Endometriosis — There’s Hope Series: Reduce Your Inflammation
There's hope to alleviate your pain and calm your symptoms. In the third installment of this series, you'll learn practical and accessible ways to advance your healing journey.
If this is the first article you’re reading in the Endometriosis: There’s Hope Series — or you need a refresher on the purpose of these articles — here is the series introduction.
(If you’re already familiar with the intro, you can scroll down to “Inflammation Feeds Endometriosis” and begin there.)
Endometriosis: There’s Hope Series Introduction
One of the best quotes I’ve heard when it comes to healing is —
“You can’t heal within the same environment in which you got sick.”
When I first came across this quote, I knew it was referring to our external environment (the people, places, and things around us). I took it a step further in my mind, realizing the same is true for the environment within our bodies.
When your body is sick, it’s an indisputable sign that what you’re currently doing isn’t working. You can’t do the same things over and over and expect to get better.
If you want to get well and achieve long-term wellness — and not just a band-aid quick fix — you need to proactively make different choices for your health.
At first, I didn’t do that.
After my initial endometriosis diagnosis in 2019, I had surgery to remove the 10-cm cyst wrapped around my uterus. Following the procedure, I asked my doctor if I should be concerned about the endometriosis coming back. He seemed unconcerned, so I was unconcerned.
Just two weeks after surgery, I went back to my fast-paced, stress-filled, sleep-deprived life. My only focus at the time was to “get back in the game” at full speed.
I leaned all the way back into Navy life and prepared for deployment. I didn’t have a movement practice in place, a healthy sleep schedule, or a focus on hydrating properly. I ate well, but not nutritionally focused.
I also didn’t have any stress management practices in place. I pushed myself hard — too hard — because I felt behind. I believed I had to overwork to catch up since I hadn’t been contributing at work due to my illness, surgery, and recovery.
I often think I would have been easier on myself if I’d broken my leg or if my appendix had burst. Why? Because both men and women can experience that, and there’s no perception of a possible weakness assigned to it. I felt like there were things I now needed to prove because my illness was specific to being a woman.
The result? My body protested over the next five months, but I ignored it. I kept pushing — that is, until I found myself in the emergency room with a doctor telling me I needed emergency surgery.
So began a very challenging journey to slow down, to listen to my body, and to educate myself on making informed decisions for my health.
The first thing I had to do was learn to be still, slow down, and not feel guilty about being “lazy.” My worth was so deeply tied to my productivity that in an effort to feel as worthy as I could in life, I ignored my body’s signals that it was unwell. Slowing down, learning to listen, honoring what my body needed, and seeing those things as a sign of self-love and care — not laziness — laid the foundation for my healing.
I fumbled at first, but soon, each choice I made became more intentional and better suited to my long-term health and healing journey. I’m so profoundly grateful and blessed to share that it was all worth it, and if I could talk to my past self, I’d say, “There’s hope.”
Treating endometriosis only as a gynecological disease limits how you approach your care.
I’ve seen, for both myself and for other women, that endometriosis treatments usually fall into the categories of birth control, surgery, or hormone therapy … and not much else.
But the front matter in the book, The 4-Week Endometriosis Diet Plan, by Katie Edmonds, transformed my mindset.
When you look at the disease as not just a hormonal imbalance but also a gut issue, an autoimmune/inflammatory issue, and a malnutrition disease, other natural and practical options for care start to make sense.
In previous articles in this Endometriosis Series, you learned about endometriosis and its ties to hormonal imbalances and gut health.
In this article, you’ll learn how to approach endometriosis through the lens of inflammation.
Inflammation Feeds Endometriosis
Endometrial lesions feed and grow on inflammation in the body — in other words, if you have inflammation in other areas of your body, that inflammation can worsen your endo symptoms.
What Is inflammation?
There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation occurs when you have a sudden injury or illness, like a sprained ankle or strep throat. In these instances, your body’s immune system responds to the site to begin the healing process.
What this can look like:
Discolored or flushed skin
Pain or tenderness that should be mild and only in the area of the injury
Swelling (for example, knee inflammation)
Skin that feels hot to the touch
Inability to use that part of your body as you normally would (for example, reduced range of motion)
Chronic Inflammation — what you want to pay attention to with endo — is when your body’s immune system is continuously overactive and responding with no active trigger present, or is overworked trying to protect you from what is unknowingly in your body.
What this can look like:
Joint pain or stiffness
Depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders
Gastrointestinal (GI) issues, like diarrhea, constipation, or acid reflux
Weight gain or weight loss
Frequent infections
Are you nodding your head and saying, “yep” to several symptoms on this list? I did, too. I still use this list as my guidepost to see when my body may be sending warning signs that something’s not right.
What Can Cause Inflammation?
Unfortunately, there isn’t just one thing that can cause inflammation. If you’re experiencing symptoms, they may be originating from:
A compromised gut lining (aka “leaky gut”) (Listen: There's Hope Series—Endometriosis and Gut Health)
Environmental toxins (Read: Your Perfume Choices Impact Your Hormones & Your Fertility: Here's What You Can Do)
Chronic stress (Read: 6 Health Practices That Lowered My Stress to Support Balanced Hormones)
Regular alcohol consumption
Continual poor sleep (Read: On Sleep)
Little to no movement and exercise
Foods like seed oils, gluten, dairy (for some), personal allergens, or processed food (Read: Food & Endometriosis )
This isn’t an all-inclusive list; however, it's a great place to start exploring these areas of your life to see what may be contributing to inflammation in your body.
3 Ways I Notice My Inflammation
Skin Irritation: Our skin is often a reflection of what is going on internally. I’ve had pretty clear skin my whole life (thank you, mom!), so when I see breakouts and painful rash-like irritation on my face, I know it’s inflammation.
Puffiness: When I notice a change in puffiness on my face and around my collarbones from one day to the next, rather than gradually, I know I’m experiencing an inflammatory response within my body.
Bloated Belly: Bloat — especially bloating that seems to come out of nowhere —is a telltale sign of active and chronic inflammation. This is a very common symptom with endo.
3 Ways I Reduce My Inflammation
A Strict Gut Healing Protocol: I usually incorporate some aspect of my gut health protocol into my daily routine, but I don’t consistently follow the full regimen unless I notice signs of inflammation. That’s when I bring out the full toolkit: bone broth, aloe vera juice, ginger and turmeric shots, and a strict elimination of dairy, gluten, and alcohol. I stick with this routine until I start to see the improvement I'm looking for.
Movement and Massage: The lymphatic system plays a vital role in supporting the immune system, and when inflammation is present, it puts stress on both. If lymph becomes stagnant and isn’t flowing freely through the body, it creates a compounded problem. Fortunately, movement and massage are natural — and highly effective — ways to stimulate lymphatic flow and support a balanced, healthy immune response.
Epsom Salt Baths and a Castor Oil Pack: My body responds almost magically to a 20–40 minute warm-to-hot Epsom salt bath (just one ingredient: magnesium sulfate) about an hour before bed. Afterward, I apply organic castor oil to my abdomen, cover it with a wool flannel cloth, and place a heating pad on top. I swear by this combination. This cozy bedtime ritual — especially the heated castor oil pack — helps me drift into the deepest, most restorative sleep. It's a powerful and soothing way to calm inflammation and support overall relaxation.
What’s Next for You?
Identify whether you have signs of chronic inflammation.
Explore potential underlying causes of that inflammation that may be contributing to your symptoms.
Read through the resources we’ve shared with you — they’re packed with valuable information to help you begin addressing the root causes of inflammation and supporting your overall well-being.
Reach out if you have questions, are seeking additional resources, or looking for personalized holistic care.
Remember: Healing doesn’t happen overnight. Just as it takes time for unwellness to develop in the body, it takes time to heal. You and your body are partners. So give yourself some grace — your body needs the right support from you (patience, commitment, and consistency) to find its balance again.
You’ve got this!
Endometriosis: There’s Hope Series
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In the meantime, and until next time—
