A Functional Medicine Approach To The Root Causes Of Endometriosis

Episode 62 30m

Overview

Endometriosis is a very prevalent, but often difficult to diagnose, condition in which cells that normally line the uterus find their way into the abdominal cavity. This can lead to a range of symptoms including heavy, painful periods, painful intercourse, infertility, hormonal issues, and more. In this episode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. Cindy Geyer to discuss how they use the principles of Functional Medicine to get to the root causes of endometriosis. They discuss why addressing chronic inflammation and supporting gut health are primary focuses when treating patients, genetic and lifestyle factors that can lead to endometriosis, and much more. Dr. Cindy Geyer received her bachelor of science and her doctor of medicine degrees, with honors, from the Ohio State University. She completed residency in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. and is triple board certified in internal medicine, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She joined The Ultrawellness Center in 2021 after practicing and serving as the medical director at Canyon Ranch for 23 years. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is a recently elected fellow of ACLM. Dr. Geyer has been a core faculty member at The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) for 20 years, teaching physicians and other healthcare professionals how to use food and lifestyle to address health concerns in their own lives and those of their patients. A clinician, educator, and avid hiker, she is passionate about collaborative approaches to health and wellness: from the integrative team model in working with individual patients, to community partnerships that together can affect healthy changes in the places people live and work. This episode is sponsored by Paleovalley and Athletic Greens. Paleovalley is offering 15% off your entire first order. Just go to paleovalley.com/hyman to check out all their clean Paleo products and take advantage of this deal. Athletic Greens is offering Doctor’s Farmacy listeners a full year supply of their Vitamin D3/K2 Liquid Formula free with your first purchase, plus 5 free travel packs. Just go to athleticgreens.com/hyman to take advantage of this great offer. In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Geyer discuss:
  • What is endometriosis and why does it so often go undiagnosed?
  • Approaching endometriosis as an autoimmune issue
  • Root causes of endometriosis ranging from genetic to lifestyle and environmental factors
  • Diagnosing and treating endometriosis from a Functional Medicine perspective
  • The role of gut health and inflammation in endometriosis
  • Why gluten-free diets often help with endometriosis
  • Estrogen metabolism, estrogen dominance, and hormone detoxification

Resources Mentioned

Host & Guests

Transcript

Automatically generated. Please forgive any typos or errors in the following transcript. It was generated by a third party and has not been subsequently reviewed by our team.

Dr. Cindy Geyer: And there was a 2012 study, Mark, in women with endometriosis that found that when they went on a gluten-free diet, a significant proportion of them got improvement. Dr. Mark Hyman: Hey everyone, it's Dr. Mark. My main goal with diet is to use food as medicine. But even when we eat super well, most of us are missing out on certain essential nutrients. Our soils have become depleted and our digestive tracks just aren't working so great. They're compromised by stress and toxins, and they just can't absorb nutrients as efficiently as they should. And that's why I always use, and I recommend to my patients, a multivitamin and mineral as nutritional insurance. It covers the basics for all our day-to-day body functions, all the things..

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Ep. 62 - A Functional Medicine Approach To The Root Causes Of Endometriosis