Acupuncture For Postpartum Weight Loss

If you have a healthy BMI, the range of weight gain is roughly 25 to 35 pounds by the end of your pregnancy. However, there is often too much focus on the number of pounds gained during pregnancy versus what a healthy pregnancy looks like. For women that have a history of eating disorders, pregnancy and weight gain can be triggering, and contribute to a higher risk for postpartum depression later on. Every woman is different, and every pregnancy is different, and it’s not uncommon to gain a bit more weight than you expected while carrying your child. The problem is that the weight can be difficult to shed once you welcome your bundle of joy into the world. Using acupuncture for postpartum weight loss can help.

Acupuncture helps bring the body back into balance after pregnancy by improving hormone levels and boosting the metabolism, making it easier for you to lose the baby weight.

What causes weight gain during pregnancy?

The primary reason you gain weight when you’re pregnant is that you’re growing a human being. Your body increases its blood volume by 40-60%, and the size of your heart also increases to accommodate pumping more blood as the baby grows, you gain weight. It’s basic math. But, baby aside, what causes the body to gain weight during pregnancy, and why do some women gain more weight than others? The answer is hormones.

Hormones control a variety of bodily systems and processes, including mood, sleep, blood pressure, and appetite and metabolism. During pregnancy, your hormone levels rise to help your body accommodate your growing baby. One side effect of rising hormones is food cravings, which can result in significant weight gain if left unchecked.

When it comes to your diet, there’s nothing wrong with indulging a bit during pregnancy. Your body needs extra nutrition, and cravings are how your body communicates to you which kinds of nutrients it needs. But, for some women, the pregnancy cravings don’t stop after childbirth. Even though it’s commonly believed that the weight will melt away during breastfeeding, that’s not always the case, either.

It’s incredibly difficult to shed pregnancy weight when you’re constantly fighting food cravings caused by wonky hormones. And, even if your hormonal imbalances aren’t contributing to food cravings, hormones themselves can alter the way your body stores weight. Increased levels of estrogen, progesterone, and/or cortisol can all contribute to unwanted weight gain during and after your pregnancy.

Acupuncture reduces stress and restores hormonal balance

Having a newborn is exciting, but it can also be an unexpectedly overwhelming experience. Many moms struggle with postpartum anxiety and depression. Putting your needs aside, running on little sleep. Caring for your new baby can be a stressful time, and it can be made all the more stressful when you’re also putting pressure on yourself to lose the pregnancy weight.

When you’re experiencing stress on a constant basis, which comes with being a new parent, this does nothing to help hormonal balance. When stress hormones like cortisol are high, sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, the body is in a constant state of fight or flight. This creates a vicious cycle of being unable to lose weight or gaining even more.

Stress is often overlooked as a culprit if you’re trying to lose weight. One of the reasons acupuncture is so effective at supporting weight loss in new mothers is because it helps manage stress. Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, tapping into the body’s natural healing mechanism, resulting in releasing tension held deep in your muscles, it improves sleep and you feel a sense of well-being from the inside.

Acupuncture influences the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, soothing your body’s response to stress and encouraging hormonal balance. Bringing your hormones back into alignment will help you in so many areas. You’ll feel better mentally, you’ll get better sleep, your appetite will normalize, and you’ll have a much easier time releasing pounds. 

Acupuncture normalizes blood sugar and hunger cues

Sometimes, even when you are on a healthy diet, you can still struggle with sugar and food cravings. Pregnancy can significantly alter your metabolism and eating patterns. However, some women don’t experience any extreme food cravings during pregnancy at all. Post-pregnancy, your metabolism will continue to shift, adapting to what your body really needs to stabilize hormones, breastfeed, and heal. Hunger and craving sugar can indicate missing nutrients, poor absorption, or blood sugar fluctuations.

Acupuncture has been found to normalize hunger cues. By influencing the hypothalamus and stimulating the vagus nerve, acupuncture increases satiety. It’s also believed that acupuncture triggers the release of endorphins, which support appetite regulation.

If you feel that you are an emotional eater and/or have stress cravings, acupuncture can help with that, as well. Acupuncture upregulates the production of feel-good neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin. These two “happy hormones” enhance your mood naturally, and acupuncture’s ability to improve serotonin and dopamine activity is why it’s often used to treat postpartum depression. 

Acupuncture boosts the metabolism

Many women are too hard on themselves for not being able to shed the baby weight after pregnancy. They count calories and track their steps, but the scale doesn’t budge. It’s easy to become disheartened, but rather than feel guilty (which will only cause more stress), just take this as a sign that your body needs a different approach.

It’s important to remember that increasing weight during pregnancy is a normal and healthy process. And being unable to lose weight is not a personal failing, it simply means that your body needs some help readjusting. If you feel you are struggling to normalize your body weight, acupuncture can help you reset.

Acupuncture is highly effective when it comes to regulating the metabolism. Using acupuncture to stimulate certain trigger points can improve your BMI and body fat percentage after giving birth. Furthermore, acupuncture stimulates digestion, improves glucose metabolism, and re-sensitizes the body to insulin, all of which enhance your metabolism and make it easier for you to lose weight.

Acupuncture is especially helpful if you have an underlying hormonal condition that already predisposes you to weight gain. Women struggling with PCOS often have a difficult time with weight and shedding the pounds after pregnancy. Regardless of which conditions may be influencing slowing your metabolism down, acupuncture is a safe supportive therapy that can help make your diet and exercise program more effective.

Book your first appointment today

At Integrative Healing Arts, we’re passionate about helping women find inner balance with the healing powers of acupuncture. No matter how long it’s been since you had your baby, we’re happy to be a part of your postpartum wellness plan. 

If you’re struggling to lose your post-pregnancy weight and you want a healthy solution, contact our office today to find out how acupuncture can help you. We’ll answer any questions you may have and help you figure out which treatment options will work best for you.

Acupuncture For Menopause Symptoms

Women typically begin to experience perimenopause at 40-45 and menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and symptoms can last up to 14 years after initial onset. When you enter menopause depends on a variety of factors, from lifestyle and dietary choices to genetics. But, regardless of when you start menopause, menopause itself is inevitable. This dramatic hormonal change can contribute to a whole host of uncomfortable symptoms, including hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, acne, depression, and anxiety. If you’re struggling to overcome your hormonal symptoms and are looking for natural treatments, it’s time to consider acupuncture for menopause.

By reducing stress, balancing hormones, and promoting relaxation, acupuncture can help menopausal women cope with their symptoms. Acupuncture makes the transition of menopause much smoother for women, overall. 

Acupuncture helps menopausal women reduce stress

Acupuncture is a treatment of choice because it is holistic and a nondrug therapy and its ability to reduce stress. Research shows that acupuncture decreases the stress response by influencing cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone and what causes swelling and inflammation as well as weight gain. When levels are high, they can contribute to many of the symptoms associated with menopause, including anxiety, depression, mood swings, hot flashes, and weight gain (especially around the midsection).

Stress is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a major biofeedback center of the endocrine system. When you feel stressed, your body makes more stress hormones. The presence of high-stress hormones keeps your body feeling stressed, thus creating a vicious cycle. But by blocking the effects of stress hormones, acupuncture can break that cycle so you can finally relax.

It’s also worth noting that acupuncture can modulate neurotransmitter activity. Neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) all influence our moods, and adequate levels of these hormones are essential for our well-being.

Interestingly, neurotransmitters are also closely linked to hormone levels. So when hormones fall during menopause, neurotransmitter activity can become imbalanced as a result. Serotonin, in particular, is often low in menopausal women because it’s negatively influenced by declining estrogen levels. Studies show that acupuncture can increase serotonin activity, which won’t just make you feel good, but it’s also essential for many bodily functions including digestion and sleep. 

Acupuncture reduces the symptoms of estrogen deficiency

Menopause is a complex metabolic process and is unique for every woman. For some women, their body slowly and steadily puts the brakes on sex hormone production, allowing for a relatively symptom-free menopause. But for other women, their bodies alternate between producing too much of some hormones and not enough of the others, and this contributes to hormonal imbalance and — you guessed it! — menopausal symptoms. 

Generally speaking, the worse your menopause symptoms are, the more inflammation and hormonal imbalances are present. Shifting hormones can upset your life wreaking havoc on your relationships, your moods, and your physical and emotional well-being. But you don’t have to just sit back and take it. Acupuncture can help.

At Integrative Healing Arts, we use a personalized approach with acupuncture and Chinese medicine to support women of all ages with all manner of health and hormonal conditions. Acupuncture is an effective and supportive therapy for PCOS, endometriosis, period pain, irregular periods, and infertility. It is safe for expectant mothers throughout their pregnancies, and C-section recovery, as well as postpartum anxiety find relief from their symptoms.

Acupuncture is so effective at supporting the body to balance hormones that it can help women in perimenopause with their declining estrogen levels. By acting upon the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, acupuncture increases estrogen levels, fighting the weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, and loss of skin elasticity commonly associated with this life transition.

Acupuncture promotes weight loss

During a woman’s reproductive years, the balance of estrogen and progesterone as well as other hormones part of maturing, encourage the body to store fat in the hips. Hence the hourglass figure as an indication of fertility. We need body fat for metabolic health. During menopause, what often happens is cortisol becomes much higher because the metabolism can slow down. Because we live in a culture that is demanding and expects “hard work”; women tend to overwork themselves including overexercising or extreme dieting. Some menopausal women also experience elevated androgen hormones, like testosterone. This shifts the weight off the hips and into the midsection.

If you’ve noticed weight gain during your transition into menopause, even though you’re eating and exercising the same, then your hormones are likely in flux. Menopausal weight gain is real. For many women, losing weight around menopause is just as hard as losing weight after pregnancy.

Acupuncture supports healthy weight loss, not just by reducing stress and balancing hormones. But also by helping to regulate insulin and improving glucose metabolism. Acupuncture helps your body metabolize efficiently. Furthermore, acupuncture stimulates lipolysis, or fat burning, helping you to lose weight around the middle.

Acupuncture supports healthy liver function

Did you know that low estrogen levels can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)? In women of a healthy weight, estrogen is hepatoprotective, supporting healthy liver metabolism. Estrogen is key for fat metabolism, supporting the liver to detox, converting food for energy, and storing leftover glucose in the form of glycogen to be used later.

When estrogen levels drop during menopause, liver function may suffer, with the liver suddenly developing fatty deposits that can lead to devastating consequences for your health. With insufficient levels of estrogen, liver function is challenged. The liver begins storing excess energy as fatty deposits, and toxins build up and are stored in the fat.

NAFLD increases your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Having a fatty liver makes you less sensitive to insulin, and more prone to chronic inflammation. Interestingly, some of the symptoms associated with NAFLD are also common in menopausal women, including weight gain in the belly, inflammation, insomnia, difficulty losing weight, digestive issues, acne, and fatigue.

Because acupuncture helps with inflammation and regulating hormones such as estrogen, it can help with detoxing and protect you from NAFLD as you enter menopause. Acupuncture also supports liver health by inhibiting inflammation, fighting oxidation, regulating lipid metabolism, and promoting a healthy insulin response. Remember, your liver is your body’s major detoxifier. A happy liver aids in weight loss, hormonal balance, and skin health, so make it one of your top priorities. 

Contact us today

Why suffer with uncomfortable symptoms of menopause when you don’t have to? Study after study illustrates acupuncture’s effectiveness in helping to regulate hormonal imbalances and symptoms. If you’re ready to naturally address your menopause symptoms, get in touch with us today. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, we love helping our clients meet their unique health goals. Whether you’re looking for anti-aging acupuncture, massage therapy, or herbal medicine, we’re your one-stop shop for all things holistic health.

Acupuncture For Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction is often overlooked, though it is a leading cause of urinary and bladder control issues. It’s a lot more common than you might think! Sadly, because the side effects of pelvic floor dysfunction can be a bit embarrassing, many people go undiagnosed and never seek treatment for their symptoms. 1 in 3 women will experience it.

Many people seeking help may get the wrong advice such as doing Kegels which can cause more inflammation and contraction of the tissue.

Health symptoms such as IBS, painful periods, and lower back pain will involve the pelvis and be the cause of pelvic floor muscle issues.

By starting acupuncture for pelvic floor dysfunction, you can take control of your health and finally find relief from your symptoms. So, how does it work, exactly?

Pelvic floor acupuncture can help the muscles in the pelvic floor, supporting normal muscle function. This helps the pelvic floor muscles to reset so they contract and relax as they should, without causing pain. 

What are the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction?

Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when the muscles in and around the pelvis that support the bladder and bowel (and uterus and vagina in women) either become too tight (hypertonia) or too loose and weak (hypotonia). Pelvic floor dysfunction is a structural, muscular, and connective tissue disorder. The muscles fail to contract and relax properly, and this is what contributes to the painful symptoms associated with the condition.

Symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in women include:

• IBS

• Painful periods

• Vaginal dryness

• Bladder incontinence

• Fecal incontinence

• Anal leakage

• Urinating when coughing, laughing, or sneezing

• Inability to urinate, or a stream that stops and starts

• Inability to have a bowel movement and/or painful bowel movements

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Breaking wind when bending over or squatting down

• Recurrent UTIs

• Loss of sensation in the vagina

• Cystocele

• Painful sex

• Inability to achieve orgasm

• A sense of heaviness in the pelvic region

• Lower back and/or hip pain

Pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to a plethora of unpleasant, downright debilitating symptoms. But women aren’t the only ones who struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction. Men can struggle with this condition as well. Symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in men include:

• Bladder incontinence

• Fecal incontinence

• Inability to urinate, even when you feel the urge to go

• Painful urination

• A stream that stops and starts

• Pain and/or a bulging sensation in the rectum

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Painful sex

• Weak erections

Pelvic floor dysfunction can be anxiety-producing, making something as simple as going to the bathroom extremely unpleasant. For some people, it can make it feel impossible. And pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just impede your ability to urinate and defecate, it can also have a negative impact on your sexual health. 

What causes pelvic floor dysfunction?

Pelvic floor dysfunction is prevalent in women who are going through hormonal changes due to birth control and/or who have experienced vaginal childbirth. 50% of women postpartum experience pelvic floor issues, including tailbone injury and scarring from episiotomy or tearing during delivery. That said, it’s worth noting that some women who have undergone C-sections also experience pelvic floor dysfunction.

Often overlooked causes of pelvic floor dysfunction are tailbone injuries or other structural imbalances such as scoliosis or bone fractures.

The muscles in the pelvic floor are acutely sensitive to hormones, especially estrogen. So it’s not unusual for women to develop pelvic floor dysfunction during pregnancy and menopause when levels of this sex hormone fluctuate.

Hormonal changes can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction in men, too. It’s been found that for men, the muscles in the trunk and pelvic floor are influenced by testosterone. When levels of this hormone are too high or too low, this can affect how the pelvic floor muscles work.

Other things that can contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction include obesity, nutritional deficiencies, electrolyte imbalances, chronic constipation, intestinal issues like Crohn’s disease or IBS, and reproductive conditions like PCOS. Surgical procedures that involve cutting through bands of connective tissues, such as might happen during prostate surgery, can also contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction.

How does acupuncture treat pelvic floor dysfunction?

Acupuncture is incredibly safe and effective at relieving deep muscle tension. For people struggling with hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction, acupuncture increases circulation and fresh blood to the area and encourages those overly-contracted muscles to relax. This makes it easier to go to the bathroom without experiencing any pain. And because acupuncture has a normalizing effect on muscle function, that means it’s just as effective at improving the incontinence issues associated with hypotonic pelvic floor dysfunction.

Studies show that acupuncture is an effective complementary therapy for people experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction. Acupuncture is especially helpful when it comes to treating pelvic pain, and regular treatments significantly improve pelvic muscle tone, reducing symptoms of muscular dysfunction, including prolapse as well as incontinence. When combined with physical therapy, one study suggests that acupuncture has the potential to be even more effective.

Furthermore, acupuncture has a balancing effect on hormones, and that includes sex and stress hormones. Acupuncture exerts an adaptogenic effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, normalizing estrogen levels in women and testosterone levels in men. Getting your sex hormones in check can be a huge step toward reclaiming healthy pelvic floor function.

For many people dealing with pelvic floor issues, stress can lead to worsening symptoms. When we feel stressed, we tend to transfer our anxieties to our muscles. And, since pelvic floor dysfunction is a muscular issue, well, it only makes sense that stress could contribute to the problem. But acupuncture is awesome for reducing stress. It’s one of our go-to therapies for managing stress because it regulates neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, to boost your mood naturally.

Other therapies can normalize pelvic floor muscle function, too

Pelvic floor dysfunction can be caused by so many things. Getting acupuncture is a great first step, but other therapies can improve your genitourinary symptoms, too.

If you’ve found that stress is a big contributing factor to your pelvic floor dysfunction, regular massages can help tremendously. Massage therapy is also ideal for people struggling with hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction because it helps keep muscles loose and flexible.

Herbal medicine is an additional therapeutic resource when it comes to treating hormonal and muscle tension relating to pelvic floor dysfunction. Certain herbs, like Bai Shao, can help improve estrogen levels. Using the right herbs in the right doses can further improve your symptoms. (Note: although herbal medicine can be extremely helpful for treating a variety of conditions, you should never take herbal supplements without the guidance of a professional herbalist. Otherwise, you run the risk of making your symptoms worse)

Contact our office today to learn more

Pelvic floor dysfunction can be challenging. Fortunately, you can improve your symptoms, and your quality of life, with the healing powers of acupuncture.

Ready to learn more and take charge of your health? Contact us today. We’ll help you book your first appointment so you can get started.

At Integrative Healing Arts, we strive to help each of our clients overcome their health challenges and create a life that fulfills them. We’re ready to help you, too.

Acupuncture For Cystocele

A cystocele, also sometimes called a bladder hernia, occurs when the wall that separates the bladder and the vagina weakens. This causes the bladder to drop into the vagina, resulting in a distinctive bulge at the vaginal opening. A cystocele can develop after childbirth or as a result of pelvic floor dysfunction, but there are many contributing factors. This condition can lead to a variety of genitourinary symptoms, including chronic UTIs and pelvic pain. If you’re struggling with a cystocele and looking for natural solutions to the problem, acupuncture for cystocele symptoms can be highly effective. 

Acupuncture normalizes both muscle function and hormone levels, both of which can contribute to the development of a cystocele. In some cases, acupuncture can prevent the need for cystocele surgery and eliminate genitourinary symptoms.

What is a cystocele?

A cystocele is a prolapse of the anterior wall of the vagina, which results in the bladder falling into the vagina. The bladder may only lean into the vagina a bit, or it could prolapse completely, resulting in a large round bulge that sticks through the opening of the vagina. The severity of a cystocele can vary.

If you’ve got a cystocele, you know that it can be quite uncomfortable. The bulging bladder leads to a sensation of pressure in the vagina, and the pain may radiate to the back and surrounding pelvic muscles. A cystocele can make urination difficult, as you may feel you need to urinate urgently or frequently, and can never fully empty your bladder. For some women, a cystocele can trigger chronic UTIs.

The physical bulging of the bladder into the vagina can make sex painful, although it is worth noting that sex is not believed to worsen a pelvic organ prolapse. That said, if you’ve got a cystocele, that’s a good indication that you’ve also got pelvic floor dysfunction. 

What causes a cystocele to develop?

There are bands of muscle and connective tissue in the pelvis all designed to keep your bladder, bowels, uterus, and other pelvic organs in place. But when these muscles become weak, or when they suffer trauma, they are no longer able to function as they should. And this may result in some organs leaning onto other organs for support. 

Sometimes, a cystocele develops as a result of a hormonal issue. The organs in the genitourinary tract are estrogen-sensitive, and when estrogen levels fluctuate, as they do during pregnancy or menopause, this can encourage a cystocele to develop. 

But, most often, a cystocele is the result of stretching and/or physical trauma of some kind to the muscles surrounding the bladder and uterus. Pregnancy and childbirth (and not just vaginal childbirth, but C-sections as well) are the primary causes of cystoceles, but obesity, routinely lifting heavy loads, chronic constipation that leads to excessive straining during bowel movements, and even coughing too much can also contribute to prolapse.

Other risk factors can put you at risk of developing a cystocele. Sometimes, women who have undergone hysterectomies develop cystoceles. With the uterus removed, the bladder may have trouble staying in place. But even with their uteruses in place, some women are genetically predisposed to cystoceles. Whatever may be contributing to your cystocele, you know just how uncomfortable they can be.

How does acupuncture treat a cystocele?

Using acupuncture to correct a cystocele may sound crazy. After all, how could a few needles in your muscles encourage your bladder to get back into the proper position? But acupuncture’s effectiveness when it comes to treating this condition stems mostly from its ability to normalize muscle function. And the better the muscles in your pelvic floor work, the better your cystocele symptoms will be. 

Acupuncture exerts a strong effect on the nervous system, triggering deep muscle tissues to relax. In the case of a prolapse, this may sound counterintuitive. The goal should be to strengthen the muscles, right? Not to loosen them. But the truth is, your muscles can’t build strength if they never fully relax. And since acupuncture helps muscles relax and contract normally, it’s the key to regaining pelvic floor function. 

In a study, acupuncture was found to improve pelvic floor dysfunction in postpartum women. After four weeks of daily treatments, acupuncture (along with pelvic floor exercises) resulted in a 3.8cm decrease in bladder neck descent. The study also showed that acupuncture reduced the risk of uterine prolapse.   

Acupuncture regulates hormones to improve cystocele symptoms

The physical effects of acupuncture can’t be overstated. But acupuncture is also beneficial on a hormonal level, and that can influence cystocele symptoms, too. Because women are at an increased risk of developing a cystocele after menopause and other hormonal changes, and because the muscles in the genitourinary tract are highly sensitive to estrogen, it’s worth it to focus on hormonal health.

Keeping your stress and sex hormones in check can be a balancing act. But the prospect becomes much easier when you utilize acupuncture. Regular acupuncture sessions influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, normalizing estrogen levels to keep your pelvic floor muscles in prime condition. And, if you’re dealing with other hormone-related issues, like menstrual pain or infertility, acupuncture can help you there as well!

In addition to acupuncture, we may recommend herbal medicine to keep your hormones in check. Certain herbs can be used to regulate hormone levels and alleviate cystocele symptoms. If you’re dealing with a concurrent issue, like PCOS, we can consider these factors as well to create an herbal treatment protocol that supports your body’s unique needs.

Please note that herbal medicine should never be self-prescribed. If you would like to learn more about using herbal remedies to alleviate your symptoms, contact a licensed herbalist to assist you. Taking herbs without knowing which ones you need could worsen your condition. 

Contact Integrative Healing Arts today

A cystocele can make your life difficult, but you have options. Acupuncture has proven to be a safe and effective supportive therapy for cystocele, and pelvic floor health in general. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, improving the lives and well-being of our clients is what we’re all about. If you’re ready to find out for yourself just how healing acupuncture can be, get in touch with us today, and we’ll help you book your first appointment.

Acupuncture For Postpartum Anxiety And Depression

Postpartum hormone fluctuations can put you through the emotional ringer. Even if you’ve never struggled with anxiety before, you may develop anxiety after giving birth simply because your hormones are out of balance. For women suffering from depression and anxiety after their pregnancies, acupuncture can help improve their moods and emotional stability. But what makes acupuncture for postpartum anxiety so effective?

Acupuncture is a safe treatment for women suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety. Regular acupuncture sessions relieve stress, modulate neurotransmitter activity, and balance hormones. 

Acupuncture relieves stress

Caring for your newborn is a special time, but it can also be overwhelming. Newborns sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, which sounds like a lot. But because they sleep in short bursts of 20 to 50 minutes at a time, it can make getting a full night’s sleep nearly impossible. And trying to care for a baby when you’re short on sleep, at a time when you desperately need to rest, is stressful, to say the least.

New moms need to give their bodies time to heal. At Integrative Healing Arts, we advise new moms of the practice of the Chinese tradition “Zuo Yue Zi”, or “sitting the month”. This period focuses on resting as much as possible to recover from pregnancy, eating nourishing, blood-building foods, and bonding with your baby. While we realize that for many women, a complete month of rest with support isn’t possible, we can still make postpartum health a priority.

Whether you’re able to practice the one-month sitting or not, acupuncture is a non-drug therapy that can help as you recover after pregnancy and promote healing. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce the perception of stress. This effect is so potent that acupuncture is often recommended for women undergoing IVF or IUI, as it can significantly enhance embryo transfer success rates.

Stress is a major contributor to anxiety. With a newborn to care for, it can be hard to remember to take care of your needs. With so much to do, it can feel like your world is spinning out of control. By making acupuncture part of your stress management plan, you can address your anxiety and your whole body’s healing.  

Acupuncture combats insomnia

Many new moms will experience sleepless nights and insomnia. A big part of that is because babies have unpredictable sleep patterns. What can you do? Anxiety can also play a role in insomnia after pregnancy. Because acupuncture promotes relaxation and feel-good chemicals that help regulate the circadian rhythm, it can make it easier for you to sleep when the baby sleeps and give your full love and attention to your child.

Acupuncture influences the release of melatonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine, and endorphins. These neurotransmitters play an important role in sleep cycles. Not only that, but they also influence anxiety levels. GABA, for instance, has a calming effect on the brain, while endorphins can enhance your sense of well-being by inhibiting anxiety.

During an acupuncture session, needles are placed into specific acupuncture points along energy lines known as meridians. The needles enter superficially and create “micro-trauma” to the tissue. You may experience a feeling of warmth and tingling around the needle and then notice a feeling of relaxation. This is the relaxation response from the parasympathetic nervous system known as rest and digest.

Acupuncture modulates neurotransmitters which means it addresses more than just muscle tension. When you feel less tension in your muscles, it is a sign that your body is able to experience deep relaxation mentally and emotionally. Less stress and can help you feel strong and confident as you navigate motherhood. So if your mind is keeping you up at night with worry or racing thoughts, acupuncture can help provide you with relief.

Acupuncture balances hormones after pregnancy

After pregnancy, your hormone levels are dramatically shifting, with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels falling sharply. This is normal as your body readjusts after childbirth. The fluctuating hormones can result in crying spells, frustration, guilt, shame, feelings of anxiousness, on edge, and depression.

If you are breastfeeding, the demand on the body and feeding schedule can delay feeling physically and emotionally strong again. Acupuncture will make a positive difference to you as you recover post-pregnancy.

Numerous studies have shown acupuncture’s ability to improve postpartum depression. Because it's a non-drug and gentle, acupuncture can be used to help women cope with symptoms of depression even during pregnancy. Its adaptogenic nature makes it well-suited as an excellent supportive therapy, regardless of what stage of motherhood you are in.

Acupuncture is excellent for supporting women’s health and hormonal issues, including menopause, premature ovarian failure, menstrual cycle irregularities, and PCOS. It is a powerful and natural way to balance hormones after pregnancy. Studies show that acupuncture raises estrogen and progesterone, as well as prolactin, which is especially beneficial if you’re breastfeeding.

Hormonal balance is directly tied to mental and emotional well-being because hormones and neurotransmitters are inextricably linked. Estrogen, for instance, influences serotonin activity. When estrogen levels fall, so does serotonin activity, and this can lead to depression, low mood, and anxiety. Acupuncture influences both estrogen levels and serotonin activity so that you can enjoy the effects of this powerful “happy hormone”. 

Other therapies that can help treat postpartum anxiety and depression

It’s worth noting that other factors can contribute to postpartum anxiety and depression. Preexisting mood disorders and other factors like complex PTSD may put you at an increased risk of developing postpartum anxiety and depression after delivery.

Postpartum anxiety and depression can develop up to a year after delivery.

Regardless of the underlying cause of your anxiety, beginning acupuncture treatments can make a big difference for you. Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to reduce stress and promote peace of mind. But it’s not the only therapeutic offering we have at our disposal to improve your anxiety-related symptoms.

Massage therapy is beneficial for many clients to help manage stress levels. A therapeutic massage can help you relieve stress and tension you may not have been aware you were carrying, and that can positively support your mental health and wellness.

Herbal medicine is also helpful to support the body and mind after pregnancy. However, herbal supplements should never be taken without professional guidance and special consideration if you are breastfeeding. 

Contact Integrative Healing Arts today

Postpartum anxiety and depression can last for weeks, months, or even years after you have given birth. If you’re struggling to cope with postpartum anxiety or depression, know that you have options.

Acupuncture is a safe, gentle therapy that can support you as you recover after childbirth by regulating your hormones, relieving stress, improving sleep, and supporting emotional well-being.

To learn more about how acupuncture can improve your anxiety post-pregnancy, get in touch with us today. At Integrative Healing Arts, we understand that every patient has different needs. We’ll work with you to create a holistic healing plan that allows you to meet your wellness goals.