Women with life-interrupting fibroid tumors can be presented with a variety of medical treatments ranging from medication and fibroid surgery to non-surgical options like uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). This is great news, as all women deserve to have options in their unique fibroid journey and feel empowered to take control of their health. However, some women also want to take control of their health naturally through holistic remedies and lifestyle changes. They may wonder if this path is also viable before, during, and after medical treatment. But can diet, exercise, vitamins, and herbal supplements make a difference in fibroid tumors?
While we all benefit from making healthier choices, doing so may not be enough to reduce fibroids or cause quick fibroid removal. That said, some experts believe diet, exercise, and herbal supplements are worth a try. These new habits may reduce your risk, help manage painful symptoms, reduce the speed of fibroid tumor growth, and possibly even slowly shrink them. With March being National Nutrition Month, now is as good a time as any for a reminder about how important nutrition and positive lifestyle changes can be in your life—even when you have uterine fibroids.
Imagine Decreasing the Severity of These and Other Fibroid Symptoms
- Pelvic pain or pressure
- Heavy bleeding, which can be heavy enough to cause anemia
- Irregular menstruation
- Constipation or urinary frequency
- Pain during sex
- Pain radiating to the lower back, hip, buttock, thigh, or down the leg
- Bloating and swelling
Making a Case for Herbal Supplements in Fibroid Treatment
Before we proceed, let us mention why this topic is important this time of year. National Nutrition Month, an annual campaign initiated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 1973, aims to educate individuals about making informed food choices and cultivating healthy eating and physical activity habits during March. This year’s theme is “Food Connects Us,” since the foods we eat also affect our health.
Traditional Western approaches to treating many symptoms and diseases—including fibroid tumors—include prescription drugs, physical therapy, radiation, and/or some form of invasive or non-invasive surgery. While they may be effective, these treatments can have side effects, not to mention potential downtime for recovery. Herbalism is the tradition of studying and using herbs for their healing properties. Rather than treat symptoms (in herbalism, fibroids are considered a symptom), herbal supplements address underlying body imbalances to restore health holistically.
According to the traditional Chinese medicine theory, fibroid tumors are caused by yin-yang imbalance in the body. This can be interpreted as disturbances in the endocrine system and blood circulation. While there are not a significant number of recent studies that back this up, a six-month pilot study states that herb, acupuncture, and mind-body healing treatments did shrink fibroids in patients and reduced common symptoms such as abdominal distention or cramping, anemia, and many of the other symptoms mentioned above.
What Herbal Remedies Can Be Used for Fibroids?
Current evidence does not support or refute using herbal supplements for fibroid tumors, but some practitioners do point patients in that direction. Below are a few common herbal remedies for fibroids.
- Green tea — Studies have shown that green tea may help with a range of ailments, including fibroids, liver disorders, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, weight loss, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Resveratrol — This plant-based chemical can be found in blueberries, mulberries, raspberries, and grapes. It can also be taken as a supplement at mealtimes and may help with fibroids.
- Curcumin — This phytochemical has been shown to limit fibroid growth and possibly shrink them slowly.
- Monk’s Pepper — This herb, also known as chasteberry, helps with heavy bleeding, a common and inconvenient symptom among women with fibroids.
- Guizhi fuling — This herb is known to balance hormone levels, improve uterus health, and slowly shrink fibroids.
The Link Between Vitamin D Deficiencies and Fibroid Symptoms
Interestingly, the most well-established known fibroid risk factor aside from being a Black woman is Vitamin D deficiency. Being Vitamin D deficient is not life-threatening, but it is linked to fibroids, so much so that women with sufficient Vitamin D levels had an estimated 32% lower odds of fibroids than those with Vitamin D insufficiency.
How do you combat this? Start a Vitamin D supplement routine. This can help you avoid poor muscle, bone, and immune system health and potentially decrease your risk of developing uterine fibroids. You can add vitamin D to your diet by eating foods such as fatty salmon and tuna, cod liver oil, and dairy products like fortified milk. Vitamin D is also generated by sunlight. In the short term, compelling research suggests that taking Vitamin D supplements may help stop fibroids from getting bigger and could keep fibroids at their current size.
Being Vitamin D deficient is not life-threatening, but it is linked to fibroids, so much so that women with sufficient Vitamin D levels had an estimated 32% lower odds of fibroids than those with Vitamin D insufficiency.
Beyond Vitamin D, a diet of vitamins can contribute to overall health, including but not limited to the following:
- Vitamin A — This key vitamin plays a key role in heart, lung, and kidney health. It also strengthens bones and teeth and keeps skin healthy by fighting off toxins.
- Vitamin B — The majority of Vitamin B vitamins turn food into energy and support healthy cell creation, growth, and development. They are often found in cereals, breads, and pastas.
- Vitamin C — This vitamin protects your body from free radicals and produces collagen for your bones.
- Vitamin E — This vitamin reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, and maintains muscle function.
New Research Suggests Combining Higher Dosages of Green Tea With Vitamin D
Recently, compelling new research suggests that the risk of fibroid formation and fibroid growth is more prominent in women who display an inflammatory state in the uterus. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including having a diet consisting of high-inflammation foods (red and processed meat, baked goods, deep-fried items, bread, pasta, etc.) versus those that lower inflammation throughout the body (berries, fruits, avocados, nuts, etc.).
Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, from the University of Chicago Medicine, stated in a recent interview that to combat this, it is best that women combine 800 mg of green tea/EGCG with 5,000 mg of Vitamin D each day. From his clinical trial featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, doing so has been shown to reduce new fibroid formation for women who do not yet have fibroids but are considered high-risk AND women who previously underwent a UFE or myomectomy procedure and wish to prevent further disease progression.
It is best that women combine 800 mg of green tea/EGCG with 5,000 mg of Vitamin D each day. Doing so has been shown to reduce new fibroid formation.
Dietary Changes To Help Fibroids
Some women do not experience fibroid symptoms. However, that does not mean they will not eventually. According to The Office on Women’s Health, about 20 to 80 percent of women develop fibroid tumors by the time they reach age 50. Therefore, it is important to remain diligent in attending your annual visits with your gynecologist or family doctor and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Watching your diet and eating as cleanly as possible is also important.
Red, processed meat, high-fat dairy products, salty foods, potato chips, boxed cereal, soda, baked goods, and certain carbohydrates are shown to have a link to fibroid growth. Drinking alcohol, primarily beer, increases your risk. Conversely, fiber-rich and unprocessed foods balance hormones and prevent excess weight gain.
Fruits, vegetables, and other brightly colored foods reduce inflammation. Research has confirmed that improving your Vitamin D and Vitamin A levels will reduce fibroid tumor growth and/or ease symptoms.
Red, processed meat, high-fat dairy products, salty foods, potato chips, boxed cereal, soda, baked goods, and certain carbohydrates are shown to have a link to fibroid growth. Drinking alcohol, primarily beer, increases your risk.
Ways you can reduce your risk of fibroids through dietary and lifestyle changes include but aren’t limited to:
- Get more exercise
- Reduce stress levels
- Drink more dairy
- Additional vitamin support (B-1, B-6, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids)
- Eat more fruits, especially citrus, and vegetables. This includes dried fruits.
How To Shrink Fibroids If Diet and Herbal Supplements Aren’t Enough
Yes, it is possible to make a complete lifestyle change through exercise, diet, and herbal supplements and still be adversely affected by fibroid tumors. At Fibroid Institute Texas, with locations in the Dallas and Houston areas, we do not believe you need to decide between suffering in silence or having invasive, life-altering surgery. We are dedicated to treating fibroids using uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), the gold standard in non-surgical fibroid treatment.
At Fibroid Institute, UFE is performed through the radial artery at your wrist. X-ray guidance is used to locate the vessels that supply blood to your fibroids. Small particles are injected into the vessels, blocking the blood flow to the fibroids, causing them to shrink and die. After uterine fibroid embolization, more than 90% of women notice improved symptoms. This includes the reduction of pelvic pain and heavy periods.
Our specialized interventional radiologists perform the procedure in an outpatient setting, so there is no hospital stay. The procedure will last about one hour, during which you will be asleep. During recovery, you can resume light activities as soon as you feel up to it. Most women return to work or regular daily activities in 7-10 days.
Other benefits of the UFE procedure at Fibroid Institute include:
- Non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment option for fibroids
- Uterus remains preserved
- No abdominal (belly) incision
- Tiny wrist puncture, no need for vaginal access
- All fibroids may be treated at the same time
- Avoids side effects of hormone therapies typically used to treat fibroids
- Fibroid symptoms improve dramatically
- Covered by most major medical insurance plans
- Mobile number given to every UFE patient to contact her doctor directly
Our 100% Fibroid-Focused Practice Is Committed To Helping You Reclaim Your Life
Living a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, herbs, vitamins, and supplements can reduce and potentially avoid fibroid tumors and their painful symptoms. While there is plenty of information to support this, and everyone can benefit from a healthier approach to living, it is possible that your fibroid symptoms may not improve. If that happens, please know that all is not lost. You have treatment options, including UFE, and support from knowledgeable and compassionate healthcare professionals.
This is what we do all day, every day. And we are here for you. At Fibroid Institute, we are dedicated to treating fibroids and helping you enjoy life symptom-free. Request a free 10-15 minute phone screening to determine your eligibility for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), the gold standard in non-surgical fibroid treatment.
After the screening, you can schedule your consultation if you are a good candidate for UFE.
At Fibroid Institute, we do not believe you need to decide between suffering in silence or having surgery. Our team of fibroid doctors is always on hand to partner with you and your doctor to determine the best course of action. With multiple locations, our Dallas and Houston fibroid clinics help thousands of women avoid fibroid surgery and find relief from their fibroid symptoms.
Most major medical insurance providers cover the cost of UFE. Get started now with Fibroid Institute’s Dallas fibroid centers at 214-838-6440 or Houston fibroid centers at 713-903-3733 or complete the form below.
Fibroid Institute Texas serves the Dallas and Houston areas including Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Webster, Clear Lake, The Woodlands, Universal City, Spring, Kingwood, Stafford, Conroe, Texas City, Cypress, League City, Bellaire, Addison, Carrollton, Plano, Frisco, Craig Ranch, McKinney, Allen, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Arlington, Hutchins, Irving, Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, University Park, Park Cities, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, Dallas, Sherman, and more.
This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Before starting any new treatment or if you have questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider.
*Patient names and/or photos may be changed to protect patient confidentiality.