Complementary Therapies in Pregnancy, Childbirth and beyond
Being pregnant is great! It is something that you have wanted and may be even have dreamed about. But the reality may not be quite as rosy as you thought.
First of all there is the morning sickness – wonderful!, then comes the sore and tender breasts, hot on its heels is the backache and possibly sciatica. Of course there may well be the underlying worry of the baby and the birth itself.
For some women the worry may be greater, if they have previously experienced a miscarriage or other such problems.
So what can you do to get you through the next nine months or so?
Of course there will be plenty of medical intervention and monitoring of both mother and baby, but pregnancy and childbirth is a very natural state and occurrence, so you want to enjoy this special time and do what you can to relax while allowing the body to do all it needs to, so a safe and happy, healthy baby is the result.
There are so many therapies that can help and it would be impossible to consider them all here. Many people are aware of reflexology and aromatherapy, so let’s first see how they can help.
Reflexology is of course the working of the reflex points on the feet or hands to balance the body systems. This is a treatment that can be used throughout pregnancy quite safely by fully qualified reflexologists.
One of the best things that reflexology can do for you is to aid relaxation and in so doing relieve stress and tension in the body and mind. This of course is only one of its many benefits. It can be an excellent way to relieve backache and sciatic pain, and through the stimulating of the lymphatics, it can be a useful way of treating breast tenderness. It works on the digestion and hormonal systems that will help relieve morning sickness.
These symptoms in general are all perfectly normal in pregnancy, and can so often be rectified by non-medical intervention.
Reflexology can allow the body to function at its optimum as it strengthens and restores balance. It can be used throughout pregnancy and during the early stages of childbirth.
Aromatherapy can also be an effective treatment during pregnancy. The use of certain oils may need to be restricted at certain times and you should always seek the guidance of a fully qualified aromatherapist so as to ensure that the safety of the oils used complies with current guidelines.
Unless you have expertise in this area, it would be considered unwise and possibly unsafe to experiment with essential oils at this time.
That of course is not to say that it is an unsafe therapy during pregnancy.
The massage aspect of a treatment can indeed be most beneficial and again can help with the muscle and ligament tension, back pains and non-medical oedema(swelling). It can help nourish the skin and lessen the stretchmarks.
It can help stimulate lymphatic drainage and improve circulation. The physical effect of massage on the body is wonderful for removing the stress that can be held in the muscles. A less stressed mother-to-be, is a less stressed unborn.
There are other therapies that are proven in their ability to help in pregnancy and post partum. Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CST) and Chirokinetic Therapy (CKT) both have excellent track records in what they can do at this stage, not only for the mother, but also for the newborn.
Cranio-Sacral (CST) is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system (membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord).
Using a light touch practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.
By complementing the body's natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as an effective therapy for a wide range of issues that can follow childbirth and is equally effective in treating newborns.
So you have had your baby and now what state has it left your body in?
Corrections of problems that have occurred are best sorted as near to the event as possible. A little intervention now can save a lot of problems later.
Look at what can happen to the whole pelvic area of the body in pregnancy and childbirth. Both place a huge stress on the body and severe disruption to the ligaments and sacral joints in particular.
Nothing worse than suffering with back problems when caring for a new baby and possibly slightly older siblings.
Coping with a crying baby and not knowing why it is so unhappy or fretful is also very stressful. Many mothers may resort to pain relief for the baby and in the first instance this may help. It doesn’t address the root of the problem and that could well be something that gives difficulties through life.
Cranio-Sacral therapy can allow the body to correct structural problems that have occurred and can rebalance hormones that have a direct effect on all body systems. All of this is achieved in a very gentle treatment.
It can seem as if nothing has occurred at the time of a treatment, but it is no measure of the magnitude of the actual effect it is has over a period of time.
For babies the birth can be very traumatic. The journey down the birth canal may not need a sat nav, but one wonders why such a small exit route is there for birthing. The narrow birth canal can put immense pressure on the head of the baby and thus the whole spine. Given that many deliveries require forceps or a ventouse this again may cause trauma to the skull.
The misshapen head of the infant will possibly cause problems as it can impact on the brain and nervous system. This can result in all sorts of discomfort and infant problems (such as colic), and you are left holding a crying baby.
If a gentle approach in resolving these problems is your desire, then CST could be the way forward for you and your baby.
For more information go to www.upledger.com
One of the most effective therapies for getting to the root of any health problem is Chirokinetic Therapy (CKT) which lets the body speak for itself.
How does it do this? Well, it combines kinesiology with a corrective technique that signals the body to make the changes. It can be used safely at any stage and at any age.
What makes this therapy so great is that it treats your body as the individual it is and works to its best advantage. It can be specific and treats the cause not the symptoms and in the body’s own time frame.
Want to know where your problems are exactly – CKT can tell you that and correct it.
It works on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels and we all know just how much our emotions are affected by pregnancy & childbirth.
Imbalances in our body are often too subtle for standard tests to reveal but CKT can alert us to our individual disparities and along with supportive techniques, can help resolve them.
CKT is extremely safe to use on mothers-to-be, babies and children and is very effective in relieving the physical and emotional trauma of birth for both mum and baby.
Because it works on such an individual basis, it really has to be the way forward, as it can tell you what it needs to function to its best ability.
Sadly not all pregnancies come along easily and just because the first or second pregnancy came to order, the next one may not be quite as forthcoming.
CKT has helped many women with infertility issues. Of course it may not just be the woman. CKT is there for men as well. Yes guys, it could be you!
For many the medical exploration of infertility may not only be intrusive, but can be inconclusive. We think only of the reproductive system possibly not functioning correctly in parts, but it may be the body has other imbalances or deficiencies and it has decided that a pregnancy may not be what it needs while other parts are not working as efficiently as they should, and the body’s energies are being utilised in the best way it feels is needed – that may not be a pregnancy at that point.
CKT can identify these and seeks to correct them in the way best suited for the individual.
Is the body deficient in certain vitamins or minerals, again it may be too subtle for regular tests, it is what the individual body requires and not a blanket approach to the problem. That is why these subtleties can make all the difference. It can help determine the best time for sex in relation to ovulation. Again, not every woman fits a standard picture.
CKT has been successful in helping many pregnancies come about and is a great way forward in complementary medicine.
For more info visit. www.chirokinetictherapy.com
It is worth remembering that the vast majority of pregnancies pass without any major problems, but it is good to be aware of what is out there that may be able to help. Whatever route you choose is the right one for you.
There is a rare opportunity to hear first-hand from four eminent therapists from the field of complementary medicine, speak in Cambridge on April 9th 2011 at the Moller Centre, Churchill College, Storeys Way.
Topics include Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Nutrition and Chirokinetic Therapy. The theme is women’s health and will include pregnancy issues
For more info on this visit www.cichealth.org.uk where full details can be found.
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