By Atara Noiade, DAOM, MBioSci. 085.2355177

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a surprisingly underestimated imbalance which can begin any time in the first year after childbirth. A woman experiencing symptoms of PPD can be overwhelmed in her efforts to both care for a new infant and working to overcome the powerful effects that PPD can have on her health. PPD can feel very isolating, especially if the patient does not have family help with the infant. A woman with PPD can often be misdiagnosed as having anxiety, but the range of emotions she may be feeling are not limited to anxiety; they will often include loss of appetite or overeating, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, difficulty bonding with her newborn, withdrawing from family and friends, excessive crying, exhaustion, and/or depressed mood or severe mood swings. Chinese medicine views these manifestations very differently than Western medicine. In Chinese medicine, each person is unique and each treatment is likely to be different than those given to another person.

How can Chinese Medicine help with PPD?

In treating PPD with Chinese medicine, the experienced practitioner will spend a substantial amount of time with the client, taking her medical history and listening to her recent experiences. The practitioner will take her pulse, look at her tongue, and will be observing her color, posture, and a host of other tools to best determine the right Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment plan. Once a treatment plan is determined, the choice of acupuncture points is not the same for each person: this will be a combination of points that the practitioner feels is best suited based on both the Chinese medicine diagnosis, and the individual and her particular imbalance.

How does it work?

Once the needles are inserted, the needles work together on energy pathways called meridians. The intent of the manipulation of this energy network by the practitioner is to assist to rebalance the body, teaching the body the most optimal way of operating by redirecting the Qi, or energy of the body. The treatments typically take about 20 minutes, depending on the person’s age and disorder. The patient may feel a range of emotions during the treatment, and most people feel very relaxed afterward. The number of treatments required to harmonize the body will vary according the individual, and the practitioner may also recommend dietary or lifestyle changes, and may recommend herbs to support the body in its recovery efforts.

CONTACT Atara Noiade for your consultation and treatment

085.235.5177

First session 90 minutes €70

Any additional sessions approx. 45 minutes €50

Atara Noiade, DAOM, MBioSci, MSci

Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine at CP Clinic

6 Clonard Village, Wexford