Anyone try Alternative Therapies? Acupuncture/Chinese, etc?

I am wondering who out there may have tried various alternative therapies prior to their decision to undergo hysterectomy?

If so, what symptoms did you have, what conditions were being addressed, what therapies did you try, and what were the results?

Much appreciation for feedback!

to try to regulate my periods and make me more fertile. Long story short, I wasted a lot of money. Got frustrated because western medicine didn't have a clue why I suddenly went from heavy bleeding to a scanty period after a d & c for a miscarriage. Ruled out Asherman' Syndrome, ovulation disorders, and did a lot of painful, invasive tests that cost a bundle since our ins wouldn't pay a dime for anything related to infertility.

The acu said I suffered from a heat condition and blocked chi. Duh, fibroid was the blockage and that took surgery. Prescribed a different herb every visit and at $25 to $50 a pop, this was not easy to bear financially. The herbs I did take did get me a slightly heavier flow but not by much. Bad uterine lining, no chance a pregnancy will implant. She also gave me this AWFUL herb tea to gag down when I had a rectal abcess. I will give her credit, it resolved the infection and kept me out of the operating room.

The treatments with acu were relaxing. And I learned how to meditate and work on stress reduction thru alternative medicine. It helps, but it isn't a total fix.

Now, I have researched TCM and I do believe that it will help but it takes a long time for it to work and a lot of investment of the patient's time. I am doing non-Chinese naturopathy based acu and it seems to be working better than the Chinese. But I don't believe that acu is going to help me avoid a hysterectomy. I am finding some pain relief using naturopathic methods like castor oil packs, which increase blood flow to the pelvis. The nutritional improvements I have made with advice of my naturopath/chiro have helped my IBS considerably in a short time frame.

Current diagnosis, western medicine, is adenomyosis, rectocele, urinary incontinence, and surgical adhesions. Only real cure for this is surgery. There isn't any physical therapy to make my pelvis less saggy, Kegals BAH!

I controlled a serious problem with extremely heavy bleeding and one mamajama sized fibroid for 5 years with Essiac tea. www.essiac-info.org
I would not recommend this to anyone who has the option of surgery- I was without health ins for many years and this was the only way I could get through the day. Since my hyst a few months back I feel like a brand new woman.
BUT, for years the only option I had was just to get thru the day and the essiac did that. I am convinced that it also helped diminish the day-to-day effects of severe anemia. I am self-employed so "sick days" were not an option.
Happy PMS cream- a natural progesterone cream made from Mexican Wild Yam helped hugely as well.
I would have loved to be able to afford to try acupuncture.
The tea helped to regulate my bleeding much more than anything Western Medicine had to offer.

Hi Corihere

I didn't try alternative therapies ... guess I would classify the treatments I tried as "traditional." Things like myomectomy for fibroid removal, Anaprox and other anti-inflammatory drugs for endo pain, Aygestin (a progestin) to stop my periods for a short time.

You have a surgery date listed ... are you reconsidering your decision? What is your history of symtoms/problems? Have you tried any alternative therapies, acupuncture, herbs, etc. yourself?

We have another Forum here at Hyster Sisters called "Options and Alternatives" that you might want to check out. Many of the ladies there are searching for alternatives to hysterectomy, including traditional and non-traditional treatment, and sharing their experiences.

Best of luck to you!