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[honeybun]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2974895/First-Chinese-herbal-cure-given-official-approval-UK-Plant-nicknamed-pig-pungent-weed-renowned-treatment-aches-pains.html



Interesting article.


Honeybun
X

[Hattie]

I have worked within complementary medicine as a Shiatsu practitioner for 15 years and received treatment and support for my health for from highly qualified individuals who also embrace conventional medicine and would always suggest using it in conjunction with complementary treatments if necessary.  I hope this information is of benefit to some.

Brightlight

Hope that you don't mind me asking you but from your experience would Shiatsu help chronic vulva nerve pain at all ? I have already tried chinese and western style acupuncture - had needles put in along the vulva edge and perineum to no avail. the acupuncturist thinks i have a trigger point in the muscle at one point but she was unable to shift it.

I have come off pain medication which only masks pain and messes with your head - i now just use Turmeric sprinkled on a meal as an anti- inflammatory.

As i have paid for the Acupuncture sessions - bar 6 on the NHS - i am reluctant to go off down another route that may not work either.

I am putting this on the open forum in case your reply can help someone else but if i have overstepped the mark please say.

Thank you

Hattie X

[Hattie]

Apologises that i have taken this thread slightly off Alternatives to Hrt for a moment !

Hattie X

[Dulciana]

Thanks HB and Hurdity.  I'll see if I can give these a try. 

[BrightLight]

Brightlight

Would Shiatsu help chronic vulva nerve pain at all ? I have already tried chinese and western style acupuncture - had needles put in along the vulva edge and perineum to no avail. the acupuncturist thinks i have a trigger point in the muscle at one point but she was unable to shift it.

I have come off pain medication which only masks pain and messes with your head - i now just use Turmeric sprinkled on a meal as an anti- inflammatory.

As i have paid for the Acupuncture sessions - bar 6 on the NHS - i am reluctant to go off down another route that may not work either.

I am putting this on the open forum in case your reply can help someone else but if i have overstepped the mark please say.

Thank you

Hattie X

Hi Hattie
I don't mind you asking, I have no direct experience of this situation, but some understanding about trigger points. I appreciate the accupuncturist was giving their view, but it makes sense to me that a trigger point in the muscular skeletal system is somehow part of the picture.  Have you been offered any form of physical therapy by your doctors? 

For sure Shiatsu may help, however I would suggest a physical therapy that targets this issue more closely on the physical level. Shiatsu can help with this, it uses stretches and releases blockages in the whole body but would be a gentle more general approach and bearing in mind finances and your efforts so far my suggestion would be to go and talk to the doctor about physical therapies that would be available to you.  If you have done this and need to look independantly, I can suggest finding a myofascial release therapist.  They work specifically with trigger points, so perhaps a physiotherapist that also has training in myofascial release would be a good direction to explore.  Talk to them first to explain the problem and see what they say and decide if they have the experience you need.

Other things that you may have tried and that I think would also help are diaphragmatic breathing, pelvic floor relaxation, self massage, relaxation and limit stress as much as possible.

Does this help with your quest?

[Hattie]

Thanks Brightlight

I have seen a specialist physiotherapist privately who did some internal trigger point release where she found tight pelvic floor muscles - it caused flares around the bad spot though and any release achieved - if any - has not been sustainable. I had to make a decision as to whether to carry on with the physio from a 'helpful' and financial point of view and decided after 6 sessions that it didn't seem to be helping.This physio was £130 per hour so it has to be worth it.

I try all the other things you mention except self massage.

A quest is a good word for it - i have read that these trigger points can solve themselves which is basically what i am hoping for now.

I may look into Shiatsu - i am favouring a more gentle approach now - i've had a nerve bock done as well - maybe all too invasive but you get desperate.

Thank you for your time in replying Brightlight - i still believe my body can get back in balance somehow.

Hattie X

[BrightLight]

Hi Hattie - I also believe you will get this sorted in the end.  I have myofascial trigger points in my shoulder and it has taken a long while to get them to release and sustain.  I was told that our brains actually set up a neuropathway that needs to be 'switched' off, to stop the physical reaction leading to the trigger point.  Myofascial pain release and all the things you have used do this but as you say, it can still persist.

Frustrating situation that I believe really does have multiple aspects to it and you seem to have all of them covered, one of these days hopefully the response will switch off! Shiatsu would definately be a gentle, supportive approach for you, it may be that your body will prefer this, rather than the direct physical treatment?  If the body is in 'protection' mode and guarded, the trigger points won't release.  Perhaps look for a Shiatsu practitioner that has an interest in womens health and on the Shiatsu Society register.  Wishing you well with the quest.

[Hattie]

    BrightLight

I have found a lady listed locally who has dealt with fibromyalgia - i am going to email her as she will understand nerves.

[Hattie]

Honeybun

All you can do is keep bumping this thread - several of us were passionate about the pelvic pain thread being made a sticky but Emma would not consider it. All you want is for information that is gathered/gathering together to be there for others to find easily.

Hattie X

[Sunnydays]

I purchased a wool duvet to help with night sweats. I'd never heard of a duvet with this filling and was a little sceptical. It won't stop the sweats but it takes the excess moisture from the body and 'so aids restful sleep!" I found it to be very helpful.

Brightlight - what did you find helped to support the adrenals?

[BrightLight]

Brightlight - what did you find helped to support the adrenals?

Hi Sunnydays - I have a really worn out system, so I need to do a few things, but now they are just part of my day.

Making sure I have enough B vitamins, Vitamin D, High Strength Vitamin C with zine and magnesium. I don't eat huge meals and try to eat something every few hours, to give me 'fuel' at a constant rate and keep metabolism going.  Breakfast is something I have always struggled with, in the winter I force myself to eat porridge and now smoothies, this starts the metabolism early so you are not relying on adrenals or coffee   Licorice root is also good and I have licorice tea.

I also reduce stress as much as possible and practise relaxation/yoga every day for maybe 10/15 minutes.  Excercise, but not strenuous and I have accupuncture every 4 weeks.  The other thing is a good sleep routine which at the moment I struggle with - getting to bed before 11pm is ideal and getting a good 8 hours sleep.  There are many good herbs to help with adrenals and a good herbalist can provide suggestions.  Valerian and Vervain are ones I have used in the past and you can get these in teas, which would give a gentle support to the system

Above all, I think moderation in all things is what helps, no wild fluctuations in stress or blood sugar levels, gives the adrenals time to recover if they are tired.

[Hurdity]

Bump for Briony and anyone else who is interested. The RCOG links about alternatives to HRT are about halfway through - one of them I also posted on the thread Briony started and the other will be in there somewhere

Hurdity x

[Linsey44]

This is the first time i have looked in detail at the alternatives section and just wanted to add that in my late 30's  when peri symptoms started without me realising it at the time I started to look at supplements to try and help.  If its any help to anyone this is my experience.

I am a member of another site where I purchase lots of health and beauty items and had online access to a qualified pharmacist that specialises in alternative products / medicine.  They have a good reputation and often write health articles for well known newspapers etc so I had confidence in the responses i got from them.

I started with agnus castus moved onto black cossh - initially both these helped up to a point.

I then tried sage complex by food science and found this quite good.  I would have been happy to stay on it but with a history of gynae and breast cancer in the family I was advised to stop sage complex.  This was the right call for me as I later found out I have BRCA2 gene mutation.

I would like to point out that anyone with a history of these cancers / genetic mutation should be very careful about supplements.  There is a website foodforbreastcancer.com which was highlighted to me by the pharmacist mentioned above.  There is a section on studies on various supplements that someone may find helpful.  Its not my intention to scaremonger but to create awareness of this.

Unfortunately I also had adenomyosis and decided to have hysterectomy to alleviate this, so in some respects this made peri easier as i had no bleeding to contend with. 

Within a few months of hyster my ovaries started to fail and I decided to have them removed due to my BRCA risk.  Im currently on hrt until average meno age then have to go cold turkey.

Over the years ive taken or in some cases still am taking  Vit E, buckthorn, hyaluronic acid, sage complex, curcumin, astaxanthin, mega probiotc.

In addition i have tried accupuncture which was helpful, reflexology when i was having gynae issues that was good she recognised correctly  which ovary was causing me probs.  i plan on trying reikki in the next few weeks and bought a yoga dvd to do at home.

What I have found minimises my meno symptoms to a degree is exercise cutting down caffeine and what is very clear to me is when i dont drink wine at night i sleep so much better.  Im gutted about that one!!!

In summary i am very open to trying new health things and good luck to all of you, i hope you find something to suit you.

Linsey x

[Hurdity]

Hi Linsey - I've only just caught up with this post.

Thanks for telling us all of this - it's very helpful and especially the warnings about phyto-oestrogens and breast cancer. I have the greatest sympathy for women who are unable to take HRT due to breast cancer or at risk of it, which is why it is so important that proper research is carried out into the effectiveness and safety of any and all alternatives to HRT - be they herbal, pharmaceutical, relaxation therapies, meditation techniques, diet and exercise. The new NICE Guidelines acknoweldge this research need (P26 research recommendations):

1 Women with breast cancer

What is the safety and effectiveness of alternatives to systemic HRT as treatments for menopausal symptoms in women who have had treatment for breast cancer?

Why this is important
Women with a history of breast cancer are rarely offered hormonal treatment for menopausal symptoms but the available alternatives are less effective. There is limited evidence from randomised controlled trials on the safety and effectiveness of options such as non-hormonal treatments, ospemifene, conjugated equine estrogen/bazedoxifene (CEE/BZA) or local vaginal oestrogen for menopausal symptoms in women who have had treatment for breast cancer. There is insufficient evidence on the efficacy and safety of non-pharmaceutical treatments in women with breast cancer and other hormone-sensitive conditions. Randomised controlled trials or large cohort studies are needed to understand the effects of these treatments in women with breast cancer , and to investigate if there is a difference in breast cancer recurrence, mortality and tumour aggression with different types of treatment.


I am interested that even with the BRAC2 gene you are able to take HRT but I presume that is your choice understanding the possible risks?

Hurdity x

[Linsey44]

Hi Hurdity

According to NICE guidelines for HRT for those with familial breast cancer history and those with genetic mutation, as long as ovaries are removed then low dose HRT is an option till average meno age 51/52 to protect heart and bones.

I was told this by gynae consult / breast surgeon / gp and also read quite a bit on studies re this.

Initally i was on tibolone aftervovaries out but just not enough considering my body cant  produce anything.  The breast surgeon at an appointment seen the severity of symptoms and offered to prescribe  venflaflexine and told me that she would send me to nhs homeopathic dr at nhs palliative care hospital who would work with me if necessary to make a personal remedy for my flushes and symptoms.

As it was changing to oestrogel has been better so i didnt need to.  I prob take 1 & 1/2 pumps of oestrogel daily. No more than that.  I manage reasonably well on that.  My probs will be when i come off it. Watch this space.

Linsey x