5 min read
July is Chronic Disease Awareness Month-and our one-year anniversary here at the RESTORE Center for Endometriosis!
At RESTORE we’re using this month to continue to shine a light on one of the most overlooked and misunderstood chronic diseases impacting millions of women worldwide: endometriosis.
Dr. Patrick Yeung, renowned endometriosis excision surgeon, founded RESTORE with the mission to offer a ROOT CAUSE, one-and-done treatment for endometriosis, a debilitating and devastating disease associated with pain and infertility.
We understand that endometriosis is more than just "bad periods"—it's a chronic, inflammatory, whole-body disease which can cause debilitating pain, bowel and bladder issues, organ damage, mental health challenges, and is often the ROOT CAUSE infertility. Yet, for too long, women have been dismissed and offered band-aid or bypass treatment options, including chemical menopause, birth control, or IVF, which do not support true healing.
You deserve more.
As Dr. Yeung, a leader in Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) says, “Endometriosis sufferers are worthy of the highest standard of medical care, including the opportunity to assess, understand, and improve their overall and reproductive health!"
Endometriosis is a Chronic Disease
We recognize endometriosis for what it truly is: a chronic disease that requires a comprehensive, root-cause approach to healing. We also know that unexplained infertility is NOT a diagnosis.
While many confuse endometriosis for a gynecological disease contained within the reproductive cavity, we understand that endometriosis can be found anywhere throughout the body. Endo is not only devastating physiologically but impacts our mental health, self-image, relationships, careers, vacations---every aspect of our lives is touched by this debilitating chronic disease.
It is important to understand that endometriosis and infertility do not exist in a vacuum. There are countless roots to chronic diseases; we know that chronic inflammation, hormone imbalances, and leaky gut, along with a range of nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental factors, create a perfect storm in which disease thrives.
For those of us who have battled with, or are currently battling infertility, there is power in knowing that unexplained infertility is a sign of underlying chronic conditions.
Endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, blocked fallopian tubes, fibroids, polyps, hormone imbalances, genetic disorders, Autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammation, other underlying undiagnosed chronic diseases, are all root causes of infertility and you deserve answers!
What makes endometriosis a chronic disease?
- Chronic Inflammation: endometriosis creates and thrives in an environment of chronic inflammation which leads to devastating full-body pain, tissue damage, hormonal imbalance, and organ dysfunction
- Infiltrative Nature: much like cancer, endometriosis spreads throughout the body and can dig deep into tissues, causing pain and inflammation, and requiring Optimal LAPEX excision
- Hormonal Sensitivity: endometriosis responds to cyclical hormonal changes, which causes symptoms to flare throughout each phase of the menstrual cycle—proving this not just a period problem!
- Impact: endo doesn't only affect reproductive organs—it can affect the bowel, bladder, diaphragm, nerves, lungs, and has even been found in the brain and eyes
- Misdiagnosis: Many women suffer for years, sometimes decades, before being correctly diagnosed, contributing to worsening disease and diminished quality of life
- Patient Perspective: those of us living with endometriosis understand that living with chronic disease is a full-time job, particularly in a system where we are frequently questioned and gaslit. Many of us have succumbed to living in a storm of pain, uncertainty, countless doctor’s appointments, and mounting medical bills all with no answers or solutions
Calling endometriosis what it is-a chronic disease, shifts the way we treat it—from symptom suppression to root-cause resolution. It moves the conversation away from “just manage it” to “let’s heal it.”
Healing is possible! At RESTORE we don’t mask or band-aid, we heal-this mindset is critical!
We are here to change the narrative!
Done with the Status Quo:
New polling from The Heritage Foundation and JLL Partners found that 54% of Americans want answers and to address infertility at the ROOT!
Our Restorative Reproductive Medicine community hears you and at RESTORE Center for Endometriosis we are proud to be leading the paradigm shift towards root cause healing!
Gone are the days of:
- Hormonal suppression medications, chemical menopause, and birth control
- Pain medication - which brings little to no relief
- Repeat ablation surgeries, which cause damage and do not address endometriosis at its roots
- Fertility therapies (IUI, IVF) that bypass the couple and leave women living a life of chronic disease
In taking a comprehensive approach to women’s health, RRM aims to diagnose and treat underlying drivers of disease and RESTORE women’s health, fertility, and quality of life!
Restorative Reproductive Medicine for Healing Endometriosis
We cannot look at women as individual body parts, we must see women as a whole and understand that chronic disease, particularly endometriosis, impacts every aspect of a woman’s health and life.
At RESTORE we focus on comprehensive diagnosis and treatment by addressing the underlying condition to restore natural fertility rather than bypassing (IVF) or suppressing (hormonal medications) the disease.
“Our goal isn’t just to relieve pain—we want to restore fertility, reduce inflammation, and improve overall quality of life.” -Dr. Patrick Yeung on the Natural Womanhood Podcast
In Restorative Reproductive Medicine we on focus medical and lifestyle practices which create balance in mind, body, and spirit, to promote overall health and longevity.
In combination with Functional Medicine, we focus on using food as medicine, understanding that lifestyle and nutrition have a massive impact on the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
Our 3-Pronged Approach, a Functional, Whole-Person Solution
With over 10 years of research at St. Louis University, Dr. Yeung, has proven that using his 3-pronged approach to treating endometriosis one and done surgery is possible!
Our proven results show an astoundingly low repeat rate of surgery-only 2.5%, with many of our patients conceiving naturally within 1-2 years of excision surgery.
- Anatomy: through optimal excision surgery with LAPEX and adhesion prevention, we remove endometriosis at the root with a "one-and-done" approach that minimizes recurrence and restores natural fertility
- Hormones: targeted hormonal evaluation and support with education for understanding signs of fertility to pinpoint ovulation and increase chances of natural fertility
- Nutrition + Lifestyle: a Functional Medicine approach using food as medicine and anti-inflammatory nutrition to reduce inflammation, support hormone balance, heal leaky gut, and promote lasting health and longevity
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE GUIDE TODAY
Supporting Natural Fertility
Far too often women are either told, keep trying, or are rushed into fertility treatments without understanding why they aren’t conceiving.
The first step in understanding fertility is understanding your menstrual cycle, something which, sadly, most of us are not educated on. When a woman, and a couple working to achieve their dream of building a family, understands her cycle she is empowered.
Understanding that your fertile window, or your ovulatory phase, is only a small window of time in your approximately 28 days cycle, empowers each woman to understand the signs of potential fertility, including increased cervical mucus.
In using fertility awareness methods and cycle tracking tools, which every woman has the right to understand though many women, and even medical doctors are not educated on, we put the power in the hands of the couple.
Rather than jumping to IVF, which may appear to be a quick fix but does not address the root causes of the chronic disease driving infertility, we strive for true healing and promote natural fertility.
Dr. Yeung recently had the honor of speaking on The Women’s Health & Fertility Panel, hosted by The MAHA Institute and The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, in support of The RESTORE Act, groundbreaking new legislation which promotes research and education for RRM.
Controlling What You Can Control
While Instagram may tell us, just take this supplement and you’ll be healed, we know there is much more to treating endometriosis.
In most cases, excision surgery is the only option to truly eradicate chronic disease, though it is important to prepare yourself for surgery and support your body’s ability to heal post-operatively.
Living with chronic disease can leave us feeling out of control - here are a few powerful steps you can take:
- Download our FREE Functional Medicine Guide
- Educate yourself on your cycle and take steps to live with your cycle
- Focus on Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition
- Learn more about inflammation + leaky gut as drivers of endo
- Focus on small sustainable changes: stay hydrated, eat whole foods, get daily movement, practice self-care and stress management, focus on sleep, and surround yourself with support
- Meet with Dr. Yeung to determine if optimal excision surgery for endometriosis is appropriate for you
One Year: Advocacy, Empowerment, Support, Education, Root-Cause Healing, and Natural Fertility
As we reflect on our first year as the RESTORE Center for Endometriosis our hearts are grateful! Grateful to God, grateful to each of you, and grateful to our team!
We are also celebrating our very first RESTORE baby, Sage, whose mother, Breanne, was our first surgical patient. Breanne achieved natural pregnancy just two cycles after her ROOT CAUSE endometriosis excision surgery!
We thank each and every one of you who has allowed us to be a part of your journey. Thank you for helping us spread our mission and for sharing your stories-our voices will be heard!
To every woman reading this—we see you, we believe you, and we are here for you!
Dr. Patrick Yeung and your RESTORE Center for Endometriosis team of St. Louis, Missouri, will continue to champion and fight for you!
We have been blessed beyond measure and with our mission to pay forward what we have received, the *BEST* is yet to come!
