Treating Postpartum Depression with Herbal Medicine
For many of us mamas, postpartum depression is real and powerful, and we seek any way to ease the symptoms. An urbanMama recently emailed with some success she had with herbal medicines and wanted to share the experience:
I recently had a bout with postpartum depression and most of the information/advice I recieved pointed me in the direction of pharmaceutical antidepressants. I haven't taken pharmaceuticals in years and was not going to start then, while I was (sucessfully) breastfeeding a newborn...so I looked into flower essences and other herbal medicine. These worked so well that I wanted to share my success story with other mamas and see if there are any other mamas out there that have tried these over the pharmies...perhaps this is a discussion group in the making!
OP-- Could you provide the specifics of which herbal remedies worked for you? Thanks!
Posted by: Karen | July 27, 2009 at 09:42 AM
I am glad you found something that worked for you, but I have to mention that anything that can affect the body can have a negative effect on you and depending on its composition it can have negative effects on a nursing baby.
Unfortunately, the studies on how herbal remedies affect nursing babies are pretty much nonexistent, as they are for some of the pharmaceuticals. This isn't to say that we ought not to try herbal remedies, but it's important to seek out the information about side effects and dangers of these herbs, and never take the advice of only a single source.
Let's be careful with everything, and not get deluded into thinking that just because something is herbal it is automatically safe.
Posted by: mamanomnom | July 27, 2009 at 11:04 AM
I agree with the comment above...some herbal remedies can actually be more powerful than some pharmaceuticals, as I learned when I tried to treat asthma with herbals. Not saying to not do it, but proceed with caution.
Posted by: Kristin | July 27, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Along the lines of the comments above, just be sure you're doing any kind of intervention under the guidance of a professional. If you want to consider herbal interventions, consider seeing a naturopath to guide you.
Posted by: tracy | July 27, 2009 at 12:16 PM
YESS with the naturopath!!
B shots and SamI and prenatals, all helped with the overview of a naturopath.
Posted by: happier now | July 27, 2009 at 01:02 PM
i've heard that eating part of the placenta seriously cures post-partum depression. if its nasty idea, drying it, powdering and putting into caps would be an idea.
Posted by: liz | July 28, 2009 at 10:08 AM
ask moxie swears by her combo, as do many of her readers: http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2006/01/supplements_for.html
Posted by: summertime | July 28, 2009 at 03:32 PM
I'm all for finding non-pharmaceutical approaches to treating depression and anxiety. Something that helped me, to this day, is The Mood Cure (http://www.moodcure.com). The author recommends making sure you're getting enough of the right protein in your diet, and identifying any other nutritional deficiencies. So many times a lacking diet and not enough sleep and exercise can cause or exacerbate depression.
For me I make sure I eat enough lean protein and eggs, get enough iron and B vitamins, and I take extra amino acids - tyrosine and 5-HTP. I checked with a naturopath and my midwife when I was pregnant and nursing and got the clear for these.
Posted by: Katherine Gray | July 28, 2009 at 04:19 PM
I got run down while pregnant with my son, and got progressively more so coupled with depression over the next two years; I tried pharmaceuticals, great nutrition, exercise, and herbals. Nothing touched it and I started having mild nervous breakdowns last fall. What picked me back up and got me feeling better than I had in years was going to a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor for acupuncture and crude herbs. The herbs were really key to restoring my strength.
When I got pregnant again, I asked the doctor about post-partum herbs. She said yes definitely, and that when she moved to the States she couldn't believe that Americans do nothing to help restore a new mama after birth. In China it's an automatic routine (she said, myself I haven't the experience). I'm so relieved I (hopefully) don't have to go through that again.
Posted by: keenbeen | July 28, 2009 at 04:41 PM
As a therapist, I suppose I have an agenda, but there's a substantial body of research which demonstrates that a prescription fix has the best effects when paired with counseling, too.
:) Melanie
Posted by: Melanie | July 29, 2009 at 10:57 PM
My reason for posting this was to hear other people's stories with regard to treating postpartum depression with herbs and other natural remedies...not to create a debate forum, geez! Obviously under the supervision of a naturopath, obviously research needs to be done before trying something that you have never tried before, and obviously pharmaceuticals work better when used in conjunction with therapy. That was beyond the scope of this posting. Women have been using herbs for thousands of years after childbirth. It is only recently that they have stopped using them. Please if anyone has a story to share that would be great!
Posted by: Jomama | July 30, 2009 at 02:24 PM
Placenta encapsulation is something that every mama who is pregnant (or who still has their placenta in the freezer) should look into. The use of placenta as medicine is incredible, and can greatly reduce the postpartum mood disorders, amongst other issues many of us mamas experience once our babes are in our arms, and then later on down the road as we approach menopause. Raeben Nolan, a doula with Mother Tree Birth Services, is a placenta encapsulation expert. She does placenta prints, umbilical cord hearts, placenta capsules & tinctures. Call for more information 503 343 9911
Posted by: Mary | August 01, 2009 at 08:28 PM
wow, thanks for the publicity mary! the reason i do placenta encapsulation for other women is because it was SO incredibly helpful for me after my second pregnancy. after my first i had pretty dark PPD for a year and a half and then it just continued (and worsened) during my next pregnancy. i was very determined not to do that again so i did a lot of research into natural remedies to combat and avoid PPD. the things that i felt were helpful to me were acupuncture, homeopathy under the direction of a naturopath, herbal tinctures of motherwort and skullcap as well as nourishing herbal infusions and of course, using the remedy that mother nature handed to me right after the birth - my own placenta. i prepared and encapsulated it according to Traditional Chinese Medicine practices and took my placenta pills for the first month postpartum and have had ZERO PPD since.
if you are skeptical or need more information, there is a Placenta Benefits info site has tons good information about placenta medicine for PPD and "baby blues".
Posted by: raeben | August 01, 2009 at 11:52 PM
There are many great naturopathic treatments for Post-partum-depression and Anxiety, I have been doing alot of research on the physiological causes of it and I find that natural treatments with counseling work great, I study with Julia Ross (the mood cure), as well as some with Dr. Walsh from the Pfeiffer treatment center, about treating mood disorders with suplemments. I had PPD/A and that is why I decided to study this and dedicate to it. It has change the way I feel even better than before and I have seen the changes in my patients as well, I have been treating depression and anxiety and having succes with natural treatments.
Posted by: Adriana Azcarate | August 05, 2009 at 03:01 PM
Treatment regimens for depression include psychotherapy, such as interpersonal therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, and psychodynamic therapy; as well as medication such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Posted by: Treating Postpartum Depression | August 24, 2009 at 12:30 AM
Today's the world is returning towards natural way of curing due to the harmful effects of today's chemical & synthetic medicines. People are deeply worried on this issue and also insisting to use natural way of curing to get health & security.
Our psoriasis cure process is 100% Natural / herbal.
supercareproducts.com
Posted by: dollijohn | October 22, 2009 at 02:32 AM
Postpartum depression occurs in women just after giving birth. Symptoms include sadness and hopelessness over and above the normal baby blues.Postpartum depression is treated with counseling and antidepressants.
Posted by: Buy Diovan | September 02, 2010 at 08:05 AM