Recovering from the IUD Update
/
This article has been revised, updated and republished as
Recovering from the IUD - Revisited.
Please go there now for the easiest to read
and most complete information.
RECOVERING FROM THE IUD - Update
It's now been almost 8 months since I had my Paragard IUD removed and I am greatly improved:) Need to write a detailed update to this note, which is in progress, but for now want to add this simple list of what I see are the easiest and most important things to do post removal of an IUD. There are more things that help, but this is the simple list of what you can do right away, for very little money and with little trouble. Read the rest of the note for details on each:)
Simple things like these can do wonders:
drinking tons of water,
drinking a cup of aloe juice with some good mineral or sea salt in it each day,
epsom salt baths,
saunas (especially a near infrared sauna),
coffee enemas (amazing but take getting the equipment which is cheap - $8-$10)
yoga (especially twists)
stimulating your lymph to move with exercise, massage and skin brushing (or gua shaw)
avoiding sugars and excess carbohydrates. Carrot juice is really good instead.
eating probiotic food like raw sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir and beet kvass.
taking essential fatty acid oils (omega fish oil) & black currant oil or evening primrose oil
Good luck!
Here's info on detoxing, rebalancing and testing that I wrote in the first month after I had my Paragard IUD removed.
Had Paragard IUD in for 10 months & got it removed on Sept 16, 2015
WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON?: I am coming more and more to believe that it is also NOT JUST COPPER TOXICITY that we are dealing with:
OTHER FACTORS ARE AT WORK BOTH DURING & AFTER IUD: -COPPER: There are two distinct forms of copper: --Bio-available copper which is essential to our health and found in certain foods; --Bio-unavailable copper which is toxic and seen as an invader to our systems.
A friend posted this description of how the bio-unavailable copper in a IUD likely our bodies produce excess hormones. "The copper IUD triggers the release of prostaglandins in the uterus, which in turn affect hormone regulation including estrogen/progesterone balance. Since the prostaglandin production isn't consistent across women, and their interactions with hormone signaling are really complex and also dependent on other factors like diet and stress, it intuitively makes sense to me that the effects would vary a lot across women, from none to severe."
According to Dr Wilson & Dr Malter, bio-unavailable copper is often absorbed and builds up in our muscle tissue, liver & brain. This is what they say causes copper toxicity. They also talk about certain people that are already prone to being copper toxic… in that their bodies don't release copper as easily as other people. Anyone can get enough copper toxicity that causes problems, but certain people are more easily & quickly affected.
INFLAMMATION: IUD's all cause inflammation of our uterus and that is the main thing that makes them work. Who knows how our bodies respond to that? Madalyn's logic described in the White Blood Cell Count testing paragraph addresses this some, but it is something that I want to look into more.
HORMONE & MINERAL IMBALANCE: Both copper & inflammation are likely to affect our hormone levels, which are interconnected with our mineral levels. It is all a very complicated and delicate system. This is why hair testing is such a good method because, if read by a well trained and experienced person, it can show how all of these things are out of balance and gives a personalized roadmap to what needs to be done. Here’s the link to the Note on Hair Testing (HTMA Analysis) . Then, by taking certain supplements or eating certain foods rich in particular minerals, we can start to move all those "teeter totters" back into balance. If we just take a blanket supplement, such as zinc because it generally counteracts copper, we can accidentally push ourselves in the exact opposite direction of where we got to go. In this example, many people who have copper toxicity are also deficient in essential bio-available copper. If these people take zinc, then they will get more sick instead of better. Regular hair testing during balancing and detox helps one avoid these "wrong turns".
ENERGETICS: Copper as a metal is very reactive and gives off a strong energy field and when put inside our bodies, disrupts our own personal energy fields; which also throws everything out of balance. Another viewpoint, which I just learned from my friend Franchesca Duval, is that our belly or uterus is our creative center and is directly related to our pituitary gland. If we plug our uterus up and disturb the flow of energy, then we loose our creative spark & motivation.
COPPER or TOXIC DUMPING: We are in a state of crisis because we are carrying a very heavy load of something, due to which parts of our body are malfunctioning in some way. Our bodies are already doing what they were designed to do in trying to get rid of whatever they perceives to be a threat, but if too much gets released too fast, especially into a system whose "exits" are blocked, then the result is that the copper or toxins are not completely purged, get re-absorbed into the body somewhere else and we feel very poorly. Anything that is released into the blood needs to then pass through the spleen, kidney and liver. Our other main exits are our skin & lymph (or immune) system.
MUCH MORE that still needs to be figured out and explained. Now that I got my hair test back, I am starting to add a few more things specific to my individual body situation & we will see what happens.
My body immediately calmed down after removal and felt like it heaved a huge sigh of relief and then went to work trying to rid itself of what it has been holding.
In any case…. it seems like THESE THINGS ARE BASICS that any of us can do right away without much danger of going the wrong way. Any feedback would be great if anyone else tries some of this stuff out… or has anything to add.
WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING…. in order of perceived importance. It is a mixture of things from Dr Wilson, my ayurvedic practitioners & my naturopath.
AVOIDING DEHYDRATION & MINERAL DEPLETION: -DRINKING tons of spring WATER (trying to avoid heavy metals & chemicals that might be in other water) -DRINKING 1/2 tsp salt dissolved in 1/2 cup Aloe juice in the am & pm (salt can be adjusted to taste, should feel good and not too salty) -TAKING kelp & magnesium daily
LIVER & LYMPH FLOW SUPPORT: -flushing with a COFFEE/aloe juice ENEMA 1X-2X/day at first and now 1X every other day -TAKING milk thistle (Gaia Brand with Silymarins) daily -GETTING LYMPH FLOWING: -DAILY dry brushing & using gua shaw (see under detoxing for details) & doing exercises that stimulate lymph flow such as Chi Gung, etc… -PERIODICALLY getting ayurvedic LYMPHATIC MASSAGE!!!!!! (THIS IS SUPER, SUPER HELPFUL)-
My first 4 massages have been truly awesome and pushed me a huge way forward. -my uterus had become very inflamed and had gotten stuck inside by pelvis. The practitioner was able to pull it out & it is now in the right place:) -I had a bunch of cysts under both of my armpits which were stopping up my lymph flow that have now been released -I have two large cysts in both breasts which need to be worked regularly to eventually get them to drain. -My organs were manipulated and released a lot of toxins & several areas on my body that were holding copper have been released. The practitioners at the Dhyana Center in Sebastopol, CA are incredible and also have trained lots of other practitioners who have now opened up their own spaces in different parts of the US. Call (707)823-8818 if local for an appointment or (800) 796-6863 if far away to inquire if anyone they have trained is in your area.
DETOXING (moving stuff out slowly but surely): -using an INFARED SAUNA daily at first and now 1X every other day. -SCRAPING SKIN in sauna (or at other times using oil) with a gua sha (beveled piece of stone, horn or wood) which is rubbed back and forth on the skin starting at the extremities and moving towards the heart. Redness is common and means it's working. -DRY BRUSHING skin daily (this is just using normal hair brush & helps with skin detox) Skin is our largest organ. -DRINKING a small amount of CARROT JUICE daily, sometimes with hibiscus concentrate in it -EATING cilantro, parsley & meat at every meal if possible, especially venison, buffalo, lamb, etc….
NOURISHING, LUBRICATING & REDUCING INFLAMMATION: -TAKING Vit D, Omega oils (Fish Oil) 3,000mg/day & Black Currant Oil (3,000 mg/day) -EATING a healing combination diet (as much organic as possible) meat & veggies together or grain & veggies together -EATING LOTS OF VEGGIES (preferably only cooked) ROOTS - carrots, daikon, turnips, parsnips, VEGGIES - cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, fennel base, GREENS Bok choy, watercress, arugula, kale, -PESTO from pumpkin seeds, cilantro, fennel & basil -FRUITS minimal in season sourish fruit (such as Fuji apples) -MEAT is very important to eat. No Pork. Lamb, chicken & some beef good. -DAIRY Small amount of dairy (like yoghurt) preferably raw. -EATING SOUR ferments, like sauerkraut. -SUGAR - raw honey, maple syrup in limited quantity -USING lots of turmeric, good raw mineral salt, seaweed, nettle & asafetida sprinkle on food & putting Lecithin granules on all food. -USING lots of raw oils - olive oil, sesame oil, butter, etc.... -AVOIDING nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes & eggplant) & Wheat (except sometimes pasta is OK) -NOT DRINKING water before, during or after meals -TAKING TINCTURE OF HERBS to support my uterus (motherwort, ashwaganda, oats, linden, gotu kola & red clover) -USING a peet bath of chamomile, yarrow & lemon balm to influence pelvic circulation (submerge pelvis in solution with legs over edge).
RESTING & AVOIDING STRESS: -RESTING from 2-4 each afternoon during the "kidney time" -AVOIDING STRESS - breathing deep, moving slowly, not rushing, moving at relaxed pace & trying not to worry
WORKING THROUGH MY EMOTIONS: From the beginning I was determined to figure out how to warn other women and keep them from falling into this same trap. That has quickly transformed into my IUD AWARENESS CAMPAIGN: Are They Really Safe and also into helping admin the IUD Side Effects Support Group. Having this mission to focus my anger on by actually trying to do something about a thing that originally felt like an unstoppable tide has now become a huge part of my healing process:) More to come soon about all of that!
ENEMAS: I know that the idea of doing an enema gives most people pause & that's how I felt at first, but it is really pretty simple, easy & painless. You can hardly feel it & lots of people believe that it is an essential part of the detox process. The purpose of doing it is supposed to be to get your liver to release the toxins & metals that it is holding….. so that it can then more effectively filter your blood of the new toxins & metals that have been released. If the liver isn't supported in this way, then it can have a lot of trouble doing its job, you feel sick and the detox process doesn't move forward as well.
Coffee enema - Use with caution. If you have to go poo, do it before the enema. Only 2 cups of good clean water, start with 1tsp of coffee then work up to 2tsp & then 1T if you want, simmered in water 12 minutes, then strained through coffee filter & cooled. Add 2 T aloe juice (optional but soothing & recommended). What has been working best for me is the bucket with a soft tube (w/ small hole in end) - available at most drug stores. Fill the tube with coffee by briefly releasing flow clip. Lubricate the tip and only insert 3" into anus. I squat to put it in, then lay down on the bathroom floor with my bottom slightly raised by a folded towel. Hold bucket up with one hand & release the flow with the other. Close flow clip when liquid is gone & remove tube. Raising you buttocks up into bridge pose is optional but helps the liquid flow further up your colon. Rolling to the right once or twice is good to move to the other part of the colon. Hold for 15 minutes (or as long as you can). Then get on toilet and let it all go. Also when finished get up and move around for a few minutes then sit back on toilet as it seems there is usually one last flush. Sometimes there is another on even later that urges you back to the toilet. Rinse bucket in hot water and let dry.
From the very beginning, the effect of the enema was really incredible and I felt very good afterward (and very happy to have that stinky stuff out of my body); so I was sometimes doing them 2X/day. Then the effects became less dramatic; so I was doing them 1X/day or every other day depending on how I felt. After I few months I moved to doing them once every few weeks and now try to do them at least once a month. Enemas are commonly used in ayurvedic medicine, but they use konbu (a kelp) but not coffee. It is advised to use the coffee enema when needed but not too much for too long as it can be depleting or drying. Now that I am more stable I am hoping to try to interchange using coffee one time and then konbu (which is nourishing instead of drying) another time.
The suggested order is: drink carrot juice, do sauna, do enema & then eat. You don't want to do either the sauna or enema just after eating. Supplementing magnesium & kelp are super important when doing this process to keep good minerals abundant.
Now that I know what was causing this and can actually talk to people, my whole community which is packed with people that have been working with natural healing for years are coming out in force to help support me in my detox process. We are all learning a lot in the process
Have a bunch of new testing & treatment options on the horizon but mostly am waiting on my hair test results before moving forward.
SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT as of one month after removal: Right away when I got the IUD taken out on Sept 16: -my hair stopped falling out!!! -my brain fog cleared a lot. -my anxiety, depression & fear lessened tremendously & then almost disappeared.
In the first month: -my brain fog has almost completely cleared -I felt much more in my body. -I felt much more like myself again each and every day -I slept more and awoke feeling a little bit rested..... for the first time in 5 months:) -my eyes were no longer sore & red -I was able to start driving a car & actually do things. -my agoraphobia completely disappeared -I've started going out, re-connecting with friends, socializing. -my ability to handle stress and breathe through excited conversations improved. -the tinnitus (ringing in my ears) lessened and was often not there at all -the melody playing in my head since the beginning was often not there at all either:) -my vision improved -my mind raced a lot less, and when it did it is with positive ideas instead of dark thoughts. -I started giving presentations on IUD Awareness and speaking to large groups of people
TESTING
HAIR TEST: Got my hair test back and it shows "hidden copper" in my tissues but that I am low on good bio-available copper. I am also low on all 4 of the critical minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium & Potassium. More on this soon. There is a lot that this test shows! I am working with one of Dr Wilson's counselors and really like her. She had copper toxicity (not IUD related) that caused an experience strikingly similar to mine, used Dr Wilson's protocol to heal and has been helping other people heal for the last 8 years and training other counselors for the past 3. She has interpreted it for me and given me recommendations on what to do and it all seems to fit and make sense. Cost for this seems pretty reasonable. You pay a flat fee (which varies slightly depending on the counselor) which covers initial consult, testing, analysis, recommendations and email followup until the when they recommend sending in another test to check progress.
BLOOD & URINE TESTS: Regular ones apparently don't work very well for testing for copper, but I did get my blood the day I got the IUD out: Results: Total Copper 109 (70-175 mcg/dL) & Ceruloplasmin 25 (18-53 mcg/dL), which are both in normal range. Even though everyone says that they don't show anything, I just did a 24 hour urine copper test to see what it says.
OTHER TESTS: An IV chelation provocation is also used to force the metals out and then test the urine. It is what my naturopath recommended but it felt like that process would have been WAY TOO MUCH for my liver to handle; so I didn’t do it. Dr Wilson warns strongly against all chelation and my ayurvedic practitioners agree that my system is already being to challenged right now to a handle a heavy chelation. My ayurvedic practitioners say that some more natural chelation will likely happen later on when I have less in my systems as part of a more final detox.
My friend Madalyn asked me about my White Blood Cell Count. A CBC Blood Test was done on 5/1/15 just after the severe anxiety & depression presented itself (about 5 months after getting the IUD) and before I had started any medications. Just by chance, my naturopath had also ordered some blood work almost exactly a year before (well before the IUD); so I have something to compare my level to:) 5/21/2014 (pre IUD) White Blood Cell Count: 7.9 (3.8-10.8) 5/1/2015 (during IUD) White Blood Cell Count: 10.2 (3.8-10.8)
So, it does appear that MY WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT HAD GONE UP quite a bit, not enough to be above the norm, but if the doc had taken the time to compare the two, it seems like it was noticeable enough to look at. In his defense, he didn't have the first test as it was done by my naturopath, but I still feel like a number that close to the top of the range found in someone obviously in crisis, really should be at least mentioned. I'm curious to get another one and see if it has gone back down as I am now post IUD and feeling better & better each day.
Here's Madalyn's logic behind the idea, which makes lots of good sense:) "Have you had blood tests done recently, measuring any immunological markers? The logic behind my question is as follows... Our bodies are programmed to respond to things that we don't recognize. This means that when our immune system recognizes a foreign body, it goes on alert. This process can cause inflammation, and initially elevated white blood cell count among other things. Over time, if a immune system has been working hard it becomes weakened. if you are stressed this is exacerbated and more things begin to seem like threats. This is physical and can also be emotional. and like with adrenal fatigue, your deep immunity gets wiped out. I guess I'm wondering if on some level this is a factor with the iud. If peoples bodies are working so hard to expel it, that they become depleted, inflamed, and ultimately folks experience the anxiety, depression, and paranoia that happen when our deep immunity is weakened and our bodies feel very vulnerable. I guess i'm wondering if this is showing up clinically or sub-clinically on peoples blood tests, like their white cell counts and cd57's. "