Postpartum Depression
Bounce Back
from Giving Birth
Your
baby is healthy and beautiful. All of your relatives
want pictures e-mailed to them until they can come
and visit. The doctors have fussed over your
newborn, reassuring you that all is well. So what
about you? You've just gone through an extremely
rigorous nine-month workout that culminated in a
whirlwind of emotions, physical strain, and
tremendous blood loss. How are you going to bounce
back so that you can resume life and care for an
infant who needs you night and day?
Oriental medicine has many helping hands to lend a
new mother. Chinese herbs and food therapy are used
to nourish and balance your body and improve your
overall energy. Acupuncture helps heal the trauma
your body goes through while restoring the normal
function and flow of qi in the channels.
Part
with Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression affects approximately 10-20
percent of new mothers, and usually appears between
two to eight weeks after delivery. This is different
from postpartum blues (sadness, anxiety, insomnia,
and weepiness) which appear within several days of
delivery and go away in 10-12 days. The blues are
common, affecting between 50 and 80 percent of all
new mothers.
Postpartum depression can last from weeks to a year,
and the symptoms may be intense and frightening to
the new mother and her family. The risk factors for
postpartum depression include a history of moderate
to severe premenstrual syndrome and depression,
among others.
Oriental medicine explains this condition as a
sudden loss of blood and yin, which leaves the body
unable to nourish and balance the mind and spirit.
Your acu-pro will use acupuncture and acupressure,
Chinese herbal medicines, and Qi Gong meditations to
help you take back your life and feel good again. As
usual your exact condition will determine the
treatment, but many of the herbs that you are likely
to find in your prescription include Dang Gui, Shu
Di Huang, Bai Shao, and Ye Jiao Teng. These can be
prepared in teas; capsules or powders just to name a
few. Acupuncture, acupressure and Qi Gong are all
designed to free up the heavy stagnant Qi that often
accompanies this condition. Acupuncture is on the
World Health Organization’s list as viable
treatments for depression.
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