naturally? I don’t know? Can apple cider vinegar shrink fibroids? Ordinarily I would laugh at the idea. It seems silly. It sounds silly. It probably is silly but I don’t have $10,000 for a hysterectomy. I don’t have health insurance. I don’t have any sensible ways of getting rid of my fibroids so I am going to try all the silly insensible ways I read about and if they don’t work, well then they don’t work and you can call me a fool for trying. In the meantime, my vinegar tea concoction is rather palatable and something is increasing my energy and allowing me to get through that hour of kick boxing and even enjoy it. My body is looking and feeling much better than it has in a while even with my fibroid tummy; and some of the more serious symptoms that had resulted in the doctor insisting I needed the hysterectomy asap back in December 2010 have gone. I will continue to update for anyone in a similar situation who might be interested in finding out if this thing works for me or not.
I’ve written a few posts already that address this very question. Can you really shrink fibroids naturally? No one will be happier than I if this turns out to be possible. I have very large fibroids and I’ve been trying on and off to get rid of them some other way than by having a hysterectomy for the last few years. My latest attempt started back in late spring/early summer when I read that apple cider vinegar can help to shrink fibroids. I didn’t really believe it but I was (still am) desperate to get rid of my protruding stomach, so I figured I’d try it. Here’s an update to the June 2011/August 2011 comparison photo I took for my post “How long does it take to for apple cider vinegar to shrink fibroids?(view post)
As you can see the fibroids aren’t really smaller per se. It’s just me that’s smaller. I haven’t been drinking the apple cider vinegar since about the last week in September. After the last bottle ran out I decided to stop drinking it for the next month to see if it made any difference whether I was drinking it or not. I don’t think it’s made any difference. I had thought for a while that maybe the apple cider vinegar was at least helping me to have increased energy and be able to keep up my workouts, but I’ve still managed to find the energy and keep up my workouts so I don’t think I can make an argument for apple cider vinegar helping to shrink fibroids at this stage. Maybe I’ll try it again starting November 1 and see what happens over the next month.
In the meantime I am still trying to shrink my fibroids with exercise and stress management techniques; and I do believe that it’s been working, not necessarily that my fibroids have been shrinking but my stomach has been getting smaller. Here is another comparison photo. You can see in both shots, one taken August 31st 2011 and the other taken today October 31st 2011, that I do not look 5 or 6 months pregnant. Of course the jacket and the pose help to conceal a lot, which is another aspect of the whole process of fighting back against fibroids ruining your figure that I think is important. You have to learn how to dress and how to carry your body to minimize the protrusion of your stomach.
Looking at the October 31st 2011 denim outfit photo you can’t really see much of a stomach but if you look at the October 31st 2011 shot of me in the yellow dress above you can see I still have a significant protrusion. Both photos taken today but seeming to tell a different story about my progress.
I have to admit I have doubts that it’s possible to shrink the fibroids themselves without some medical procedure, at least when they are the size that mine are; but I’m going to keep trying for that. In the meantime working out regularly and keeping my weight under control is going to be the key for me. I’ll have to keep my stomach trimmed down enough that even with the protrusion caused by the fibroids I can still avoid having to wear maternity clothes.
So my answer to the question “Shrink fibroids naturally can it really be done?” is “I don’t know yet.” I am still trying to do it. It’s taking a while and today I got a little fed up and started thinking maybe the hysterectomy is the way to go; but I’ll try to keep my frustrations in check. It’s not like I can afford the hysterectomy anyway so I might as well keep fighting to get my body back in some natural way.
If you’ve been reading any of my articles you know I am in the process of trying to get rid of my fibroids naturally. So far I haven’t gotten rid of them but I’ve had significant enough improvements to be inspired to keep trying. This morning I woke up with the thought of sugar and fibroids in mind. My stomach has been uncomfortably large for the last couple of weeks. Part of that is because I was heading up to that time of month; but the other part is because I’ve been a bit reckless with my diet this month. I’ve been consuming a lot more sugar than normal.
I’ve known for some time that sugar affects my fibroids. I can’t speak in general terms because I’m not a doctor and I’m not an expert on fibroid science. I am, however, an expert on what it’s like to live with large uterine fibroids; and I can speak from my own personal experience on what appears to me to be a very real connection between sugar consumption and fibroid maintenance or growth. What I mean by that is that my fibroids will either stay the same size or they’ll get bigger depending on if I consume pretty much the same amount of sugar every day or if I consume more sugar than normal. When I consciously consume less sugar over an extended period there is a very obvious difference in how large my stomach is. And it isn’t just the size of my stomach that decreases with a significant reduction in sugar consumption. The overall feeling of un-wellness and fatigue, of being weighed down and feeling noxious inside goes away as well. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that the toxic feeling only comes when I’ve gone overboard with sugary foods. It also comes when I’ve gone overboard with greasy, cheesy foods and when I’m sleep deprived, but that’s for another article.
In the matter of sugar and its effects on fibroids, my personal experience is that it does have a negative effect. It does interact in some chemical way that allows my fibroids to thrive by creating an environment inside me that is highly toxic and the impact is not just that my fibroids either stay the same or they grow depending on how much sugar is consumed, it’s also that my entire system goes out of whack and everything down to the pores of my skin is affected.
Today I am going to start incorporating particular changes in my diet into my efforts to shrink my fibroids naturally. Prior to this I was focusing primarily on getting more exercise and avoiding over-eating; but it’s clearly not just about not over eating. It’s more about eating foods that aren’t going to contribute to creating a toxic environment inside me that keeps the fibroids alive and growing. I’ve already seen that sugar is one of those bad foods for me.
This is just something I’m wondering about after reading about MR guided focused ultrasound technology, which is a non-invasive heat treatment option for getting rid of certain tumors including uterine fibroids. I get that they’re not talking about your everyday heat treatment when they talk about this ultrasound technology that beams and “heats and destroys targeted tissue”, but I still wonder if possibly it might be helpful to start using a heating pad as part of my daily routine in my effort to treat my fibroids. I’m thinking it might be worth a shot. What’s the worse that could happen? Hopefully it won’t have the opposite effect and stimulate the fibroids and make them grow bigger and multiply.
If you’ve been reading my posts then you know my situation. I have large fibroids and I am desperately trying to get rid of them or at least shrink them using exercise and natural remedies. I’ve tried the apple cider vinegar for a couple of months and concluded it doesn’t really work per se; but I’m giving it another try just to be sure. I started drinking it again November 16th and will try to stick with it until January 16th then make a final decision about it at that time.
In the meantime I am also trying the blackstrap molasses. Today is my first day starting the blackstrap molasses trial so I am in no position to answer the question of whether or not you can get rid of fibroids drinking it. I just received my bottle of Tree of Life blackstrap molasses via UPS a short while ago. I made a cup of tea with 1 tbsp of blackstrap molasses and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I have to confess it tastes utterly and completely horrid. I’m struggling to get it down. The blackstrap molasses is very strong and overpowering. You’d never know there was any apple cider vinegar in the mixture and apple cider vinegar is pretty strong by itself. The blackstrap molasses tastes downright awful; and on further research I am reading it isn’t healthy either. At least with my vinegar tea I am able to keep it sugar free and calorie free; but with the blackstrap molasses 1 tbsp contains 45 calories, 8 grams of sugar, 11 grams of carbohydrates.
If I stick with it I will only be drinking this concoction once per day; and maybe I will need to reduce the amount of molasses to half of a tablespoon. I definitely want to do more research on it because if it’s going to end up being that it does nothing to help with the fibroids, I don’t want it thwarting my efforts at getting healthier on top of being a waste.
If anyone has suggestions for more palatable ways to use this blackstrap molasses or knows anything about blackstrap molasses and if it is generally very bad for health, please share.
I will update again once I have a better idea of whether blackstrap molasses is helping in any way to shrink my fibroids.
Reading up more on blackstrap molasses as I try to shrink my fibroids naturally. In Can you really get rid of fibroids drinking blackstrap molasses? (article) I mentioned that I have just purchased a bottle of blackstrap molasses which I plan to use daily in conjunction with apple cider vinegar and regular exercise ( power yoga, kick boxing, dancing, and some strategic work with weights) in an attempt to fight back against what large fibroids have done to change the shape of my body.
The thing is, I’m not sure if blackstrap molasses is good or bad for you. I found a few claims that it’s bad for you, worse than sugar even, and that it’s not in fact a health food as many claim; but countering those claims are the many other claims that blackstrap molasses is very beneficial healthwise.
One of the sources of information I came across listed the following as the nutrients in blackstrap molasses:
Manganese
Iron
Calcium
Copper
Potassium
Magnesium
Vitamin B6
Selenium
I can remember a few months back while doing some research, coming across a few articles that suggested selenium and magnesium both help in getting rid of fibroids. I’ve also read that copper helps but this article suggests copper is actually bad for fibroids. Of course you have to be careful when it comes to things you read on the Internet. For every claim that something can help cure your illness there is going to be a counter claim. Even doctors can’t seem to agree on what’s good for you and what’s bad for you.
At this point though I am willing to try anything to shrink my fibroids as long as it’s not likely to kill me. From what I can tell it’s a matter of opinion whether or not blackstrap molasses is good or bad for you generally. Some people say it’s good for you. Some people say it’s bad for you. As I see it, if it’s not going to kill me or make me gain weight, or otherwise harm me in some serious way like damage my liver or some other organ, I’ll take my chances with it for a little while to see if it can help get my stomach down. I just need to figure out how to get it not to taste so god awful.
Here is a photo demonstrating the change that my body has gone through from the period when I started to develop a problem with fibroids to now.
At the time photo 1 was taken I was already noticing that my stomach was not as flat as it used to be and that nothing I was doing was helping; but my stomach was still flat enough that I had no reason to think there was something growing in there. This was in 2006. About a year and 5 months later I realized there was something hard growing in my lower abdomen. I went to the doctor and discovered I had a fibroid. Within a few short months “a fibroid” became at least 3 large fibroids. Photo #2 was taken today (November 18th 2011). You can see my stomach is pushing out significantly. This is not the biggest the fibroids have made my stomach look though. I want to believe my efforts to shrink them are succeeding but I have a long way to go before I can say for certain.
I started using apple cider vinegar to try to get rid of my fibroids back in June 2011. I’ve added blackstrap molasses since November 2011. I’ve been documenting my progress with trying to get rid of my fibroids. You can refer to the link at bottom of this to access my updates. This is my latest update. Below is the latest photo showing my progress between June and December 31 2011.
I missed my November 2011 appointment at the women’s clinic so I haven’t really gotten any medical feedback on whether or not the fibroids have in fact shrunken. My stomach still protrudes but it is considerably flatter as you can see if you compare the June 26, 2011 picture to the December 31, 2011 picture (you can click on the picture to make it bigger).
Although it’s possible dropping some of the extra weight I was carrying has more to do with the visible improvements than the fibroids actually shrinking, I want to believe the fibroids are in fact shrinking. What I can’t be sure of is what’s actually responsible.
I’ve been working out much harder and more frequently in the last few months doing core focused work. The improvement in the appearance of my stomach could be due to the ballet, the power yoga and the abs work I’ve been doing with weights.
I do have to say that since I started using the blackstrap molasses I’m having an easier time with the monthly flow business (sorry to anyone who shudders at the mention). I still have tampons left over for the next cycle which hasn’t been the case in quite some time. So I’m inclined to think blackstrap molasses does help in some way. And the apple cider vinegar probably does help as well. When I think about it I was working out harder before I started trying the vinegar and the molasses and my stomach never really improved, but then I wasn’t doing the kind of core focused work I’m doing now so I don’t know. I guess I’d say it’s all the things combined that are slowly improving my situation. Obviously I still have a long way to go. I’ll be continuing to do this in the hope that by January 2013 I’ll be fibroid free.
Here’s one suggested fibroid remedy I’m not willing to try. I came across a claim someone made that smoking shrunk her fibroids. I’m personally not willing to pick up a smoking habit in the hope that it will result in me getting back my flat stomach.
I haven’t written an update on my progress in a while. I still have fibroids and I still don’t know if they can really go away by eating this or drinking that or by taking this or that supplement. I’ve been trying to shrink mine since I was told in December 2010 that mine were too big and my uterus too large for me to avoid a hysterectomy. I was told my situation was urgent, but there was nothing I could do about it because I didn’t have money to afford surgery and I still don’t have health insurance. If you’ve already read about this in my previous reports I apologize for repeating it. I’m repeating it for the benefit of anyone who hasn’t read any of the other updates. Below is a picture of where things stand with me and my fibroids.
As you can see there’s not much difference between the picture I took for my update on December 31 2011 and the picture I took a few minutes ago for today’s update. In fact, in today’s picture it might look as if my stomach protrudes more than in December but that is not really the case. The position of the fibroids have shifted. My stomach is not as round all over. My lower pelvic area and my upper rib area are protruding less so there’s more of an incline giving the appearance of a bigger protrusion. This is actually a good thing because I can see more of my shape now.
I have not been drinking apple cider vinegar since about January. I also have not been drinking blackstrap molasses since about the same time. I prefer not to render a yes or no opinion on the questions of whether or not apple cider vinegar can shrink fibroids and whether or not blackstrap molasses can shrink fibroids. I believe that it’s worth trying to see if it works for you or not. Personally I don’t think either the apple cider vinegar or the blackstrap molasses have done anything significant towards helping to shrink my fibroids. I think getting back into shape has been the primary key to controlling how much my stomach protrudes.
I never did keep my appointment at the clinic because I didn’t have the money to pay for the appointment. That means I don’t know what the real situation is as far as what size my fibroids are now. I know my stomach is smaller but that doesn’t mean the fibroids are smaller.
Right now what I’m doing in my ongoing process of trying to shrink them is practicing a five day fast at the beginning of each month and doing meditative stretching during and after this 5 day fast. The 30 day juice fast suggested will not work for me but maybe it might work for you. I spent most of my life being very skinny and only after gaining weight when I started battling hormonal issues at age 35 did I learn to appreciate that I had been way too skinny. I have no desire to go back to that emaciated size and 30 days without substantial meals will put be back there. Also the risk of redeveloping the eating disorder that allowed me to stay under 100 pounds for so many years of my life isn’t one I can afford to take. So I’ve come up with a program for myself where I do a tea fast 5 days per month and incorporate that with the meditation/stretch. On the other days I try to eat as well as I can on my budget and I workout at least 5 days per week and include some meditation and stretching when I have enough left for an extra 30 – 60 minutes of it after doing the cardio and resistance stuff. I do have my spells where the fibroids seem to get bigger. It happens at that time of the month and it also happens if I go a few days not paying enough attention to what I’m eating, but the fasting seems to reset it.
I’ve seen so many different things out there, so many different people saying this works and that works. Most of these people have something to sell. I can’t afford any of the products that are claimed to work, so my hope is that I can maintain what I’m doing with the program I’ve created and that by August when I take my next comparison photo, there will be even greater improvement in my condition. I’m at a point where I don’t think getting rid of the fibroids altogether is possible without removing them whether by hysterectomy or some other procedure, so I’m resigned to trying to get my body to where I can still look and feel good even while I have fibroids that have changed the shape of my body.
If you’re battling fibroids I wish you all the best with shrinking them. If you’ve tried something that has worked for you please share it as there are so many people out there who are dealing with this problem and not everyone can afford to pay for information and pay for pills or books or whatever else is out there being sold. If nothing else, share your story because we might find enough common things to lead in a direction where that aha moment can happen and the factual cause of fibroids can be figured out and a way to shrink and prevent them found. We’re luckier than a lot of people because our tumors are not malignant; but fibroids are still a health problem that cause difficulties for sufferers and it doesn’t seem as if much has been done to try to find out what really causes them and what can be done to get rid of them or prevent them without having to remove part of a woman’s body, whether it’s a part she needs or not. There’s just too much conflicting information out there and the bulk of it from people who are not medical professionals. If fibroids can be shrunken naturally why doesn’t the medical profession know this? There are individual doctors out there selling pills that they concocted which they say will shrink our fibroids. If they can come up with fibroid shrinking pills why don’t our doctors have fibroid shrinking pills for us which they can prescribe? Are the ones who claim their pills will shrink our fibroids lying to us? Or is it that the powers that be don’t consider fibroids important enough to invest time and money into developing a pill when they can just take our uterus out, get $10,000 from us whether out of our pocket directly or from our insurance companies and be done with it?
