My Pain: My Motivation For Changing The Lives of Women by Melissa Turner

I had endometriosis. It was unbelievably painful. It is a condition that affects over 176 million women around the world and yet most of us have never heard of the condition. In some cases women endure pain for years before realizing that what they are experiencing is far from normal. I did this too. I believed that my excruciating period pain was normal. I thought my swollen belly and my aching body was normal. I thought that regular PMS and erratic mood swings were normal. Gotta love those TV commercials that say all of this is just part of being a women… right?

Women are told from an early age that period pain is simply part of their cycle. Something they have to learn to deal with. That they shouldn’t be so weak or pathetic and that every women goes through this. This is why endometriosis can take over ten years to get properly diagnosed and in many cases it can dramatically effect the ability of women to get pregnant!

I had never heard of endometriosis. Have you?

The most common symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods and pain during sex. Endometriosis is a condition where the cells which are meant to remain in the uterus, spread into the abdominal cavity and grow and change along with the cycle. These eventually form adhesions and cysts, which cause incredible pain for many women. Though pain is a key indicator of endometriosis, some women don’t experience any pain or little pain as their cysts form in less obtrusive places.

I had pain though. I had pain from my very first period and it lasted for over 15 years. I followed all the best meaning advice and went to the best specialists I could find. Some were doctors, endometriosis specialists and gynaecologist. I went through seven operations, a number of hormone treatments putting my body through menopause or stopping my periods all together. I had a huge arrange of pain-killers and drugs to overcome all the side-effects of the hormone treatments. I had a huge handbag and it was not filled with typical girly things. Instead it was filled with pain-killers and drugs to help me to get through a typical day.

As much as I reached out for help, I never found any new insights or options from the typical medical sources.

“Something had to change, and it all began with me finally taking responsibility for myself and my health.”

— Melissa Turner

I began with throwing out all the junk in my life. The junk food, the junk relationships, the junk thoughts and all the chemicals I was adding into my body each and every day. I shifted my focus in a big way… it was about taking care of myself and my body. It was about providing for my body with real, nourishing foods. It was about filling my mind with positive and uplifting thoughts and it was about finally acknowledging and realizing my own strengths and loving myself.

I won’t lie. It wasn’t an easy journey. I certainly can relate to so many women who struggle to make the shift in using a holistic approach for their endometriosis. However, I can tell you that it has shifted more than my pain levels. I no longer experience pain or symptoms from endometriosis. I never believed that I could ever say that!

I also never believed that changing my thoughts, my food and my focus could shift me into a whole new life for myself. One filled with real fulfillment from my work and my relationships. I am finally open and energetically ready to do anything I wish to do in this world, without fear or limitation.

This is why I do what I do. I want more women to experience the shifts that I experienced when I finally started taking care of myself properly. It goes beyond simply eating a healthy diet or moving our bodies. It is about putting ourselves first and deciding that we are worth it. Truly worth it. Beyond beauty products and pretty dresses but worth taking care of in terms of our health and our personal well-being.

The REACH Technique©

I run an online business which supports women with endometriosis who are keen to use a holistic approach. I guide women on how to:

1. Eat for real nourishment

2. Move to help heal their bodies of anxiety and poor posture

3. Change their thinking and shift old emotional pain

4. Cleanse the body of contributors to developing endometriosis

I call it the REACH Technique© and you can get the full picture in my free online mini course.

Found This Interesting?

Sign up to find out more about the REACH Technique© and how you can successfully manage your endometriosis.

www.endoempowered.com

Endometriosis support group on Facebook 

Endometriosis Business page on Facebook

Melissa Turner on Twitter

Reducing Toxins for a Healthy Conception with Lara Adler

Lara Adler is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and an Environmental Toxins Expert, and, let me tell you something, this girl knows her toxins.  Many of us know a thing or two about toxins, but Lara knows everything!

Today we talk about the influence of toxins on fertility and our growing babies. Because developing fetuses are so much more susceptible to the mal-effects of toxins, and because the effects can last a lifetime, it is important that we learn how to protect them as much as is possible.

However this episode is helpful for anyone who is curious about toxins and how to reduce them.  

Tired of having that same old argument with your uncle Ron, with him saying that there is no reason to be worried about RoundUp and food coloring and the like? Now you have some ammunition!

In this episode, we'll learn:

• That indoor air quality can be 50-100 times worse than outdoors

• That some chemicals are neurotoxins, especially in developing baby

• The chemicals are linked to PCOS (leading cause of sub-fertility)

• The chemicals linked to fertility issues in men

• How birth defects on boy babies are on the rise

• That being pregnant detoxes chemicals out of mom and into baby

• That avoiding BPA is not enough and why

• And Lara's three best first steps to reduce your toxic load

To learn more about Lara, visit her site here.  Lara specializes in teaching practitioners, but will be expanding her offerings to the public over time.  

You can listen through the audio player below.  But the best way to get this and all our interviews, wherever you are, is to be subscribed to our podcast.

A Natural Approach to Fertility with Dr. Aumatma Shah, ND

Infertility is not a disease, it’s a symptom.  When we are in optimal health, we are fertile.  Dr. Aumatma Shah

Having been in the fertility field a while myself, I really appreciate Dr. Aumatma's lighthearted, compassionate, and inquisitive attitude about fertility.  It is all too easy to get discouraged, melodramatic, etc, and she does none of that.

Trying to get pregnant, and not initially succeeding, is incredibly stressful.  To have someone on your team who is a bright light of hope can be a game changer.

Dr. Aumatma is a naturopathic physician, and her approach to fertility includes the following:

Testing:

She will, as the case demands, run tests on:

• Full thyroid panel

• Food sensitivity test

• Detox panel

• Nutrients panel

• Genomics profile

DetoxifyinG:

As our endocrine systems are so sensitive to toxins, and there are so dang many of them out there, detoxification can be vital.

Rebuilding:

Get nutrients into the body and healing with homeopathics are some of her techniques.

Energetics:

Releasing past traumas and re-learning to be a receptive female again in this man's world are examples of what she can help.

Dr. Aumatma offered a free gift to our community, which is a "How Fertile Am I?" quiz that she will personally review.

If you are needing a little sunshine in your fertility shadow, you've got to listen to this interview below!

Are you subscribed to our podcast yet?  Come on and get in with us (:

Addressing Pelvic Pain and Infertility with Dr. Jennifer Mercier

Dr. Jennifer Mercier is a triple threat: naturopath, massage therapist and midwife.  I kind of fall in love with her work on the episode, as you'll hear!  

It was Jennifer's own experience with stage 4 endometriosis, coupled with her medical training, that helped her develop the Mercier Therapy.

Mercier Therapy is her own system of abdominal therapy that works with the ligaments and organs to move them into alignment with the goals of restoring function and /or reducing pain.

For women, it can help us have a smoother cycle, recover from surgeries, improve our fertility and heal trauma.

I find so many have strange sensations in their abdomens that they worry about. And many have complications form C section or even a natural birth, and feel there are no options to heal.  Still other have unexplained infertility, that can potentially respond to a new approach.

Jennifer works locally in St. Charles, IL, but also trains practitioners in other states and countries.  That means if this type of work speaks to you, you may be able to fidn a practitioner in your area.  And if you are practitioner, training is available.  

Her clinic

Her training program

Find a practitioner

The Mercier Movie

We are hosting a free Recipe Party Jan 9 -31, 2016. See new blog post to join!

Listen to the Interview

You can listen to the interview through the player below, but even better is to get subscribed to Women's Wellness Radio through your Apple or Android podcast player!

Fertility After Age 35

This time it was my turned to be interviewed!  I love talking about health, as you'll soon hear...

I was a guest on the fabulous podcast, Food as Medicine.

My topic is "Fertility after Age 35."

• What is different about fertility after 35?

• What foods do I recommend?

• Are men included in this age/ fertility thing?

Find out here!

Did anything help you a ton while trying to conceive?  Please share below to help others!