Alternate therapies oiler many possible avenues for alleviating the many problems associated with endometriosis. Uppermost among the benefits of these therapies, such as acupuncture, herbal preparations, yoga and other relaxation techniques, may be temporary relief from chronic pain. These medically unorthodox therapies appeal to those women with endometriosis who do not like taking prescription drugs or for those who like to supplement medications with pain-control techniques.
In the last fifteen years or so, there has been greater interest in investigating pain control through behavior modification, self-hypnosis, biofeedback, imaging, arid stress management techniques, for the endometriosis sufferer, especially the woman who has severe and chronic pain, such a program can guide her toward feeling more in charge of her body and her life. A good pain-control program will address the psychological as well as physiological realities of the disease. A number of pain clinics across the country are affiliated with medical centers, such as the Pain Management Center at UCLA in California, which operates an outpatient Pelvic Pain Program. Other clinics may be privately run. Finding a pain-control program is a matter of asking your doctor or inquiring at a large hospital or medical association.
A good measure of satisfaction comes from having some success with these alternate techniques, since many of them depend on your commitment to them in time, energy, and a sense of purpose. Unlike conventional medical therapies, they can be something of a challenge in this regard, but they are fascinating nonetheless. When you learn how to control pain without painkilling drugs, you will understand more about who you arc, while having as well the adventure of mastering a new discipline, such as behavior modification, meditation, or yoga.
Many of what are now considered alternate therapies were once the only source of practical medical treatments. They coexist now with supersophisticated surgical techniques (such as laser) and the nearly perfected drugs for treating endometriosis (such as the gonadotropinreleasing hormones, or GnRH). They remain popular, if not without an aspect of controversy attached to whether or not they work.
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