When faced with the disagreeable options of hormone drugs and/or surgery, it is no wonder that so many women suffering from uterine fibroids seek out alternatives to the conventional medical treatment. However many are confused and frustrated why the natural approach they tried failed to provide results. This article will illuminate the common mistakes that are made with natural approaches.

When discussing natural fibroid treatment, not all of the programs are the same and as in conventional medicine, not all patients respond in the same way to a given treatment.

Mistake Number 1. Expecting immediate results.

The most common mistake in naturally shrinking fibroids is to expect immediate results. While a few natural fibroid treatment approaches can offer fast results (in the two to six month range) most natural programs may require a duration that is more than twice as long. Of course the most important variable is the size of the tumor or tumors. Therefore, the most common mistake that women make in natural fibroid treatment is expecting too much too quickly and failing to be consistent with the program over the long haul.

Since excessive estrogen fuels the growth of fibroids, most programs aim to address estrogen dominance and help a woman bring her estrogen-progesterone ratio into balance.

With the most widely known natural approaches, major changes in diet are necessary along with multiple herbal and nutritional supplements. Often detoxification programs are part of the program as well.

Mistake Number 2. Avoiding sources of estrogen.

A common mistake is failing to avoid sources of estrogen. For example, many women are unwilling to abandon pharmaceutical contraception. All oral and injected contraceptive drugs use hormones that create major imbalances that lead to estrogen dominance. Some post-menopausal women are unwilling to part with estrogen replacement drugs that help control hot flashes. Additionally, some medications such as corticosteroids create havoc with hormone levels.

Mistake Number 3. Consuming foods high in estrogen.

Women often are unaware of the high levels of estrogen found in popular and heralded "healthy foods." The top foods to be avoided are soy and flax products. While many will argue forever about the merits of these two foods in particular, failure to avoid them will only serve to fuel the continued growth of fibroid tumors and increase the risk of a host of cancers. Excessive estrogen is the cause of a majority of cancers. Dr. William Wong offers this pearl of wisdom: Think of every seed, bean or pod as a little uterus ready to procreate, and full of estrogen. These foods certainly have nutritional value, but for a man or woman who is estrogen dominate, they must be avoided.

Mistake Number 4. Exposure to zenoestrogens.

Failing to recognize the environmental sources of estrogen can also sabotage a woman's chance for success in naturally shrinking her fibroids. A woman may be doing everything right in her program yet continue to experience growing fibroid tumors because she lives on a farm or near a golf course where she is exposed to high levels of herbicides -- known xenoestrogens. In the most ironic examples, the very supplements or herbs recommended to shrink fibroids may contain soy or high levels of phytoestrogens.

Some programs aim at dissolving fibroid tumors rapidly using systemic enzymes that contain a fibroid-eating enzyme (fibrinolytic enzyme). All fibrotic tissue is digested and the uterus is cleared any remains of fibroid tumors. These programs can work very well but by themselves do not address the underlying estrogen dominance which is the cause of the condition.

Enzyme therapy offers the fast track to shrinking fibroid tumors. With systemic enzyme therapy, three mistakes are most common and make up the final three of this list.

Mistake Number 5. Failure to purchase a professional-strength enzyme formula that is proven to work;

Mistake Number 6. Failing to slowly increase the dose to a therapeutic level ("activation dose"); and

Mistake Number 7. Failing to take the enzyme supplement consistently to maintain a level of enzymes in the bloodstream high enough to dissolve the tumor 24/7.

Clearly the best way to avoid failure using a natural uterine fibroid treatment program is to combine the best strategies each approach has to offer and follow it correctly and consistently. Fortunately, a simple and fool-proof program is currently available that utilizes systemic enzymes and two other inexpensive products to provide a comprehensive natural approach.