{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Thyroid Mystery Solved: Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism Revealed","title":"056 The Case of Constant Heavy Periods and Pelvic Pain w/ Dr. Shiroko Sokitch","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2524,"description":"The Case:  Amanda is 37 and dealing with pelvic pain, discomfort and heavy periods Doctors diagnosed her with endometriosis and fibroids They prescribed birth control but she’d had a bad reaction in her youth Endometriosis affects 10% of women between the ages of 15 - 49. That’s 176 million women in the world. The most common, traditional way to treat this issue is with hormone therapy in the form of birth control medication.    The Investigation When Amanda came to me, I understood her hesitation in using birth control to manage her endometriosis symptoms. I wanted to find out if we could find the root cause of the endometriosis and treat that instead. The hunt was on and there were many clues to consider. Dr. Shiroko Sokitch is a functional medicine doctor, a trained acupuncturist, and a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. This unconventional combination makes her very good at solving health mysteries. She shares my approach of getting to the root cause of a problem, so I thought she would be the perfect person to discuss Amanda’s case.    What is Endometriosis? Endometriosis is a condition where uterine tissue starts to grow beyond what is needed for the reproductive process. This can be contained in the uterus but it can also cause endometrial tissue to grow outside of the uterus. For example, a woman may have uterine tissue growing on her fallopian tubes or in her intestines. The excess endometrial tissue can really cause problems because it will continue to respond to hormones and can cause an imbalance that leads to many different symptoms.    Symptom of Endometriosis The location of the endometrial tissue overgrowth will dictate the symptoms experienced. However, many women who have endometriosis experience abdominal pain, heavy and/or irregular periods, inflammation, pain with sex, and/or bloating. If the endometriosis has spread, they may also experience digestive issues and related symptoms.  There is a second level to the symptoms caused by the...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/9ZbRr0xzgu8-YRnig2AcyeY_Nu_m2EBquTr83LV8K2g/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQ4NTg5LzE3MTE1/NjQxMDktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}