Vital Health News | Vital Health Endometriosis Center https://www.vitalhealth.com A women's healthcare, endometriosis, and pelvic pain treatment center Thu, 05 Nov 2020 23:29:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Miss USA contestant Joins the Fight for Endo Awareness https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/miss-usa-contestant-joins-fight-endo-awareness/ Thu, 08 Oct 2020 19:51:06 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=18818 The post Miss USA contestant Joins the Fight for Endo Awareness appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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Vital Health patient Justice Enlow, Miss Tennessee USA 2020 fights for endo awareness as she strives to empower other women with endometriosis to find life-changing treatment as she did at Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

“I believe that every woman deserves a life ruled by their passions, purpose, and dreams rather than by pain.” — Justice Enlow, Miss Tennessee USA 2020

Justice suffered for 10 years with symptoms of endometriosis, including painful periods, digestive issues, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and extreme fatigue. She says, “The pain got so bad that I ended up on prescription pain medication and missed a significant portion of my college classes.”

Misdiagnoses are too common, but you can get your life back

In those painful 10 years, Justice sought treatment from her doctors and was misdiagnosed several times. Her life changed when she found Vital Health Endometriosis Center and internationally renowned endometriosis specialist Dr. Andrew S. Cook, M.D.

“Dr. Cook and the entire staff at Vital Health Institute were an answer to my prayers,” she says. “They were the first medical professionals that I spoke with who validated my pain but also gave me hope for my future. I am now almost 3 years post-op and can honestly say that Dr. Cook gave me back my life.”

Living her dream and using her platform to empower women with endo

Today, Justice is spreading awareness and fighting for other women with endometriosis in her role as Miss Tennessee USA 2020. And now, by competing in Miss USA 2020 pageant, she feels she has an even greater opportunity to raise awareness. Her platform is empowering women with endometriosis to be their own health advocates in finding treatment.

“I am living out my dream of competing for Miss USA because of the amazing care that I received at Vital Health Institute,” she says. Justice is also the founder of Justice For Women, a non-profit that believes “no person, prejudice, or health concern should stand between a woman and her purpose.”

Understanding the difference an Endometriosis Specialist makes

Endometriosis is a leading cause of chronic pelvic pain in women, and it can have a dramatic effect on all aspects of a woman’s quality of life. In addition to being misdiagnosed, many women, before being treated by Dr. Cook, have undergone one, and sometimes multiple, failed surgeries that use outdated techniques such as ablation. Dr. Cook has created a hashtag on Instagram called #BanTheBurn in an effort to bring awareness to and save women from the pain and trauma they are experiencing in these failed surgeries. Justice remarked “I will forever be grateful that Dr. Cook was the one and only surgeon that I saw.” Her fight to raise awareness will help combat the many myths that exist regarding endometriosis. On her website, she talks about her treatment journey in more detail, here.

Next Steps

Read more about “What it Really Means to have Endometriosis” and download the full PDF guide to share with friends and family here.
You may also request a screen-share virtual consult to discuss your specific case with Dr. Cook.
The Vital Health team wants to help you get your life back, just as we were able to help Justice and many other women like her. Use this form to request a complimentary record review.

Help Justice raise awareness by spreading the word.

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]]> Video: Key cause of pelvic pain for women with endometriosis discovered https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/key-cause-of-pelvic-pain-for-women-with-endometriosis-discovered/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/key-cause-of-pelvic-pain-for-women-with-endometriosis-discovered/#comments Fri, 26 Jul 2019 02:42:31 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=18341 The post Video: Key cause of pelvic pain for women with endometriosis discovered appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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YouTube Video

TRANSCRIPT: Key cause of pelvic pain for women with endometriosis discovered

Hi, I’m here with some exciting news. There was actually a study published earlier this month, that is showing one of the key causes of the reason for pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. 

This team focused on the type of immune cell; a white blood cell called the macrophage. And macrophage comes from Greek term, big eater, “macro,” big “phage” eater. And really, they’re kind of the garbage collectors, or they eat up different things, actually I have a picture here of one eating some bacteria. 

macrophages: Key cause of pelvic pain for women with endometriosis

And so, they’ll eat bacteria cells as they’re dying off, and a variety of other things, they kind of clean up the place. And then, depending on where in the body and what the role is, they’ll actually release different substances that help, so in the case if there’s not enough oxygen and a tissue is trying to heal it will stimulate new blood vessel growth. So, they can really be good and helpful in the body. But it turns out that the local environment, the signals can change the behavior of these macrophages. And it turns out that they’re actually drawn into the endometriosis lesions, so if you look in the endometriosis lesions themselves they are packed full of these macrophages. 

And It turns out, they’re kind of macrophages gone bad. Because it turns out that what they’ve discovered is that under the influence of endometriosis the macrophages are then producing what’s called insulin like growth factor 1 or IGF-1. And what that does is stimulate the nerve cells to grow and culture and actually become more sensitive. So it’s a way of creating oversensitivity, kind of like a sunburn inside. And so, this is a great understanding and again, macrophages, if you don’t remember the word, you’ve got “MGB” macrophages gone bad. So, you know, they can be good, but these are kind of turned into juvenile delinquents, and they’re raising havoc in the pelvis. 

But part of the good news is that this information allows us a new venue of study, to better understand and hopefully provide better treatment. So, both pain relief and maybe even as a way to tag the endo so we can find it and get rid of it one way or another.

So for you, geekoids out there, the title of the article: 

 

 Macrophage-derived insulin-like growth factor-1 is a key neurotrophic and nerve-sensitizing factor in pain associated with endometriosis. 

So, let me know what you think. I know this is getting a little bit more technical, but I’ve always been of the belief that women with endo are very educated, very smart, and very capable. So just trying to pass this information on to you and I think it’s a great study. All right. Take care.

Click here to read the study

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]]> https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/key-cause-of-pelvic-pain-for-women-with-endometriosis-discovered/feed/ 1 Dr. Cook Joins Flourish! on Hayhouse Radio® with Dr. Christiane Northrup https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/dr-cook-joins-flourish-hayhouse-radio-dr-christiane-northrup/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/dr-cook-joins-flourish-hayhouse-radio-dr-christiane-northrup/#comments Wed, 22 Nov 2017 16:33:59 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=15181 The post Dr. Cook Joins Flourish! on Hayhouse Radio® with Dr. Christiane Northrup appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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On Wednesday, December 6th, tune in to Dr. Christiane Northrup’s online radio show Flourish! as Dr. Cook discusses the realities and myths of endometriosis and pelvic pain, and why many patients are misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

The radio segment called Stop Endometrioses and Pelvic Pain will air at 11:00 am ET/ 8:00 am PT. Both the live broadcast and recording of the segment can be heard on the Hayhouse Radio website.

Every Wednesday, Christiane Northrup, a well-renowned doctor and women’s wellness expert, hosts a weekly program on Hayhouse Radio called Flourish! where she interviews various specialists in different areas relating to women’s health and wellness.

For more information, contact Vital Health Endometriosis Center today.

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]]> https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/dr-cook-joins-flourish-hayhouse-radio-dr-christiane-northrup/feed/ 1 Vital Health and Crossfit https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/crossfit/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/crossfit/#comments Thu, 14 Sep 2017 15:25:43 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=15120 The post Vital Health and Crossfit appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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Endometriosis not only affects women, it also affects their families and partners. Crossfit did a great video on the husband of a former patient and their journey with Endometriosis. Check it out here.

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]]> https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/crossfit/feed/ 1 The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program: Available Now https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/the-endometriosis-health-diet-program-available-now/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/the-endometriosis-health-diet-program-available-now/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2016 08:10:23 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=14967 The post The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program: Available Now appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program by Dr. Cook

Introducing :

The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program, co-authored by Dr. Andrew Cook and Danielle Cook.

This comprehensive, integrative program for treating endometriosis, and serves as a starting point for building an individualized program. It explains the medical side of endometriosis and how lifestyle factors may impact the disease — it answers the “why” of this condition, including ways to strengthen your body to optimize your health through detoxification and stress reduction. This program includes 100 delicious inflammation reducing recipes and useful tips to manage symptoms and potentially slow or halt endometriosis disease.

Now available for order on Amazon: The Endometriosis Health & Diet Program

Ready to start your healing journey? Request a free virtual consultation today.

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]]> https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/the-endometriosis-health-diet-program-available-now/feed/ 2 Dr Cook appears on The Doctors : 12-5-16 https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/dr-cook-appears-on-the-doctors-12-5-16/ Wed, 30 Nov 2016 22:46:07 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=14928 The post Dr Cook appears on The Doctors : 12-5-16 appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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Please tune into your local CBS station to see Dr Cook on Monday, 12-5-16, on The Doctors TV Program. It will air in California at various times, depending on location.  For those unable to watch the program at the airing time, there will be a post airing video available on our website, our Facebook page, and on The Doctors CBS website.  San Francisco Bay Area residents can view on KRON-TV at 2pm, Los Angeles Area can view on KCAL-TV at 11am.

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]]> RMC Endo Support Group Webinar with Dr Cook https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/rmc-endo-support-group-webinar-dr-cook/ Mon, 14 Nov 2016 23:04:46 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=14907 The post RMC Endo Support Group Webinar with Dr Cook appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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THANKS to Erin, Riverside Medical Clinic’s Endometriosis Support Group, for a great Webinar Hosting!  Here is the video of this Webinar :

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]]> Please join us for the Endo What? West Coast Premier on April 13th in San Francisco https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/join-us-for-the-endo-what-premier-4-13-16-in-san-francisco/ Thu, 31 Mar 2016 03:22:11 +0000 https://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=14664 The post Please join us for the Endo What? West Coast Premier on April 13th in San Francisco appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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Director and Producer Shannon Cohn announces the premier screening of her documentary film Endo What? this April 13th at the Delaney Street Theatre in San Francisco.  Please join Dr. Andrew Cook and Libby Hopton, Director of Research & Evidence Based Medicine, as we gather with a group of esteemed panelists to answer questions on Endometriosis, and discuss issues relating to public awareness of this disease. Don’t miss your chance to view this important film which includes heartfelt stories from patients and insightful commentary by world renowned Endometriosis experts and leaders in the field.  Tickets are available on the Endo What? website at  http://endowhat.com

Announcing ~  Special 25% discount on tickets when you enter VitalHealth on the tickets page!  Special thanks to Shannon Cohn for this discount offer for all of our patients and Facebook fans! 

Congratulations to Director and Producer Shannon Cohn, along with her production team : Patricio Cohn, Producer and Cinematographer, and Arix Zalace, Producer / Editor for this fine production.  We would like to extend a special thank you to the women in this film who so bravely and generously shared their stories and personal experiences. These testimonies have contributed greatly to the core content and are truly instrumental in depicting the impact of Endometriosis on women worldwide.

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]]> Kelly Heslin joins VHI for Public Health Masters Internship https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/kelly-heslin-joins-vhi-for-public-health-masters-internship/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/kelly-heslin-joins-vhi-for-public-health-masters-internship/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2015 23:31:20 +0000 http://www.vitalhealth.com/?p=13352 The post Kelly Heslin joins VHI for Public Health Masters Internship appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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This opportunity is exactly what I had hoped my public health education would offer: professional public health development in the field of endometriosis, working toward reducing the unnecessary suffering that so many women experience.

Kelly M. Heslin, of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, joins Vital Health Endometriosis Center this summer to complete the Internship for her Masters in Public Health Degree.  Kelly’s Internship plan is focused on the development of an Endometriosis Education Plan that will serve as an outreach program in our community and elsewhere.

In Kelly’s words: “Endometriosis is a reproductive disease that affects at least 1 in 10 women worldwide, causing pain and infertility, as well as numerous other symptoms that interfere with a woman’s health and productivity. Vital Health Endometriosis Center has invaluable connections to and direct involvement with the local community, as well as the endometriosis treatment and research community at large. I foresee this internship as merely a stepping off point, and I am optimistic that I will be able to continue working with this project specifically, or with one of the other major players in the endometriosis field to continue educating and advocating for women who are marginalized by the existing health system, both pre- and post-diagnosis”.

We warmly welcome Kelly to the Vital Health Team this summer,  for completion of this important work.

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]]> https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/kelly-heslin-joins-vhi-for-public-health-masters-internship/feed/ 2 Vital Health Launches Endo Survival Guide! https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/vital-health-launches-the-endo-survival-guide/ https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/vital-health-launches-the-endo-survival-guide/#respond Sun, 15 Mar 2015 23:12:46 +0000 http://test.vitalhealth.com/?p=8043 The post Vital Health Launches Endo Survival Guide! appeared first on Vital Health Endometriosis Center.

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The Endo Patient's Survival Guide by Dr. Cook

The Endo Patient’s Survival Guide, co-authored by Dr. Andrew Cook, Libby Hopton and Danielle Cook, is the essential patient’s companion to living with and overcoming endometriosis and pelvic pain: from seeking help and getting an initial diagnosis to navigating treatment options and achieving optimal relief and wellness.

The guide is now printed and available for order on Amazon.com

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