There might be.  However, there’s not a lot of scientific research to back it up.  There are quite a few personal testimonials though.  And the ideas behind it just might work…

You see, there’s a lot of places that our bodies pick up contamination.  We are exposed every day to estrogenic compounds.  In pesticides, in the drinking water, in dairy products, in meat, in soy…the list can go on and on.  This exposure to excess estrogen is having an untold effect upon our bodies.

Just think about it – we have things going on like young girls maturing earlier, women having menopause later, higher incidence of diabetes and insulin resistance, infertility, ovarian cysts, the list could go on and on!

Now, your liver is capable of removing extra estrogen from your system.  However, most people’s livers are very clogged up with gallstones and even parasites (YUCK!)  But fortunately, it doesn’t seem especially hard to get rid of these.

There are several liver cleanses available (there’s other cleanses as well, but if you want to try a cleanse, I’d start with this one.)  Before you do it, you have to do a parasite cleanse to get rid of liver flukes. Otherwise, it will just make you very sick.

A liver cleanse should usually be done over the weekend, after you complete the parasite cleanse.  Before you start it, you will want to drink a half gallon of unsweetened natural apple juice for 3 days.  This will soften the stones to help them pass easily.  It doesn’t taste that great, but it’s very necessary!

For the liver cleanse, there are not a lot of supplies that you need.  I’ve included links to Amazon for a few of these, but you probably will be able to find ingredients in your local health food or drug store.  Here’s a quick list:

• 4 TBSP Epsom Salts
• Olive Oil
• Large fresh pink grapefruit (or 2 small).
• Ornithine – to help you sleep Saturday night.
• Large plastic straw
• Pint jar with lid
• Black walnut tincture (You can also use this with the parasite cleanse.)

Here is the schedule you will follow.  Stick to this for the best results.

2:00 PM – Stop eating and drinking.  Prepare your Epsom salts.  Mix 4 teaspoons in 3 cups of water and pour it into a jar.  This will be four servings at ¾ cup each.  Put it in the fridge to get cold – this helps with the taste.

6:00 PM – Have your first serving of Epsom salts.  Drink ¾ cup.  You can drink a few sips of plain water afterwards to rinse out your mouth.  Get out your olive oil and grapefruit to warm up.

8:00 PM – Have your second serving of Epsom salts.  Take care of any tasks you need to do before bed, as you will be laying down after the next serving, and staying down most of the day tomorrow.

9:45 PM – Prepare the cleansing drink.  Pour ½ cup of olive oil into the jar.  Wash your grapefruit well and dry it.  Squeeze it into the measuring cup.  Make sure you get at least ½ cup of juice, but up to ¾ cup is best.  You can add part fresh lemonade (not from a mix) if you don’t have enough.  Remove any pulp, and add this to the olive oil.  Also add 10 to 20 drops of the black walnut tincture.  Put a lid on the jar, and shake it hard until it’s watery.

Then visit the bathroom one more time.

10:00 PM (Not more than 15 minutes late).  Drink the mixture.  Take 4 ornithine capsules to make sure you can sleep through the night (take 8 if you already have insomnia).  You can use a plastic straw to make drinking this easier.  You can also have straight honey to chase this down between sips.  Get it all down in 5 minutes.

Then lie down immediately.  The sooner you lie down, the more stones you will get out.  Lie flat on your back with your head high up on the pillow and try to keep perfectly still for at least twenty minutes.

You’ll feel a really weird sensation at this point.  You can actually feel the gall stones rolling out of the liver.  It doesn’t hurt because you’ve opened the ducts with the Epsom salts.  But it is one of the weirdest sensations I’ve ever felt.

Go to sleep at this point in order to get the most stones out.

The Next Morning:   (not earlier than 6 AM) When you wake up, drink your next dose of Epsom salts.  If you feel nauseous, wait until it passes before you drink them.  Then go back to bed.

2 Hours later:  Take the last dose of Epsom salts.  You can then go back to bed again.

After two more hours you can eat again.  First drink fruit juice.  In another half hour, have some fruit.  An hour later, eat regular food but keep it light.  By dinner time, you should feel back to normal.

Expect to have very loose, watery diarrhea in the morning.  You should see green gallstones in your bowel movements.  These will float.  Count them all the best you can – you may see up to 2000 stones!  You will also sometimes see what is called “chaff.”  These are cholesterol crystals that didn’t form into stones.  Usually, these float and are tan colored with millions of tiny white crystals.

Most people who do this report a big boost in energy levels, both from the death of the parasites and the increased functioning of the liver.  Now, don’t do this if you are pregnant or nursing – herbs may have a bad effect on a baby.    Also, I would talk to your doctor if you have any preexisting liver conditions or are taking any medications.  Herbs do interact with medications, or could make an underlying health condition worse.

If you try this, let us know what your results are!

The National Instititute of Health announced that it awarded several grants to study botanical treatments for certain disorders.  Two of these studies directly cover herbs commonly recommended for ovarian cyst treatment.  Here’s the 411:

Botanical Dietary Supplements for Women’s Health

Principal Investigator: Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago

This center has been supported for 10 years and has always focused on women’s health. In this new cycle, the center’s mission has evolved to a focus on the safety of botanical dietary supplements, such as black cohosh and licorice, which are widely available. The investigators will study how multi-component mixtures work together; how they are absorbed, distributed and eliminated by the body; how they affect chemical and physical processes within the body; how they interact with drugs; and how they impact women’s own estrogenic hormones.

Botanical Estrogens: Mechanisms, Dose and Target Tissues

Principal Investigator: William Helferich, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Partner Institutions: University of Mississippi, University; Oregon State University, Corvallis; National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, Ark.

This new center will address safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action of botanical estrogens, such as wild yam, soy and dong quai, currently being consumed by women. The projects will look at biological effects of botanical estrogens on molecular mechanisms and cellular pathways, and their actions on bone, uterus, breast tissue, breast cancer metastasis, and cognition.

Of specific interest are dong quai, wild yam, and soy.  Dong quai and soy are both estrogenic herbs – they affect your level of estrogen.  Wild yam is used to make progesterone cream, which may be useful in controlling ovarian cysts.  Black cohosh and licorice are also often recommended to treat cysts as well.

However, not all of these herbs work.  Some actually make cysts worse in certain women.   Most women already have an overabundance of estrogen, thanks to many sources in the environment.   This can actually increase the number of follicles released which are not all reabsorbed.  It also can worsen endometriosis, a common contributor to cysts.

Progesterone cream, on the other hand, shows promise for helping heal endometrial cysts and PCOS.   The progesterone applied at the right time of the month signals the cyst to dissolve.  It also helps to shrink endometrial tissue.

It will be very interesting to see what the results of this study will be!  Of course, it’ll probably be a few years until we find out

You can see the news story here.

Basically, these foods contain compounds that are called antiangiogenic.  What that means is that they keep the body from growing new blood vessels.  Tumors need blood in order to survive.  In fact, studies showed that animals with large tumors who were treated with antiangiogenic medications had a significant reduction in the size of the tumors.  In human studies, most cancers responded well to this sort of treatment, as long as they were in the early stages.

What does this mean for ovarian cysts?  Well, if there is any fear that the cyst is cancerous, you can try a diet of these foods to help your body shrink the cyst.  However, for fluid filled cysts, this may or may not help.  Since those don’t rely as much on blood vessel supply, they are less likely to shrink.  Still, including these foods in your everyday diet may help your overall health.

Q: Why would someone want to eat a raw and living foods diet?

A: The biggest reason to eat a raw food diet is for the way it makes you feel. Raw foods make you feel alive and full of positive, loving energy. There are also numerous health benefits to eating a raw food diet. We have personally experienced weight loss, freedom from years of clinically medicated depression and anxiety attacks, the complete cure of irritable bowel syndrome, overcoming alcoholism, regulation of menstrual cycle and alleviation of ovarian cysts, and the clearing of skin and eyes. Other people have used the raw diet to help heal them of everything ranging from high cholesterol, arthritis, and allergies to cancer and diabetes.

Sounds interesting!  I would think that it may work, as long as you stuck with organic raw foods.  You could cut out a lot of the chemicals, processing, and hormones that is in our food supply.  And if that’s what is causing your ovarian cyst, you would probably see it disappear.

I just wonder how sustainable this type of diet would be for the long term…

For the full interview, click here.

BPA is used in a wide variety of hard plastic containers and canned food linings.  It’s so prevalent in our food supply that a study found that 90% of people had this chemical in their urine or breast milk, and it was even found in umbilical cord blood!

BPA is a hormone mimicker.  Specifically, it mimics estrogen.  In a study using rats, female rats exposed to high and low amounts of the chemical showed decreased production of luteinizing hormone (LH).  This caused decreased ovulation and interruptions in the menstrual cycle.  More research is needed into whether this contributes specifically to the formation of ovarian cysts, but it seems to be a definite possibililty.

How do you avoid this chemical that’s seemingly everywhere?  First, avoid plastics with the number 7 printed on the bottom.  These contain the highest concentration of BPA.  Also, avoid putting anything plastic in the microwave or freezer.  Exposure to extreme heat or cold seems to speed the release of this chemical.  Third, dispose of any plastic that gets scratched or nicked.  Fourth, make sure your water bottle is BPA free, or use a metal bottle.  Nalgene is now supposed to have BPA free plastic water bottles.

Another sneaky source of BPA besides plastics is in can linings.  If you are currently dealing with ovarian cysts, you may want to avoid foods that come in lined cans.  One of the worst offenders is canned tomatoes.

Almost every time I read about a natural cure for ovarian cysts, I hear something about diet.  Cure your cysts by eating this!  Avoid ovarian cysts by not eating that!  But is there any truth to all this talk?

I think there can be.  A lot of our health problems are brought about by an unhealthy diet.  Too many trips through the McDonald’s drivethru, and you’ve not only gained 10 pounds, you may have partially blocked your arteries, slowed down your intestines, hampered your immune system, clogged your liver, and perhaps even developed some cysts.

So how can we improve our diets to keep our bodies in tip top shape?  Most of us have heard the healthy eating rules – eat lots of fruits and vegetables (at least five servings a day), choose whole grain products over processed, choose leaner cuts of meat, and avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce.

In the specific area of ovarian cysts, there are some more rules you have to think about.  Since an ovarian cyst may develop because of a hormonal imbalance, you have to watch out for sources of artificial hormones in your food.  Some common places they are found is in milk and dairy products, meats, and eggs.  For those types of foods, you can generally find varieties that are hormone free, though you may have to pay for it.

Also, I’ve been reading our water can be a source of artificial hormones.  Since many people improperly dispose of medication in the toilet, the medicine makes it through water treatment facilities and back into our drinking water.  Even bottled water is not immune to this – some brands, such as Dasani, have been found to have traces of hormones as well!  This has led to some weird mutations in fish.  It’s enough to make you wonder what sort of problems this may be causing with our health as well.

The best solution to this problem is to get a really good water filter.  From what I’ve read, the only method of completely removing medications from the water is reverse osmosis.  However, this is a much more expensive system than the standard Brita filter.

Also, research has shown that artificial hormones make their way into our bodies through the packaging that food comes in.  Specifically, BPA simulates estrogen in the body, and is found in many plastics and can lining.  Fortunately, it seems that manufacturers are taking steps to eliminate this problem.

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr

But recently I read about a weird concoction that’s supposed to cure your ovarian cysts.  It’s a drink made from beets and molasses, and you drink a shotglass full every morning on an empty stomach.  Supposedly a lot of women have been having success with this, but since I don’t see any research on it or basis for it working, I’m not going to guarantee anything…

Anyhow, if you are able to stomach the taste of beets and molasses and want to try something a little different, let us know how it works for you!  The recipe is:

1 to 2 slices fresh or canned beets

1 TBSP Aloe Vera

1 TBSP Molasses

Mash beets with a fork or blender.  Add in the aloe vera and molasses and mix well.  Drink first thing in the morning before eating.  Allow several weeks to work.

To me, it sounds like something that might work just because of a placebo effect.  However, if you do try it, let us know what your results were!

Photo by Tom Hilton via Flickr

First of all, please don’t attempt this if you are pregnant, epileptic, have asthma, or have high blood pressure.  Those conditions can be complicated by using essential oils.

The recipe I read about is a massage oil.  It’s supposed to help balance your hormones and lessen the pain of ovarian cysts.

Mix together:
2 drops Jasmine Essential Oil
3 drops Geranium Essential Oil
3 Drops Sage Essential Oil
1 teaspoon Sweet Almond Oil

Massage over abdomen to lessen pain and balance hormones.

There are a few additional essential oils that can be used.  Feel free to experiment and make your own mixes.  Make sure to tell us your results!

Ways to Use and Mix Essential Oils:

1.Inhalation – Place 1 to 5 drops of the essential oil on a diffuser, vaporizer, or handkerchief and breathe in.
2.Baths – Mix together 4 to 5 drops of the essential oil with a drop of a base oil, such as sweet almond oil. Add to bathtub and stir, then soak and relax.
3.Massage – Mix 1 to 5 drops of essential oil with a teaspoon of a base oil.  Warm to maximize absorbtion.

Some Essential Oils to Experiment With:

1.Chamomile – Treats menstrual cramps, heavy periods, insomnia, indigestion, anger and irritability.
2.Jasmine – Treats depression, low self-confidence, lack of libido
3.Rose – Treats irregular menstruation, anxiety, impatience and confusion.
4.Ylang Ylang – Treats hypertension, heart palpitations, anger and depression.

But I was pleasantly surprised!  Everything was very safe and secure – the purchase was done right through paypal through a company called Clickbank, which apparently has been handling all sorts of these digital books for years.  I sent the payment through, and was redirected to a download page.    (The link also comes in an email in case you leave the page.)  You’ll want to download the books to your hard drive as the page disappears after a few days – I found that out the hard way and had to send an email to get access to them again!

The Main Book

The first thing I did was open the main book.  There were twelve chapters, covering information starting with what ovarian cysts are, then progressing into diet, exercise, toxins, stress, emotions, and sleep all affect ovarian cyst development.  The book itself was well written and easy to read.

Chapter three gave a good method to use to resolve your cysts right away.  Then, the later chapters talked about avoiding future cysts through your lifestyle.  However, there was a really good method I hadn’t heard of before in chapter seven.  That chapter talked about different detoxes, and one of them actually sounded pleasant and comfortable – not something you can say for a lot of those detoxes!  Of course, you would still want to do the liver detox as well, as the liver is responsible for processing excess estrogen.

Chapter 12 then gave a summary of the entire method.  It would have been nice to have this be separate from the main book with all the steps laid out in it.  As it was, you have to refer to diet book to figure out what to do as well.  That is frustrating when you just want to get started clearing up the cyst!

The Pain Relief Book

This book was also helpful.  However, I didn’t agree with everything here.  The author bashes traditional medications, like acetominephen and ibuprofin.  However, she recommends willow bark, which contains the same ingredient as aspirin – salicylic acid.  It’s not really that much safer than over the counter medications, and can even be dangerous in the wrong dosages.

However, the other method mentioned does really help relieve pain and start dissolving the cyst – I’d definitely recommend it.  It is not safe for you if you are pregnant, nursing, or menstruating.

The Diet Book

I do wish there had been more information in this book.  Of course, diet is such a big subject that it’s hard to get into completely.  But diet is very important in preventing future ovarian cysts.

One thing I would have liked to see here was a meal plan.  The author also touched on the idea of different food combinations being bad, which is something I have never heard of.  However, she didn’t go into why you need to not mix certain types of foods.  If you put something like that in a book, you need to explain it more.

This could have been done better.  However, there is enough information in the main book and pain relief book to help relieve the cyst.  There’s also enough information that you could design your own diet, but I would just ignore the food mixing theory.

The PMS Relief Book

I really didn’t understand why this was in here, and did not find it helpful at all.  This book almost seemed copied from the other books.  I would just ignore this one.

The Stress Management Book

I really liked this little book!  There were a lot of usable techniques, which is something I wanted to see.  Stress can contribute to the build up of toxins and the formation of cysts, so these were very useful.  I especially like the energizing breath technique.  I use this one almost every day now.

Did It Work?

The most important question of all – does this book actually work?  I can say that the techniques in it did work.  Plus, there seem to be a number of other women that it has worked for as well.

Will it work for you?  That probably depends on the type of cyst you have.  I do not think it would work for dermoid cysts.  I also think more complex cysts are going to be harder to dissolve.  However, some of those cysts are caused by endometriosis, which can be brought under control using the techniques in this book.

Overall, it was a worthwhile purchase for me, and I would recommend it.  Go see the sales page for yourself here.  Look through the testimonials, and decide for yourself if it is something worth trying.

If you have been diagnosed with ovarian cysts, you are looking for a way to end the pain. Most doctors will take a wait and see approach with your cysts. That is, they will wait and let you suffer while they see if the cyst will clear up on its own! In the meantime, you’re left to deal with the pain.

In some cases, cysts don’t clear up. You may also suffer from recurrent cysts. The primary form of treatment for these cases is birth control pills. However, this is not the best form of treatment for most women.

Problems with Hormonal Therapy

Hormonal therapy, or birth control pills, present a few problems when used to treat ovarian cysts. First of all, in many cases, they do not work. Many women find that their cysts grow while taking these pills. Also, some women will develop multiple cysts. This is because the pills do not treat the real cause of ovarian cysts.

Hormonal therapy is also not helpful if you want to get pregnant. Birth control is meant to prevent pregnancy. Even after you stop taking the pills, it can take up to a year to get pregnant again. If your biological clock is ticking, this can be too long to wait.

A Natural Remedy for Ovarian Cysts

If you are tired of taking pills and having your health problems get worse, you are going to want a real solution. Fortunately, there is a natural method to get rid of your cysts once and for all. There is an extremely helpful ebook that outlines an easy to follow plan. If you want something easy to use and planned out for you, I would recommend it. In an independent study, 26 out of 26 women who tried this method were able to shrink or get rid of their ovarian cysts altogether.

For more information on the book, please click here.

Some of the natural cures we’ll be covering include dietary changes, beverages to watch out for, exercise, natural pain relief, and cleansing diets.  We’ll also go into the causes of different types of cysts – because once you can figure out the cause, you can solve the problem.