Finding a great remedy for you depends on having all the pieces of the puzzle. Special thanks to Horia Varlan for the image.
Ovarian cysts are sacs of fluid surrounded by a thin membrane. They are generally benign and often resolve without any treatment. In fact many women will live with them and not be aware of their presence at all.
Problems arise when they grow so large that they put pressure on another area, such as the bladder, the bowel or the vagina. This can cause pain and difficulties when urinating, defecating or having sex. There may also be a sense of fullness in the abdominal region. Sometimes there will be menstrual irregularities and some women also experience pregnancy-like symptoms of breast tenderness, nausea and even vomiting.
If an ovarian cyst bursts women may experience very severe pelvic or abdominal pain or fever and vomiting. In extreme cases it can cause the sufferer to go into full blown shock. In these instances immediate medical care is essential.
In less urgent cases the best approach to ovarian cysts is two fold:
Firstly, make life style changes. Switch to a non-hormonal form of contraception or family planning such as a Lady comp or barrier methods. Also avoid xenoestrogens, these are substances that mimic estrogens and are implicated in ovarian cysts and PCOS (poly cystic ovarian disease). Here is a checklist of things to avoid:
food or water heated in plastic or styrofoam (ditch the microwave); plastic food wrap or water/soda bottles; food that is not organic; soy and ground flax seed; non-eco laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener, personal care products with parabens or phenoxyethanol in them, coffee (even decaff), tea and colas; sunflower, safflower, cottonseed and canola oils (use olive oil); sage and rosemary; most sunscreens (cover up with a hat and long sleeves, instead).
Here is your to do list:
Cut processed foods and alcohol from your diet. Eat lots of organic fruits and vegetables, or if possible make fresh organic green juice. Take gentle exercise each day and have at least 8 hours sleep.
Secondly, get constitutional homeopathic care. Your homeopath will help match your situation and the symptoms you are experiencing to an appropriate remedy. Here are just some remedies your homeopath may consider.
In some instances women experience pain that alternates sides with each cycle. Two remedies that may be of use in this type of situation are Colocynthis, if there is a strong desire to bend double to ease the pain or Lac caninum if there are other factors that point to it as a remedy, for example symptoms in the breasts and throat.
If the pain is always right-sided two remedies that may be considered are Apis, which often has a stinging type of pain and Podophyllum, where the pain may be accompanied by an explosive kind of diarrhea.
As with any case your homeopath will not just consider the ovarian cyst in isolation, but will marry together all of the other aspects of your case, including emotional factors, to get the very best remedy for you.
You developed a painful ovarian cyst after you had a sexual encounter that you felt very guilty about? Then the remedy might be Kali-bromatum. You have a cyst and you also experience overwhelming jealousy about your partner and can’t bear to have anything tight-fitting at your throat? Then the remedy could be Lachesis. Perhaps, there was a past history of gonorrhea and you have had a very poor memory since the cyst developed? This would indicate a remedy called Medhorrinum.
Every factor is a vital clue, so remember to be open and honest with your homeopath so they have all the pieces of the puzzle, even if it is information that feels personal and you may not normally wish to share.
Wishing you well,
Mary