INVISIBLE ILLNESS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT FEMALES

One of the reasons we opened Femade is because of the realization that so many of these invisible illnesses - ones that provide suffering in ways that are not outwardly apparent to others - disproportionately affect females. For instance, we can take a look at immune disorders. Immune disorders are simply that - disorders that affect the immune system. Auto-immunity is when your own body believes that your own immune system is foreign, and the body does what it needs to attack and dispose of threats. So while the body is doing what it is meant to do: protect you, it is in fact attacking your own self. Many immune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and Type 1 Diabetes disproportionately affect women. Much research has shown that hormones play a large role in why the numbers are higher in women and those assigned female at birth, with the onset being triggered at menstruating age. 

When the body attacks itself, we often find that there are several problems occurring in the body at once. In fact there is a term called ‘autoimmune phenotype’ which suggests that once you have presented with a single autoimmune disorder it is likely you may present with others during your health journey. While diseases such as endometriosis and adenomyosis have not been officially classified as an immune disorder we know that it is affected by the immune system so we are adding it here as well.

Now not all of the issues below are auto-immune in nature. For instance, we know that endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibromyalgia are not, by mechanisms of action, classified as an auto-immune disease. But they do disproportionately affect women, are invisible, and very very debilitating. There is a lot of information below, so settle in while we get into it.

Each of the topics below include a link to our full research project with tons of handy information.

Immune Support

Addressing autoimmune disorders involves treating the symptoms, supporting the immune system, and reducing inflammation in the body. If there is a need, we also focus on helping the body release stored trauma without reliving traumatic events. Acupuncture is a useful addition both for those taking immunosuppressants and those using natural methods to treat their condition.

The key is to look at lifestyle cues that tell us what areas we need to focus on. There may be hormonal imbalances, stress imbalances, sex or sleep imbalances. There may be a neurological component. We then need to figure out, together, where you are comfortable shifting your medical journey from a pharmaceutical based to a natural based method.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an illness that can cause debilitating pain and unusually heavy bleeding. Some individuals find that they are in pain from their belly-button downward, causing pain during their cycle, during bowel movements, sometimes during urination, and during intercourse. While endometriosis is often in the pelvic area, it can grow on other organs such as the appendix, lungs and diaphragm. Extra-pelvic endometriosis is not rare!

Acupuncture for endometriosis helps reduce inflammation in a specific area of the body and in the whole body overall. It also encourages the body to produce pain-relieving chemicals like endorphins and serotonin. As many patients also suffer from bowel issues associated with their cycle, acupuncture can calm the nerves so the bowels can take a break. The use of acupuncture not only assists with the pain, but it aims at balancing out the blood flow during your menstrual cycle and can help with stress, sleep and overall quality of life.

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy for endometriosis is designed to train the pelvic floor muscles how to contract and relax, while also taking into consideration any issues with bladder, bowel and/or sexual function that may be affecting quality of life. There is a close connection between the pelvic floor, low back, and hips - understanding how your pelvic muscles are operating may be the key to unpacking the origin of some of your pain. Internal assessment and treatment assist in targeting specific muscles inside the pelvis, however non-internal therapy can also be provided based on patient preference.

Massage therapy for endometriosis can help by providing professional guidance and a safe space where we can reconnect with our bodies after periods of disassociation. Therapeutic touch has also been known to reduce feelings of anxiety and improve symptoms of depression, giving a greater sense of being. A massage therapy treatment aimed specifically at stress reduction and relaxation can help our nervous system shift from sympathetic state (fight or flight) to parasympathetic state (rest and digest) and help us feel a little bit better prepared to face the challenges of every day life.

A big part of endometriosis is what we call ‘endobelly’. It is the distention of the belly when the body has been triggered, and much of this has to do with foods and environmental triggers. Using Naturopathic Medicine the goal is to identify what triggers your symptoms and how that can be altered with a few lifestyle goals. In Naturopathic Medicine the key to treating menstrual disorders is not to treat the hormones themselves. Rather they are a clue to an underlying inflammatory or pain condition such as endometriosis. Through charting of your cycle - which is often helpful - we can obtain blood work during ovulation to truly assess your hormone levels. From there the approach of an endometriosis naturopath is individualized, and may include bio identical hormones that may be received well by your body.

Adenomyosis

Adenomyosis occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus breaks through the muscle wall of the uterus. Those who suspect adenomyosis often experience painful periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal bloating and pressure, pain that radiates to the lower back and down the legs. Often adenomyosis and endometriosis are explored together, with pain management exploration and hormonal therapies to regulate the occurrence of bleeding.

Acupuncture helps reduce inflammation in a specific area of the body and in the whole body overall. It also encourages the body to produce pain relieving chemicals like endorphins and serotonin. As many patients also suffer from bowel issues associated with their cycle, acupuncture can calm the nerves so the bowels can take a break. The use of acupuncture not only assists with the pain, but it aims at balancing out the blood flow during your menstrual cycle and can help with stress, sleep and overall quality of life.

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy is designed to train the pelvic floor muscles how to contract and relax, while also taking into consideration any issues with bladder, bowel and/or sexual function that may be affecting quality of life. There is a close connection between the pelvic floor, low back, and hips - understanding how your pelvic muscles are operating may be the key to unpacking the origin of some of your pain. Internal assessment and treatment assist in targeting specific muscles inside the pelvis, however non-internal therapy can also be provided based on patient preference.

Massage therapy can help by providing professional guidance and a safe space where we can reconnect with our bodies after periods of disassociation. Therapeutic touch has also been known to reduce feelings of anxiety and improve symptoms of depression, giving a greater sense of being. A massage therapy treatment aimed specifically at stress reduction and relaxation can help our nervous system shift from sympathetic state (fight or flight) to parasympathetic state (rest and digest) and help us feel a little bit better prepared to face the challenges of every day life.

Using Naturopathic Medicine the goal is to identify what triggers your symptoms and how that can be altered with a few lifestyle goals. In Naturopathic Medicine the key to treating menstrual disorders is not to treat the hormones themselves. Rather they are a clue to an underlying inflammatory or pain condition such as endometriosis, or adenomyosis. Through charting of your cycle - which is often helpful - we can obtain blood work during ovulation to truly assess your hormone levels. From there the approach is individualized, and may include bio identical hormones that may be received well by your body.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is defined as a chronic musculoskeletal condition of unknown etiology and is characterized by widespread pain and an increased pain sensation. Symptomology of fibromyalgia falls under three criteria: aspects of physical (musculoskeletal), pain regulation (neuroendocrine), psychological wellness and mood disorders. Patients with fibromyalgia also tend to have functional and emotional imbalances such as persistent fatigue, sleep disturbances, a burning or prickling sensation, cognitive disorders, and mood disturbances.

With acupuncture the goal is to understand which symptoms are most burdensome and treat those in the primary rounds of acupuncture. Peeling back the layers of the onion, continued acupuncture then allows us to explore and treat secondary symptoms as we begin to clear out the primary ones. As always, we focus on the origin of the problem. For example, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia have different manifestations of the same root problem so we would treat them the same. That being said, treatment is always individualized.

Our Massage therapy approaches fibromyalgia from both a physical symptom and a mental health perspective. With these patients it is crucial that we work with the patient to obtain the right intensity of the massage to both activate that signaling to the brain that we are working on the connective tissue in a safe way with exacerbating the pain signals. But we also ensure that the approach is promoting relaxation and relieves stress and anxiety.

Our Naturopathic approach requires a thorough intake of the patient’s history. The key is to look at lifestyle cues that tell us what areas we need to focus on. For instance we know that in patients with fibromyalgia there is a lot of central nervous system pain and a lot of people do not achieve restorative sleep. As such this tells us there may be hormonal imbalances, stress imbalances, sex or sleep imbalances. Indeed it is a lot of detective work. For someone with neuropathies and pain syndromes it is multifactorial.

ME/CFS

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease with core symptoms of fatigue, restless sleep, post-exertional malaise (PEM) and cognitive dysfunction for more than 6 months. The more frequently studied causes are immunological, psychological/psychosocial, viral, and neuroendocrine/hormone/metabolic.

A lot of medical management for chronic fatigue includes coping: coping with pain and other symptoms, coping with movement, coping with society, and preventing depression.

To bring the patient any sort of reprieve we would focus on the symptoms of debilitation such as sleep, fatigue and cognitive impairments. These can be assessed and achieved through acupuncture. As always, we focus on the origin of the problem. For example, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia have different manifestations of the same root problem so we would treat them the same. That being said, CFS treatment is always individualized.

Based entirely on the patient’s tolerance, massage therapy can be a very useful tool for ME/CFS. Massage at a low intensity has shown to improve the symptoms of ME/CFS, increase sleep quality and mental health associated with ME/CFS.

From a naturopathic medicine perspective we would be looking to see if the patient’s sleep quality could be improved using natural agents and dietary changes. ME/CFS treatment would also include looking at the patient’s blood work to see if the more sedentary lifestyle is impacting organ and systems functionality and would work toward providing more care to the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which there is progressive and symmetrical inflammation in the joints, resulting in cartilage destruction, bone erosion and disability. While there are many types of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis being an autoimmune subtype means the body’s own immune system is attacking itself. There is great importance in diagnosing and treating this disease as quickly as possible simply because of how it manifests if untreated. Diagnosis often involves - like many of the invisible illness - the patient’s commentary on symptoms and severity. Quality of life is a big marker for onset of RA.

Acupuncture is becoming widely accepted for RA management. Treatment is not only aimed at the particular joints that are inflamed and causing pain, but also looks at gut health which is a root origin for many autoimmune diseases. Understanding the patient’s RA symptoms as well as other comorbid symptoms helps to address the root causes and create a plan with the patient to improve quality of life.

Using physiotherapy to address which joints are affected and the range of motion in these joints, we can then introduce safe moments to gradually increase motility while decreasing pain. The physiotherapy approach is widely accepted in the medical system and is often included in inpatient treatment, as well as recommended outpatient management. Here at Femade we truly do believe in safe movement and that means moving at a pace that improves quality of life, and slow the progression of RA.

Similarly, with massage therapy, light and increasing pressure can be applied with the same approach of reducing inflammation, increasing safe movement and addressing the pain. Patients can have gentle pressure applied to their joints to help loosen the ‘stiffness’.

For Naturopathic Medicine the key is to look at lifestyle cues that tell us what areas we need to focus on. We can address the inflammation, any immune factors that could be exacerbating symptoms, and we can address underlying symptoms such as restless sleep. Nutrition builds on this concept to investigate trigger foods that often increase inflammation, and then to build a plan around meals that are nutritious and safe.

Lupus

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with effects on multiple organ systems. There are four main types of Lupus: Neonatal Lupus, Discoid Lupus (DLE), Drug-induced Lupus (DIL), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) - the most common type of Lupus. General signs and symptoms include fever, fatigue and weight loss. Medical attention should be sought when the skin, musculoskeletal and pulmonary systems become affected.

In addition to the symptoms presented in patients with Lupus there may be overlapping symptoms from many other diseases that tend to have a high comorbidity with Lupus such headaches, osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Our intake process is the most valuable stage in treating patients with Lupus. Like a layer of an onion we can address the symptoms that are affecting day to day living. Patients who suffer from headaches, sleep disturbances, body pains, and anxiety would often benefit from acupuncture. Acupuncture would also be key in addressing any comorbidities or more rare symptoms of Lupus that could be corrected using techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Likewise to Acupuncture, patients who suffer from headaches, sleep disturbances, body pains, and anxiety would often benefit from massage therapy. Therapeutic touch has also been known to reduce feelings of anxiety and improve symptoms of depression, giving a greater sense of being. A massage therapy treatment aimed specifically at stress reduction and relaxation can help our nervous system shift from sympathetic state (fight or flight) to parasympathetic state (rest and digest) and help with quality of sleep and mental state.

Migraines

Migraine is a neurobiological disease with a spectrum of symptoms which can include headache attacks, nausea, light or sound sensitivity, and many others depending on the migraine subtype. Diagnosis of migraine has evolved over the last two decades and usually occurs after patients have tracked migraine symptoms and when other headache disorders have been excluded.

Those with migraine tend to also exhibit comorbidities such as chronic pain conditions, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular events, with migraine presenting before or after these other issues. Alongside, it has been shown that migraine is commonly associated with digestion and digestive health.

For functional issues such as muscle or nerve derived pain, we can place needles in the location where the pain is originating from; not in the locations that pain is felt per se. When patients seek acupuncture for migraine we often see that the root of the issue is hormones with or without a digestion component. Once we start treating these systems we often see the patient experiencing relief from their migraine. Acupuncture is also widely used for regaining quality of sleep, and balancing out mood disorders, even in patients who don’t experience migraine.

Patients are seeking massage therapy as a means of relaxation, stress management, muscle relaxation which undoubtably affects the brain stem, and may reduce the occurrence of their migraine. There are several methods and intensities that can be used based on the overarching goal. Much of that approach also includes relaxing the body to decrease stress and anxiety, as well as affect quality of sleep and mood.

Introducing the gut into the mix of related root causes for migraine, we can determine if the body is being affected by nutrients, hormone changes and other triggers (sometimes more than one). By doing an assessment through Naturopathic Medicine we can better determine which treatments we can offer, including changes that may include diet and nutrition.

IBD and IBS

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we are aware of the gut-brain connection (the gut-brain axis) and how they communicate through the nervous system (the nerves). What we aim to do is regulate the nerves so that the gut can function properly. When the bowels are receiving too many ‘urgent’ signals from the brain (ex. Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Acupuncture can calm the nerves so the bowels can take a break. Conversely, if the patient has not been able to properly have a bowel movement (constipation, SIBO), acupuncture can help move things along. In the case of IBD, we are able to help produce secretions in the gut, help slow or quicken motility (as patients with IBD can also have constipation, not just diarrhea), and reduce inflammation.

Physiotherapy can help discern structural factors that may be impacting bowel movements. We can teach the patient how to align the pelvic floor for optimal bowel movements, how to breathe through (and reduce) any painful sensations during bowel movements and apply gentle pressure (splinting) to assist the process. In some cases rectal muscles may need to be retrained by a pelvic floor physiotherapist who can help you become more familiar with these muscles and their functions.

Massage therapy can be used to address digestion and motility issues by applying a gentle abdominal massage in the direction of a bowel movement. Bowels can be affected by stress, medications, or surgery. This soothing approach allows the body to relax while stimulating and engaging the bowels.

A similar gentle abdominal massage can be used on scar tissue/adhesions, for stress release, and can be used in conjunction with pelvic floor physiotherapy.

We offer Naturopathic Medicine though the lens of FODMAP, plant based diets and gut health to help achieve the right balance of fibers for all subtypes of IBD and IBS. This is handled in conjunction to a full assessment of other dietary, immune, inflammatory and other comorbid issues that may be impacted by diet and lifestyle. We are also able to run a variety of tests including the SIBO test to better understand what else may be at play.

Not sure where to start?

Invisible illnesses can be exhausting, and we just gave you a lot of information to deal with. If you’re not sure where to start, consider a health consult with our clinical director and founder. We can take it from there.