The pelvic examination, magnetic resonance imaging and laparoscopy confirmed that she had endometriosis. The gynecologist suggested a hysterectomy, but she refused. She asked for other options. She came to my clinic. After three month s treatment with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, her endometriosis was under control.
Surgery is often only a temporary measure, because endometriosis recurs in most women.
Treatment with synthetic hormones will suppress the symptoms of endometriosis, but the disease itself is not cured, and symptoms will often return after discontinuing the hormone therapy. Besides, the side effects with these drugs can be significant. A traditional Chinese medical diagnosis is arrived at by discerning a characteristic pattern from the signs and symptoms presented by the patient. In Chinese medicine, the primary pattern, or mechanism, that causes endometriosis is Blood Stasis. Blood Stasis can be caused by emotional disturbance, chronic illness, exposure to cold temperatures, surgery, and genital infections.