One of the main reasons I went raw was to heal my painful menstruation due to fibroids. Ive been raw since the end of January and it seems to be getting worse. This month it was very heavy on day 2 as usual, less heavy on day 3 (today) but unbelievably painful this morning. Yet, I can tell that my fibroids have gotten considerably smaller, so I dont understand why my menstruation has not been impacted in any way!
I as close to 100% raw as I can, fruit in the morning and before dinner; veggies and nut-based recipes for lunch and dinner. I was having maca in order to HELP, but I decided to cut it out this month to see what would happen.
I want from 135 lb in January to 114 right now. My scale says Im 18% body fat, which seems about right to me. Back in January I was 28% body fat.
I know that fat affects estrogen production, but Ive lost so much fat and weight already that Im afraid to lose more. I think if I cut out fat altogether, it will cause more complications, maybe loss of ovulation.
I want to reduce my menstruation on the 1-2 heavy days but Im not sure how to do that. Ive though about herbal tinctures but they are not raw and contain alcohol. Even dried herbal remedies are not raw. So that would be defeating the purpose in my mind.
I need advice on how to modify my diet (maybe cutting out condiments and nuts?) and maintain my exercise program (calisthenics) so that I become more ‘clean’ yet maintain my current weight.
Any thoughts?
Comments
That’s really strange. Usually a low body fat means lighter periods. One thing that reduced my period by a third was switching to cloth pads instead of store bought plastic ones. I don’t know why it happens but many people report this.
Also you should for sure go to a doctor about your period & see what they think.
Brownie, thanks. I was using cloth pads with organic tampons for @ 5 months with no impact either. I’m aware of all the ‘usual suspects’. Ive done SOOOO much research over the years and I thought going raw would be the thing that gave me normal periods.
I just came back from the market and bought mostly fruit, greens, tomatoes, zukes and some parsley and cilantro that I can use in place of the dried condiments.
This morning Im down to 112, so my weight is still going down. BTW im 5’5”.
I usually get a full physical with bloodwork and GYN examination every year with nothing wrong except the fibroids.(of course Im anemic due to the extra blood loss on day 2) I haven’t been yet this year though. Honestly, I dont really see the point, they’ll just try to put me on birth control.
However I am going to look for a midwife who may be able to give me some insight into this.
Also Im going to go ‘fresh raw’ this month and see what happens. And of course keep up the exercise.
If anything spectacular happens, I’ll let you know!
Anyone else have any other opinions or suggestions?
Thanks to all!
Angie & Ambiguous, i”ll try the herbs this month and monitor effects. You’re right, hopefully the non-raw impact will be minimal to none.
Re: Cacao, if I ever decide to try it I’ll definitely go the Sunfood route.
Re: Sweet tooth, I actually had a slice of Deep Forest Cake (Ani Phyo) on the evening of Day 2, so that may be why Day 3 morning was so hellishly painful! :)
Amydala, I have contemplated taking Vitalzum MANY times, but the cost stopped me. Also after reading so much about the high level of enzymes in raw foods, especially sprouts, I didnt think it was necessary to go the synthetic route. If cutting out salt, fat and dried spices doesnt help, I’ll try Vitalzym. (though I dont want to have to take it forever) Thanks for reminding me about it! :) You’ve had fantastic results, and that gives me so much hope!
Hi Paxton, not a silly question, but I gave up coffee a couple years ago when I went vegetarian. You’re right caffeine and sugar do a number on us. I’m cutting out the raw desserts this month and hopefully it will have an impact!
I’ll update this post next month. Thanks again everyone!
I found for me no salty food or tomato based foods help me tremendously. I don’t know what it is about tomatoes but they give me cramps every time. I start off the day with coconut water blended with raw cacao, maca, almond butter, tahini, and maybe a banana. Does me wonders!
Wow Sejuwan, tomatoes? I can only think that it’s the sodium content that would cause cramps. Not sure, but I’ll keep it in mind, thanks!
I have been reading Alissa Cohen’s “Living on Live Food”, and just today I was reading therein about a woman who was thin when she started going raw, and got even thinner and was worried about losing so much weight…Alissa writes: “This phenomenon is known as ‘losing your false body’. Your ‘false body’ consists of excess fat and toxins that inhibit the proper, healthy functioning of your ‘true body’. Once your body is free of its excess fat and toxins, you will regain some healthy pounds, as your body achieves a stable equilibrium.”
About the woman’s particular case, Alissa says: “I tried to explain to her that even though she was thin, she still needed to purge the elements in her system that were causing her sickness. Still the loss of weight alarmed her enough to keep her off the diet- and keep her eczema and other ailments.
“Eventually, she decided she simply did not want to live in pain anymore. She took the plunge and went 100% raw. She did lose more weight and in fact got very thin, but she stuck with it. After eight weeks her eczema was gone, along with her migraines. She remained at a low weight for about a year but then began to put on some healthy weight and soon developed a well-stabilized body. Today, she looks beautiful, has never felt better in her life, and no longer struggles with weight issues.”
Marichiesa is giving you much better first-hand info than I could ever provide, but I wanted to speak to the excess weight loss aspect. Hope it helps. I wish you the best in your healing!
Thanks Marichiesa, I was always allergic to eggplant as a kid,(it burned my lips) and never have it because of that. I do however eat alot of tomatoes. I eat a small amount of red peppers and rarely green peppers. Ive only had potatoes once or twice since going raw, or TRIED to I should say. :)
I took Vitex in capsule form years ago when I was first diagnosed. I remember thinking it helped a bit. But of course on a terrible SAD diet the Vitex probably didnt have a chance to do much for me. I am thinking about taking it again, what form do you take it in?
Thanks so much!
Jennifer, I recently read Alissa’s book and I remember what you quoted. Yes, I suppose I am losing my ‘false body’ in order to regain my ‘true body’. Okay, this has got to be a new mantra for me along this journey. That definitely helps in dealing with the weight loss.
Though I dont know what to do about new clothes! Im already wearing a size 0!!! I know that certain labels are actually smaller than others, anyone know what they are? We need to start a thread that lists clothing brands that carry extra small sizes, because this is getting difficult to keep up with!
Thanks blueeyes. Im really sorry to hear all that you had to go through, how terrible to have spent to many years of your young life like this.
Ive never been thin, always average size, always healthy looking. I am ‘slim’ looking now that Im on raw and still look very healthy. I feel great for most of the month, but for 2-3 days a month I feel like crap. I agree, going through what I am right now, that body fat has nothing to do with it. But I am still leaning towards cutting out estrogenic foods like cashews. Just to see what happens, you know? I just need to do this trial and error to figure out what is going on with my body. That said, I do think I need to be patient, after all it’s been 7 months, not two years on raw.
Im hoping that whatever the underlying problem is, besides the fibroids, the Raw diet will continue to heal it.
Today I ordered some Vitalzym and bought some herbal tinctures. Im going to cut back on overt fats and nuts which are estrogen-producing, salt and dried condiments. I’ll let you all know what happens in 3 weeks. Thanks for all your help and support!! :)
Thanks Marichiesa, I got an organic Vitex tincture yesterday, which I’ll take daily to balance everything out (hormonally).
I also got a Reishi (medicinal mushroom) Extract tincture which I’ve read is great for destroying tumors of all kinds. I’ll also start taking the Vitalzym for this purpose.
The other tinctures I’ll use during PMS (which Im glad to say has improved immensely since going raw. No more breast tenderness at all!) and my actual period. Those tinctures are Shepherd’s Purse, Lady’s Mantle, Yarrow and Partridgeberry which my research says will reduce menstrual flow.
Angie, so the idea is that they phytoestrogens actually weaken the effect natural estrogen has on the body?
I keep hearing the cashews are estrogenic, do you think this theory would apply?
reishi is fabulous!
kedamono, what’s your experience with Reishi? And did you take the liquid extract or the mushroom itself?
thanks! :)
Hmmm, I buy my Cashews from Raw Food World and they state:
‘Our Cashews are organically cultivated in Sri Lanka selecting only the finest. These cashews are truly raw – the nuts are hand peeled avoiding high processing temperatures. To obtain maximum nutritional value, Cashews are best eaten raw.’
I only use them in recipes like Rich Chedddar Sauce of which I use about a tablespoon per meal, and not even everyday. I never eat them by themselves.
But what Im planning on doing is eliminiting everything that could be exacerbating the problem and then re-introducing each one to see which is the culprit.
Hmmm, I buy my Cashews from Raw Food World and they state:
‘Our Cashews are organically cultivated in Sri Lanka selecting only the finest. These cashews are truly raw – the nuts are hand peeled avoiding high processing temperatures. To obtain maximum nutritional value, Cashews are best eaten raw.’
I only use them in recipes like Rich Chedddar Sauce of which I use about a tablespoon per meal, and not even everyday. I never eat them by themselves.
But what Im planning on doing is eliminiting everything that could be exacerbating the problem and then re-introducing each one to see which is the culprit.
ceasarea – i didnt take it myself, i work in a health/supplements store and i regularly sell it to people. many of them are cancer patients who have told me how much of a difference it made for them. it’s pretty incredible to see these people who were basically dying and then they come back and they look noticeably better. i guess legally we can’t say it’s for treating cancer, but that’s like.. the number one thing i have people come get it. it’s just an all around awesome mushroom for the immune system. i’ve only seen it in pills and liquid extract, but that’s just because we dont carry bulk herbs/plants at my work :)
Wow kedamono, how great to hear first hand accounts of healing from cancer patients! Very inspirational!
Angie, for me I wonder if too much fat (raw or not) makes my hormones wacky, ie, over-production of estrogen.
So I started taking the Vitalzym a few days ago along with the Reishi and Vitex tinctures.
Any advice about dosage and how long it’ll take to see effects?
Ive been monitoring and noting how I feel @ my period, so next month I hope to see a difference. Positive thinking has a huge impact on our health, so why not? :) But Im prepared to give it a good 6 months.
Amygdala, Im just taking 3 a day. I noticed the same thing though, wonderful digestion and elimination :) lol.
The recommended dosage is 3 capsules, 1-3 times a day. I want to see if I can have good results with the minimum dosage and then take more if I dont see results. After all I am cutting out most salt, oil (especially cashews) and sugar. Along with the reishi, vitex and other herbs Im hoping I can get away with the 3 a day dosage.
I’ll let you know how it goes, thanks! :)
dreasraw, sorry to hear about the diagnosis. I’ll let you know in a couple weeks what impact Vitalzym, other herbs and dietary modification has had.
Do you have symptoms or not? Why did you go raw?
i have found that organic ground flaxseed has helped eliminate my severe cramping/pains associated with my period!! i take 2 Tablespoons almost daily. i have also lost 30 pounds , so i think that has helped too.. am now 135 pounds, 5’7. i am slowly just now transitioning into raw (currently mostly vegan).
actually.. now it’s a different problem for me. in the last 2 months, my period was late 10 days before i got it.. and now it’s late 1 month! (not preggo). i’m hoping it’ll normalize soon…
Hi Carmenita, I used ground flax and progesterone cream in the past with little if any impact on the actual flow. However, I believe that the Vitex tincture Im taking now is having a huge impact on a very slight yeast condition Ive had for the last few months. I think it was hormonally related, so this is good news.
Dreasraw, sorry to hear about your fibroid. I know that after being raw for about 3 months I could feel that the general size/swelling of my uterus has decreased considerably. Hopefully you will see the same changes just from being raw! I’ll let you know what impact Vitalzym has on my period in a couple weeks.
itourist, I started out with green smoothies every day. Currently I eat copious amounts of kale (kale chips) and romaine on a daily basis. I havent had green smoothies for a while though. I will try to incorporate green juices on a daily basis. I have a Breville Juicer, will that do the job? Or should I just go back to green smoothies?
figsandolives, ground flax had no impact on my cycle. Ive lost @ 25 lbs and about 10% of my body fat. I am 5’5” 114lbs. I realize that the fibroids kind of have a life of their own. I am considerably healthier than I was but the condition still exists. My cycle has been and still is extremely regular, no problems there.
Ive also tried (and still do when I remember) visualization techniques focusing on fibroid degeneration.
I hope I find a solution soon and I will be telling EVERYONE I know, lol..
Thanks you guys!
itourist, I didn’t respond to everything you mentioned. I hear you about the nuts, do you think there’s a direct correlation between mold and the female reproductive system?
Also, as soon as I went raw I also noticed that I no longer have PMS breast tenderness and much less overall discomfort. It’s really only day 2 that is unbearable for me in terms of heavy flow and painful cramps.
Amygdala, Kale chips are kale de-stemmed and broken into bite sizes.Then you drizzle oil and maybe vinegar and add a dash of salt.Massage the kale for a minute or so, then spread on a dehydrator tray. After several hours or overnight the kale becomes crispy and very tasty. Reminds me of light potato chips or veggie booty. Incredibly satisfying and you eat so much at one sitting you get all those fantastic nutrients. Ive been eating copious amount these days. I think it’s affecting my iron levels in a good way because I feel more energetic and quite ecstatic lately. There is a recipe for kale chips on this site, do a search!
itourist, thanks! My day two is pretty bad, having to change every 1-2 hours for about 8 hours. That’s so annoying at work. I dont think it should be that bad, it’s like everything wants to come out during that 8 hour span because day 3 is about every 4 hours which seems normal to me. Hopefully this month (next week) will be a positive change for me! Im praying!
So, here’s my update, so far. I think it’s good news! Im on day 2 and so far the pattern remains the same but somehow everything seems WAYYY less intense than months prior. Meaning, the pain is moderate instead of excruciating and the flow,while heavier than day 1 of course, is not debilitating. I still had to change about every hour or so this morning but I think that has more to do with crappy tampons than anything else. (Yes Ive tried the divacup and another one but they were extremely painful, maybe hitting my cervix, and leaked;and the flow is too heavy for cloth pads)
Anyway, so each time changed I felt the difference, like I said, just way less intense overall.
I recently bought a juicing book and last night made one of the juices prescribed for menstrual problems, ‘Magnesium Drink’. This is 4 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, a small handful of parsley and 1 clove of garlic. Very sweet/savory and not too unpleasant to get down. I’ll make another one tonight and for the next couple days. Not sure how if at all, this will help, but it should because Magnesium is important to health menstruation.
Just a reminder, since my last period Ive been taking 3 Vitalzym capsules a day, tinctures of Vitex and Reishi extract. For the last few days and right now (every few hours) Im taking a liquid tincture made up of Lady’s Mantle, Shepherd’s Purse, Yarrow and Partridgeberry. That is supposed to help flow and pain, I’d say it’s made an impact. Next month I’ll try to remember to start taking it a week before my period, see if that makes even more difference.
Oh yeah, last night and this morning I also took my iron supplement Floravital. But I think having all those bunches of Kale for the last couple weeks had a huge impact on my iron levels. And it has mucho calcium.
I pray next month is even better!!
Thanks everyone for all your help. And if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask! Im happy to share!
Thanks Amydala! Im so tempted to order more Vitalzym so I can up the dosage! My cycle has gone from 28 days all my life (I’m 35) to 26 days recently. I’d like to see if I can get back to 28 days.
I noticed the impact of the Vitex right away, so that has definitely helped stabilize my hormones, which should help with cramps and bleeding. The mixture Ive had for the last few days is probably working, I noticed fewer clots and a more ‘normal’ texture.
Ive always been afraid to double up myself, though tempted. I shouldn’t even be using tampons but I don’t have a choice right now. Not until my period lightens up considerably. (if it ever does)
Usually at the end of day 2 I feel like a stabbing victim, lol. Im usually extremely drained and uncomfortable, with pains running all through my lower half.
Anyway, off to make my magnesium juice! :) I’ll let you know how tommorrow is also.
Amygdala, day 3 was noticably better as well. So Ive decided to start the 9/day Vitalzym regimen. I will do that until my next period and then go back to 3/day for maintenance. Im not sure how long I would do the maintenance, maybe 3-6 months.
How long did you do maintenance? And I don’t remember if you mentioned how raw you are. Do you think being raw has helped you with the fibroids?
Hi Amygdala, as they say, ‘have a happy period’ lol. (I hate those commercials) Seriously, sorry to hear you’re having pain already. Maybe you can get some herbal tinctures to use before and during.
I don’t notice a difference on 9 versus 3 Vitalzym. Actually it’s funny, yesterday I had the worse gas pains I’ve had in a long time, lol. But it could be a result of bad combining (I think I ate some fruit too close to another meal. I always eat fruit alone)
My nails are fantastic though, and my skin looks pretty darn good for the first time on raw. It has a brightness and clarity I havent seen in years.
Also I can feel that the size of my uterus has gone down even more…yay! And this morning I weighed in at 111 lb…yikes! That’s weird too because in an effort not to lose more weight Ive UPPED my calories and good fats.
Im REALLY excited to have my next period. I anticipate an even better experience.
Thanks Amygdala!