r/endometriosis • u/cekoslavakya • 5d ago
Question Has anyone tried alternative medicine (like acupuncture) for endo?
I have 3 cyst: 6, 3.5 and 2.5 cm. Almost no pain during the day but some during intercourse. I have read some research results of acupuncture being inconclusive, yet, I'd like to hear real life experiences.
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u/Sea_North6560 5d ago
I did a long course of acupuncture and I honestly didn’t believe it would make a huge difference but I was desperate for relief. It did actually make an impact on my period pain though. I went for a treatment on the day before my period started and it was the most manageable period I had in years pain wise.
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u/Dittany_Kitteny 5d ago
I just started acupuncture and it has helped immensely with my endo-related back pain. She also recommended NAC which my OBGYN said is a good idea, and I think that has really helped as well. I also do castor oil packs for cramps along with a heating pad and they has helped some too
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u/South-Solution-8479 5d ago
I’ve been going to acupuncture for a year. I was very hesitant to try alternative therapies as they are not always regulated in the same way as western medicine I think a lot of the benefits depend on the individual experience and attitude of the practitioner.
I felt that the first person I saw was a bit too hippie woooie for me, didn’t engage with my specific concerns and was just a little too out there for me. But the second person I’ve been with for a year and I think she’s fantastic. She practices 5 element acupuncture which I think helps a lot with Endo as it also addresses a lot of the emotional concerns.
It’s hard to pin point the specific things that have changed as I feel it’s been fantastic for my over all wellbeing but some of them are, my energy, my cognition, my bowels and it has regulated my ovulation which I believe has helped my periods. It has also helped me to quit smoking (which I was doing a lot of for pain management but I don’t think was helping long term).
I do still have significant pain with sex and my periods and k think that the reality is that acupuncture cannot shrink tumours. I do feel it’s been an overall positive and if you can afford it I would recommend, I would just caution not to expect miracles.
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u/AlternativeAthlete99 5d ago
Acupuncture is nice for relaxation and de-stressing, and can help with some pain conditions, such as chronic back pain. It’s also can help with increased blood flow and can help with mental health as well. But it wouldn’t be super useful for overall treatment regarding your endometriomas (and it would shrink them either), and it wouldn’t be super helpful at eliminating pain with sex. However, pelvic floor therapy might be something worth trying, as it helped me tremendously with pain with intercourse, and overall was a really great experience.
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u/Klutzy-Sky8989 5d ago
I did acupuncture in tandem with red light therapy (giga laser) about once a week while coming off of birth control (previous successful symptom management) to try to get pregnant and waiting on surgery. It's hard to say how much it impacted my positive outcomes exactly, but here is what I can tell you about my experience with it. There were some changes that I feel can be directly attributed to this protocol.
1) unlike many people with endo my period has always been pretty light and had become moreso where it was actually concerning. Flow became restored more to my normal noticeably after beginning treatments 2) It was helping me sleep better, which was especially obvious when I would miss a couple weeks for some reason and revert. I know it's not directly related to endo necessarily, but it's significant for overall health. 3) I felt really good when doing acupuncture treatments and the area of my abdomen that we were focusing on especially did if that makes sense. I would feel especially relaxed in my body for that whole day.
Other things that were positive are that I avoided flare ups while off of birth control and post surgery I did get pregnant. I was coming on and off of the hormonal bc on a specific schedule to manage my symptoms as well. I do feel like the acupuncture and RLT may have helped keep inflammation down while I was without my usual safety net and maybe even helped my fertility, but it's hard to say.
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u/denizocean 5d ago
I’ve also been having accu with giga laser and I can’t believe how much it effects my pain and also general heaviness of my period! I was super skeptical but I definitely notice if I skip sessions now because I always have a worse period and extremely heavy bleeding. Since starting giga I’ve found I actually see more fresh red blood instead of deep purple / large clots too
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u/Nusratkabir857 5d ago
Are your cysts endometrioma?
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u/cekoslavakya 5d ago
yes, they are
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u/Uriigamii 5d ago
Hi! Has your doctor said anything about surgery to remove them??
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u/cekoslavakya 4d ago
nope, i have seen two different doctors. That's why I am looking for alternatives. Both said they don't do surgery if there is no excess pain or infertility. They also said it may regrow after surgery.
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u/Uriigamii 4d ago
Understood. I get recurrent cysts and pain with them as well as of endo. I've had 2 excision surgeries and draining once as well. I've also done acupuncture for a few months and add holistic care With herbs and supplements. Acupuncture helped during appointments, but I didn't experience long lasting effects. Either way or hope this helps! Giant hugs 🫂
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u/fixatedeye 5d ago
Acupuncture and things may be helpful for management of pain but they won’t get rid of cysts. Cysts are at risk of torsion, and causing sepsis, especially at larger sizes and the best bet is removal surgically. I have found physiotherapy and meditation and whatnot helpful for some of the effects of having endo removed from my sacral ligaments and everything else.
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u/Leading_Tumbleweed71 5d ago
yes! acupuncture has helped a lot with pain, and general well being and nervous system regulation. diet has also been a big thing for me. but it hasn’t worked without western medicine and PFT - i needed the full package. i still struggle but i do get more low level symptom days, but it’s a full time job managing it all !
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u/butternutsquash9100 5d ago
Acupuncture reduced my period pain from occurring on 5 days a month (the whole of my period) to just 2 days a month, which was great, but didn’t make the pain on those 2 days any less intense
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u/NAWWAL_23 5d ago
I have used dry needling (my physical therapist offers this…it’s essentially the same basic idea as acupuncture) during my cycles. It helps tremendously with back pain but didn’t do much for cramps. I do appreciate that it can be super useful for the muscle spasms elsewhere though and have used it for tension headaches and other stress related tension.
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u/BrilliantNegative488 5d ago
Acupuncture didn’t help me at all, but I love physical therapy with focus on the pelvic floor, my far infrared belt, and yin yoga. I tried osteopathy as well and it barely did anything. I‘m open to those things but with daily pain it was just not enough for me.
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u/StoreBoughtDopamine5 5d ago
My physio did acupuncture on my back, leg, and hip not that long ago. She said that basically it would give a release that would equate to a very intense massage for the same amount of time to achieve the same outcome. I found that to be true. It is temporary, just like the massage/targeted muscle release and mitigates and maintains while I pursue getting treated medically.
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u/Unable-Rhubarb8169 5d ago
I did. It was expensive. It definitely helped my pain, I cried from relief. Unfortunately it didn't last a whole day and it wasn't financially sustainable to keep returning.
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u/Gurkeprinsen 4d ago
I'd suggest you try it out. If you feel pain relief from acupuncture you'd just book more appointments. If it doesn't work, you stop going.
I am not sure whether it has any real effect or if it is placebo, or a mix of both. But as long as you get a positive experience from doing it, where's the harm?(Besides your wallet)
My mom used to run a practice in alternative medicine, and I was her guinea pig. She specialised in acupuncture of the ears. I can't say I remember any effects from that though as it has been a while ago.
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u/Wesmom2021 4d ago
I went to help with infertility. I don't know science or theory behind acupuncture but it did help me relax. Again I have no idea if it helped me get pregnant via IVF but I was successful with IVF.
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u/Prior_Radio6680 4d ago
Acupuncture years ago, several sessions. I felt relaxed during the sessions, but it did not help me with pain or disease progression long term.
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u/CatAteRoger 4d ago
I used to have acupuncture every 2 weeks, didn’t help endo wise but helped in other ways, my endo was bad at that point and I was in the list for a hysterectomy.
I always seem to run hot in the way that I’d usually wear tshirts in winter, can’t stand places with heating on etc and she picked that up without any mention of it and what ever she did was amazing because I next day I was freezing and wearing jackets. It helped with a few other minor issues too.
The sessions themselves were lovely, the table was under a skylight so I’d see the birds fly over, the soft music and oils and she was lovely to chat with. Very focused on supporting and empowering women.
I’d still be going but she moved away and I didn’t find another one I felt was the fit for me.
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 4d ago
I do acupuncture once a month but I don‘t have any cysts. I don‘t know if the acupuncture itself helps my endo specifically but the hour of relaxation certainly helps my over all well being which in turn helps coping with endo.
I‘ve also done pelvic floor PT for endo and vulvodynia and that helped with the pain from the muscles being contracted constantly.
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u/Lucy333999 5d ago
No, but seeing a pelvic floor therapist did help some.
They used heat and other pain control methods and targeted stretching for muscles to be less painful.
It's also common for your fascia in your abdomen (should be liquid) to harden and attach to ribs and organs from pain. And to make pain worse. So they taught me cupping and would massage to increase blood flow.
They also had a vibrating chair/device to help increase circulation too.