PELVIC CONGESTION SYNDROME

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

Ó July 2011, The Center For Development

A common condition, found more often in women but also in some men, is a great deal of congestion and perhaps tightness in the pelvic area. I am calling it pelvic congestion syndrome as I am unaware of a better term. It is not the same as pelvic inflammatory disease, for example, which is more about inflammation and infection. Let us discuss it in more detail.

POSSIBLE CAUSES

Excessive sexual activity, usually early in life, say before age 30. This appears to be the major cause. This seems to create conflicts in the women, especially if the sexual activity is without a bond of love, marriage or some other committed relationship. Unfortunately, such casual sexual activity is encouraged too often, today, long before young women are ready for it or comprehend how it affects their bodies and their emotions.

Sexually-transmitted diseases that often go undiagnosed and untreated. Sometimes this is a subtle cause, especially if they give few symptoms so they are not treated at all. However, they cause a lowered energy level in this area of the body and may causes inflammation, pelvic inflammatory conditions, menstrual abnormalities and other problems.

Physical or emotional upset or traumas related to this area of the body. This can include sexual molestation or rape, of course. However, it can also include emotional abuse or confusion, mixed signals from adults in relation to sex, reproduction, menstruation, even one’s style of dress. Women today are bombarded by mixed messages from many sources, and this appears to contribute greatly to the congestion and tension in the pelvic area. They are taught they should be free to do whatever they wish, they can do anything the “boys” do, yet they are warned about pregnancy, STDs, modesty, playing hard to get, dressing appropriately for the business world, and other messages as well. This can leave a young woman thoroughly confused and upset, and it appears to affect this area the most.

Sensitivity to how one is viewed by men. An important cause that would come under the heading of emotional or mental stress is that some young women are very sensitive to the way men, in particular, but also other women, look at their bodies. They have often not been taught well enough that men are “hard-wired” to stare at women’s bodies, in a way, because this is part of the way nature assures the reproduction of the species. Therefore, all the sexual innuendo, odd behavior by boys, primarily, dating games, sexual advances by older men, perhaps, problems at work, school and everywhere else, cause extreme stress for these young women that appears to affect the pelvic area the most. This cause is more important if the woman is physically attractive at all. Often the physically attractive women appear to have the worst problem with pelvic syndrome.

Repression or suppression of sexual feelings or activity. This is less common, but used to be more so. That is, women who were prevented from experiencing or talking about or feeling any sexual feelings can also develop tensions in this area. However, this is much less common today in America and particularly Europe and Asia, as the cultures are no longer so suppressive.

Having children. A final possible cause is having a lot of children, or perhaps not having children at all when one wishes to have children. Once again, this seems to cause conflict in this area of the body.

SYMPTOMS AND DETECTION

Most of those with this condition are unaware that they have it. Hair mineral analysis, by itself, is not good for detection, although the condition is associated with a low Na/K ratio in some cases.

It often causes few obvious symptoms, although there are often chiropractic or osteopathic imbalances in the pelvis and hips. There may be pain that radiate from this area, though it may be difficult to realize that the pelvic tension is the real center of the problem. Some people with this condition have knee problems, for example, that relate to hip or pelvic imbalances. Others experience back or neck tension or pain, though most do not realize that the cause, once again, often stems from the pelvic area that is tense and often misaligned.

For example, the pelvis may be tipped forward or backward. It may also be tipped to one side, or it is often somewhat twisted or unbalanced in another way. Sometimes the condition is detected during a massage or bodywork session. The pelvic area may be tender, painful to the touch, very tense, hardened or simply not functioning well in a muscular and mechanical way. I am told this by many Rolfers and structural integration practitioners, for example.

Other possible symptoms include PMS or other menstrual imbalances in young women. Some may also experience amenorrhea or other menstrual problems, and even testicular pain and tension in men.

SOLUTIONS

Bodywork. One of the best solutions is Rolfing, structural integration or other deep systems of bodywork. A number of sessions are needed in most cases, as the condition is usually very chronic and rather stubborn. Emotional releases often accompany such sessions as the person either relives a traumatic event or scene, or simply gets in touch with feelings that are stored in this area of the body.

Near infrared sauna therapy. This method is slow, but very helpful as it brings deep, penetrating infrared heat to this area. This is excellent to helps unlock and heal tense and toxic muscle tissue, along with tense and toxic ligaments, tendons and other pelvic tissues.

Gentle but deep chiropractic or osteopathic work. This is also superb and often necessary to resolve all sorts of knee, hip, back, and neck conditions that may be related to women’s pelvic syndrome. Once again, this is a slow unwinding process that usually takes some years to undo and rebuild the tissues in this area.

Nutritional balancing science. Balancing and strengthening the entire body chemistry, especially the autonomic nervous system, is also most helpful to clear one’s head, enhance one’s ability to process the past, enable a woman to have more adaptive energy and vitality with which to heal herself in every way, and to get rid of chronic infections and weakened tissues in this area of the body.

Nutritional balancing can also help a woman to appreciate herself, her health and her loveliness in ways she never thought possible, so that she is not liable to use her body as a means to attract attention in unhealthy ways. This is a key to resolving this syndrome for a lot of women. Otherwise, they continue to basically abuse the body, use it for sexual gratification although they often are not really satisfied, allow others to use their body for sexual gratification out of fear, anger or desperation, and otherwise continue creating more problems in this area of their bodies. The importance of overall healing cannot be overestimated and for this reason a complete nutritional balancing program is by far the best single method of coping with this syndrome.

Emotional release techniques and others. Many natural therapies from massage, relaxation, biofeedback and some counseling, at times, may all help a woman to understand herself better in this area of her body, and to cope with men, other women, the business world and other newer experiences that women of today must learn to cope with that their mothers, for example, may not have had to deal with as much in the past.

MEN WITH PELVIC SYNDROME

These are few, relatively. They are men whose mothers were usually very harsh, not too loving, and men whose mothers, particularly, may have subtly abused them sexually or emotionally. Some become homosexual, bisexual or non-sexual in an effort to compensate or cope with stored anger and other feelings in this area of the body.

The penis may be small, or too large, or their can be other aberrations in this area of the body. There is often digestive discomfort to some degree as well. Most men with the syndrome, however, do quite well as it seems to affect them less than it affects the women.

Healing the problem, for the men, involves the same therapies as it does for the women. The bodywork is especially important, it seems, as the men often have difficulty with structural problems due to this syndrome. Once again, years are often required to repair the physical and emotional damage to the area. Some day, I hope all parents will receive more education about raising young girls and boys to help protect them from this kind of damage and prevent pelvic syndromes.

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