Acupuncture Treatment during Pregnancy

For over 3000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used to treat women during pregnancy and even after the baby is born. Today acupuncture is becoming an increasingly popular form of treatment for many conditions or difficulties during pregnancy. Acupunture can also help to promote a healthy pregnancy.

During the first trimester of pregnancy, acupuncture can help to reduce or resolve morning sickness, fatigue, migraines and bleeding. During the second trimester, acupuncture can help with heartburn, haemorrhoids or stress. And in the third trimester, acupuncture can provide relief from back pain and sciatica. Acupunture can also help to reduce hypertension, fluid retention and insomnia. Treatments may be needed weekly, fortnightly or monthly, depending on the severity of symptoms.

In the last four to six weeks of pregnancy, acupuncture treatment can help to prepare the pelvis and cervix for labour. Ideally treatment should weekly at this stage until labour begins. Research has shown that this course of treatment can assist in reducing the need for medical interventions such as medical induction or a caesarian during childbirth.

Acupuncture can be also beneficial to promote recovery after the baby is born. Treatments can promote breast milk, repair of scar tissue, and can help with post-natal depression. Acupuncture can build and strengthen Qi in the body, which is often depleted after pregnancy, so can help a woman with general fatigue and feelings of low energy after childbirth.

Men's Health

Men often tend to put their health at the bottom of the list after work, family commitments and leisure, but it is extremely important for men to be proactive about health and prevent disease before it occurs.

A recent report found that women are more than 33% more likely to visit a doctor or health practitioner than men, and a larger amount of men than women are afflicted and can die prematurely from more serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, liver and kidney disease, to name a few.

With obesity on the rise in Australia, it is much more likely for men to suffer chronic disease. Obesity often goes hand in hand with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which left untreated, can result in stroke and heart attacks. While medication is very successful at helping correct what has gone wrong, it is important to try and prevent disease in the first place.

The best way to prevent disease is with diet and lifestyle changes. You may have heard this many times, but it really is so simple. Increasing fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and fibre, and reducing refined carbohydrates and fats, such as those found in pizza, hamburgers and indeed any fast food, is the first step. This is not to say that you can never indulge in these foods, but just occasionally. Regular exercise is also very important, whether that be going to the gym, playing a team sport or just a brisk 30 minute walk or cycle a few times a week.

A Naturopath can help you to look at your diet and nutrition in detail, suggesting supplements where they may be needed, and provide you with guidelines and even inspiration to make some important changes. Naturopaths also use vitamins, minerals and herbs to treat particular areas of the body, such as the heart, liver, kidneys or nervous system. They may suggest a thorough detox to get you started, or help you reach your weight loss goals.

With an improved diet, exercise, and vital nutrients that you may have been missing, you will most likely find that your energy levels will increase, stress levels will decrease, and of course you will feel happier. So don’t leave your health at the bottom of your to do list, work on it now!

Nutrition in Pregnancy

The Importance of Good Nutrition in Pregnancy

You have probably heard that what you eat, drink, and do during pregnancy can have an effect on your unborn child. New research, called epigenetics, shows that conditions like obesity, diabetes and allergies can all be programmed into your child’s DNA in utero.  

Epigenetics refers to structural changes to genes that do not change the nucleotide sequence, but instead control and regulate the expression of a gene¹. What this basically means is that what you eat during pregnancy, any exposure to pollutants, stress or infections, can all have an effect on the expression of your child’s DNA.

This includes nutrient deficiencies, some of which are being have been shown to cause severe problems, such as a deficiency of folate contributing to the development of neural tube defect. Low levels of folate have also been linked to poor growth of the placenta and uterus, recurrent miscarriage, increased risk of preterm delievery and pre-eclampsia^2.

Iron supplementation has been found to promote better birth outcomes, with lower frequency of caesarian section, longer length of gestation, and higher haemoglobin levels post-partum³.

Low levels of the mineral Selenium have been shown to have a link with the condition pre-ecplampsia in pregnancy⁴. Selenium is derived from the soil that food is grown in, but in Australia our soil is quite depleted of this nutrient, so supplementation may be necessary.

And adequate levels of Vitamin D in pregnancy have been found to help maintain a normal pregnancy, support foetal growth, as well as contributing to successful IVF pregnancies⁵.

Ideally you should prepare your body for 2-3 months before becoming pregnant, so you can be as healthy as you can, and give your baby the best future possible. All this information can be very confusing, so it is recommended you discuss with your Naturopath what you are currently taking and they can advise you of the best diet and supplements for you during your pregnancy.

References:

1.        (Pozharny Y, et al Epigenetics in women’s health care. Mt Sinai J Med. 2010 Mar; 77 (2):225-35)

2.        (Pozharny Y, et al Epigenetics in women’s health care. Mt Sinai J Med. 2010 Mar; 77 (2):225-35).

3.        (Milman N. Iron prophylaxis in pregnancy – general or individual and in which dose? Ann Hematol. 2006 Dec; 85 (12):821-8.  Epub 2006 Jun 9).

4.        (Haten, M. et al. Reduced Selenium Concetntrations and Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in Preeclamptic Pregnancies. Hypertension;52(5), November 2008, pp 881-888).

5.        (Ozkan S et al, Replete vitamin D stores predict reproductive success following in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril. 2010 Sep;94(4):1314-9).

Michelle Bryceland

Naturopath/Acupuncturist

Flemington Chiropractic