For most postpartum women sleep is more valuable than gold!
Commonly women are advised to “sleep when the baby sleeps!”. It’s great advice if you can do it. Some women find that even though they are exhausted and their little sweetie is sleeping soundly, they are unable to sleep. At first it may feel ok. There is laundry to do, people to email, thank you cards to write…but soon the new mom will be exhausted. There is nothing quite as frustrating as wanting to sleep, desperately needing to sleep, and not being able to. This is a much more common concern than most women realize.
Acupuncture can help postpartum women to sleep, heal and cope better with breastfeeding and caring for their infant. Many acupuncturists are happy to visit you in your own home for this type of treatment. In my acupuncture practice in Toronto, ON I encourage women to take advantage of housecalls and to rest as much as possible postpartum. Women benefit greatly from treatment around 3-4 days postpartum. This type of preventive care can help them to avoid later problems such as insomnia and mood swings as her breast milk comes in and helpful hormones head out.
Most women find the treatment to be relaxing and to bring immediate benefits and a sense of well being.
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
Acupuncture is used to encourage labour to start. Women often look to acupuncture for help when they are post dates or when their water has broken and contractions have not kicked in yet.
From a Chinese Medicine perspective, the onset on labour is an example of “Yin transforming to Yang”. After 9 months of maintaining the job of keeping the fetus safe and enclosed, the uterus suddenly begins to contract. The key terms become “opening” and “down”. Acupuncture points are chosen to support the downward and opening movement of energy. Some of the points used are from the classical “do not use in pregnancy” list – specifically because these points have downward and opening functions. Other points are chosen in relation to the specific needs of the woman at the time and with consideration to her constitution.
Induction treatments last 20-30 minutes and are very comfortable for the woman. Women often sleep while the needles are in, or at least relax deeply.
Treatment also allows the woman to discuss her situation and receive support in accepting and feeling comfortable with her current situation, and better understanding her options.
For details about a study on the effectiveness of Acupunucture for labour induction see:
For most postpartum women sleep is more valuable than gold!
