Do you remember being a child and not wanting to go to sleep?
It’s different now, isn’t it? Ah elusive sleep…
Insomnia in Chinese Medicine
It is said in Chinese Medicine, that sleep occurs when “the mind goes to rest in the heart”. For this to happen, the “heart” must be a comfortable bed. Difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep are signs that the heart bed is either “too hot” or “not padded enough”.
A Hot Heart
Heat in the heart reflects “yang rising” (often related to stress and/or anger) or “yin deficiency” (often seen alongside anxious exhaustion, feelings of heat and thirst). An experienced acupuncturist treats the root cause of the imbalance to bring relief of all symptoms and improved sleep.
A Hard Bed
When there is not enough “blood” or “yin” in the heart it is difficult for the mind to stay settled. These issues are addressed in Chinese Medicine with acupuncture, lifestyle adjustments, dietary therapy, and occasionally herbs.
Deep sleep is essential for the well being of mother and child. Insomnia is a common concern in pregnancy, especially when exacerbated by the need to get up to pee frequently and difficulties finding a comfortable position. I always reassure pregnant women that they have entered the zone of “guilt free napping”. Women need a lot of sleep in pregnancy and as they prepare for labour and the sleep-deprived early postpartum days ahead. In my experience, acupuncture is very effective in breaking negative sleep cycles and helping women get the rest they deserve and so greatly need.
I find it intellectually stimulating to practice acupuncture in Toronto, Canada.
Toronto is a hub for acupuncture styles that range from classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Japanese Acupuncture, and western based acupuncture. If you just do a web search for “acupuncture in toronto” you will immediately see the wide world of teaching styles and types of therapists that are engaged in one of the acupuncture forms available in Toronto, Ontario.
Types of therapists include: acupuncturists who have studied at one of the TCM schools, Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Medical Doctors, Massage Therapists, Shiatsu Therapists, and other health professionals.
Any of them could be helpful. My suggestion, since it is how I was trained, is to find a good TCM acupuncturist in Toronto. My expertise is primarily with pregnancy and pregnant women, so I tend to prefer acupuncturists that have a focus or are a veteran in a particular classic style of acupuncture.
Women’s Health Issues: Pregnancy and Menopause
Early on in my acupuncture career, I found an affinity with treating women’s health issues including menopause and right now my practice is almost exclusively focused on pregnant women.
I find that pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time! It is a magical time. Alas, it can also be a difficult time. Women are often discouraged when the challenges of pregnancy feel overwhelming. And although it may be reassuring to be told that one’s aches and pains (for example, morning sickness, or sciatica, carpel tunnel syndrome, pelvic pain, back pain, insomnia, exhaustion or anxiety) is “normal”, that doesn’t bring relief.
Many women are told that there is nothing they can do to help themselves feel better. Their experience is often ignored or at best, belittled.
There are “new” options that are actually thousands of years old. Traditional acupuncture offers safe and effective relief. Thousands of women are enjoying relief they didn’t realize was possible. When performed by a knowledgeable professional, acupuncture really works!
If you have been diagnosed with hypertension during your pregnancy, or even if you are looking for preventative measures to keep your blood pressure down, here are a number of recommendations to help keep you “calm and collected”.
1. Water. Water. Water. Drink some water. Then drink some more and then some more. At least 8 cups a day or more if you can. You’ll get to know the washrooms all about town.
2. Exercise and Stretching. Active women are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure. For those who are dealing with hypertension already, walking, yoga, tai chi and gentle stretching are beneficial to keep your blood circulating and heart pumping.
3. A Healthy Diet. A diet that includes plenty of fresh organic fruits and vegetables will help you feel good about how you are caring for yourself and for your baby. Some special considerations to help alleviate or prevent hypertension include: a) Load up on the protein. Up your protein intake to 80-100 grams per day. So we are taking about eating A LOT of protein. There are roughly 25 grams of protein in three cups of milk, or four eggs, or two cups of cooked beans, or two ounces of nuts, or four ounces of fish, meat or cheese. (Susan Weed, Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, 1986). b) Calcium is your friend! 1,000 grams of calcium daily during pregnancy is recommended. `The best source of calcium is seaweed! Other calcium-rich foods include fish, dairy products, almonds, broccoli, bok choy, brazil nuts, collard greens, dandelion greens, eggs, kale, blackstrap molasses, sesame tahini, soybeans, tofu, and sunflower seeds. c) Potassium. Potato peels and fresh bananas are exceptionally rich in potassium. A banana a day keeps the cramps away. d) A cucumber a day. Cucumbers are the food most renowned for lowering blood pressure. A whole cucumber per day will also relieve constipation and benefit your kidneys.
e) Other dietary recommendations include taking fish oil, eating large quantities of garlic, and avoiding stimulants such as spicy or peppery foods, black tea, cola drinks, coffee, and nicotine.
4. Tea for two. Drink nettle or raspberry leaf infusions daily. Other helpful herbal teas (to be taken under the direction of a herbalist) include hops, passionflower, skullcap, and Hawthorn berries
Making an Herbal Infusion: Use a jar that has a lid and holds at least 4 cups of water. Put one handful of loose leaves (or roots in the case of ginger) and pour boiling water into the jar. Leave for 4 hours or more It’s easy to prepare this before bed and have it ready at room temperature in the morning.
Long steeping extracts all the chlorophyll, as well as the vitamins and minerals. Drink your tea over the course of the day.
If you want to steep a fresh hot cup of tea, leave a teaspoon of herbs in a cup of water for at least 15 minutes.
5. Enjoy regular baths. Adding Epsom salts to your bath allows for magnesium absorption and this often aids in pain relief. Daily swimming in a pool is also recommended.
6. Express Yourself! Emotional stress can raise blood pressure. It is important to express difficult emotions as they arise, as opposed to holding them in. Talk openly to family and friends. Find non-verbal forms of expression (in art, movement, and singing).
7. Relaxation/Meditation/Visualization. Nothing is as centering and healing as a deep mindful breath. Search out activities or classes that resonate with you, be they prenatal yoga, or mindfulness meditation. Enjoy the journey with an open heart and smile on your face.
Acupuncture and Pregnancy: Dawn Aarons, Toronto – High Blood Pressure can become a pregnancy related complication in which case it is called Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH). If a woman is also experiencing edema (excessive fluid retention) and has protein in her urine (determined with a dipstick test in a urine sample), this condition is referred to as preeclampsia.
Women can also enter pregnancy with pre-existing high blood pressure (essential hypertension).
In both cases, blood pressure is monitored on an ongoing basis. The systolic (the top figure) and the diastolic pressure (the bottom reading) are monitored. Concern will arise if either the systolic or diastolic pressure rises significantly above the woman’s original blood pressure (baseline). A diastolic pressure of over 90-95 is usually considered a cause for concern, particularly if accompanied by upper body edema, protein in the urine, severe headaches, nausea or vomiting, and/or visual disturbances.
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) affects 2.5-3% of pregnant women (Redman C, Sargent 2005. Latest Advances in Understanding Preeclampsia. Science 308: 1592-4.) PIH is more commonly experienced by first-time mothers, especially those under 19 and over 40 years old, and those who are obese.
Acupuncture for High Blood Pressure
Acupuncture is the most commonly used method to treat hypertension during pregnancy in our Toronto Acupuncture clinic. Acupuncture is used to balance and relax the body, and is most successful in combination with lifestyle adjustments – especially regular exercise, stress relief, and a healthy diet.
From a Chinese Medicine perspective, the appropriate treatment depends on the underlying imbalance that is causing the hypertension. Different imbalances will show different combinations of signs and symptoms in addition to the high blood pressure. An experienced acupuncturist will determine a woman’s pattern of imbalance (in this case some possibilities include Liver Blood deficiency, Liver and Kidney yin deficiency, Spleen Yang Deficiency, Liver Yang Rising) and treat her specific condition. In her book, Acupuncture and Pregancy in Labour, Debra Betts writes, “positive changes are clearly achievable with acupuncture, indicating that it can help the body to normalize and allow women to progress naturally through their pregnancy. These changes include reduction in uric acid to normal levels and stabilization of liver enzymes, as well as the more obvious signs of blood pressure readings remaining within acceptable medical limits”(p.110)
Research on Hypertension
Research on Hypertension supports calcium supplementation and regular exercise.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study that reported that consuming sufficient calcium during pregnancy can reduce the risk of PIH and preeclampsia. The researchers found that 1500 – 2000 mg daily of calcium supplementation can lower the risk of PIH by 70% and the risk of preeclampsia by over 60%.
A study on exercise and gestational hypertension concluded that the most active women were 43% less likely to develop preeclampsia than sedentary women. (Marcoux, S., J. Brisson, and J. Fabia. The effect of leisure time physical activity on the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 43:147-152, 1989.)
See Self-Care Guide for Pregnancy Hypertension for information on things you can do to help yourself. Consider using acupuncture as part of the overall care plan you arrange in consultation with your primary health care provider.
A recent study of the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating depression during pregnancy published reassuring findings.
“The results of our study show that the acupuncture protocol we tested could be a viable treatment option for depression during pregnancy,” Rosa Schnyer of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin said in a statement.
Schnyer and colleagues conducted an evaluator-blinded randomized trial in which 150 pregnant women who met the criteria of major depressive disorder received either eight weeks of acupuncture specific for depression or one of two active controls — control acupuncture or massage. Women receiving acupuncture specific for depression experienced a significantly greater decrease in depression severity compared to the controls.” UPI.com United Press International (Feb 8, 2010)
In my acupuncture practice in Toronto I have worked successfully with pregnant women suffering from depression.
Acupuncture in pregnancy does not pose risks to the fetus. As well as improving mood, acupuncture can simultaneously be used to relieve aches and pains associated with pregnancy as well as discomforts such as nausea, heartburn and swelling.
As a modality of Chinese Medicine, acupuncture balances the woman’s whole body and mind; relieving symptoms, energizing and inviting a general sense of well being.
Click here for a detailed report on this study from the The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
