ANON

‘Everyone wants to hold the baby, but who holds the mother?’

WHY TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?

For centuries, pregnant women have sought the safe, drug free and effective treatments offered by traditional Chinese medicine in order to manage common pregnancy complaints, including fatigue, morning sickness and constipation.

Acupuncture has a long history in also preparing the body for birth and labour, and in there is a long tradition in assisting to turn breech babies, with specific therapies employed post the 36th week.

One of the most fundamental differences between Western Medicine and traditional Chinese medicine is how they view the post-partum period. Chinese medicine recognises the huge feat of pregnancy and birthing and the depletion which often occurs after birth, even if labour was uncomplicated. As such there is a focus on honouring, nurturing and nourishing the mother, with specific acupuncture treatments, dietary advice, warming therapies, herbal formulas and lifestyle support. With the encompassing support of Chinese medicine, women often heal quicker, recover their strength and vitality, and thrive in what is typically regarded an onerous period.

At Holistica we can also assist you and your baby with the common newborn complaints such as lactation issues, colic and reflux, digestive issues, skin and sleep support.

PREGNANCY & BEYOND: We can help with

  • Pregnancy

    Threatened miscarriage, nausea, morning sickness, reflux, fatigue, recurrent fever, haemorrhoids, muscular pain, consitpation, headaches/migraines, skin rashes, fluid retention, tendon issues such as carpal tunnel, poor immunity, and dealing with emotional and mental health.

  • Birth Prep & Induction

    Starting from the 36th week we can assist to prepare the body for labour with a series of weekly treatments.

    Specific induction treatment is given post 39th week.

    If your baby is in breech position treatment is recommended from 36 weeks.

  • POST-NATAL

    Retained lochia, excess bleeding, lactation and breastfeeding, mastitis, body and vaginal recovery, muscular pain, poor appetite, fatigue and exhaustion, birth trauma, C-sec scarring and pain, post natal depression and mental health, insomnia, herbal support and dietary advice.

    We can offer home visits as part of our post-natal support (metro area only), please call us to enquire.

IN FOCUS:

Post Natal Depression

Postnatal depression is a common condition that affects new parents. According to Healthdirect Australia (2022), postnatal depression affects about 1 in 5 Australian mums and 1 in 10 dads in the first year after they have a baby. Symptoms can include low mood, changes in sleep and appetite, and feelings of hopelessness. This is very different to having the ‘baby blues’, in that it lasts longer, can start anytime after birth, is more severe and doesn’t usually go away without assistance.

Cultural norms and pressure to maintain our busy lifestyles, high demands and the unreasonable paradigm of ‘supermums’ can challenge a woman’s identity in what is a fragile and vulnerable time. Large physiological changes in surging and dropping hormones, as well as the demands of breastfeeding in a context of sleep deprivation, also tax a women’s physiological and emotional resources. Additionally women may have little support around them, especially where partners need to return to work and extended family are absent.

In Chinese medicine the transition from ‘woman’ to ‘mother’ is known as ‘the gateway'‘, the threshold between one way of being to another. Chinese medicine recognises the during birth a woman looses an abundance of Qi, Blood, fluids and Essence, and is often left depleted. If the time is not taken to recover properly, with nourishing foods, a supportive environment, rest and sleep, women can experience a variety of symptoms which can be long lasting.

Acupuncture performs strongly when compared to pharmaceutical agents in helping women with post-natal depression (Dyer, 2015) , and it can be a good choice for women wanting to avoid medications when breastfeeding, or generally concerned about side effects.

There has been significant research showing that the mechanism of acupuncture for depression includes regulating gene expression and adjusting the body’s levels of melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and endogenous opioid-peptides (Chan et al., 2015). In essence this helps the body move from ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic) to ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic), allowing our body and minds to relax, and promoting cellular regeneration (Dyer, 2015).

Sources:

Chan, Y.-Y., Lo, W.-Y., Yang, S.-N., Chen, Y.-H., & Lin, J.-G. (2015b). The benefit of combined acupuncture and antidepressant medication for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 176, 106–117.

Dyer, L. (2015). A TCM approach to nourishing the new mother: Acupuncture & dietary therapy for postpartum healing. Pacific College. https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2018/04/30/tcm-approach-nourishing-new-mother-acupuncture-dietary-therapy-postpartum

Healthdirect Australia. (2022.). Postnatal depression. healthdirect. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/postnatal-depression