Oaktree Stories: Cheers to All Mothers

In acupuncture I see many clients for fertility, and though some treatments can have that focus in mind, when I treat patients their overall health is the main goal. There are some acu points that are more common to use in fertility, but there isn’t a ‘magic’ point or protocol. 

Last year I was treating someone for severe gastritis. Bowel movements were irregular to put it lightly, so many foods would cause pain, and overall the digestive system was not functioning properly. This patient had tried everything. She had seen specialists, nutritionists, naturopaths, and nothing was really improving the severe discomfort she felt on a daily basis. She tried acupuncture, and though feeling much better after one treatment isn’t the norm, she did.

She continued for a while and felt better after every treatment. It is also fun to note that as an acupuncturist, when I see such a strong bodily response during treatment, it is quite satisfying. The skin around certain needles were often red and itchy both during and after treatment. Not every point had this reaction, but the points which their indications were about releasing heat in the digestive tract did. While I perform treatments I talk with my patients about their lives, not only regarding their specific health goal, but also their day to day lives.

This particular patient was coming in originally for digestive support, but she mentioned that her and her partner were also trying to conceive for quite some time. I explained the different ways acupuncture can help with fertility, but also didn’t want to necessarily change my treatment plan since she was coming in for digestive support. But remember, we treat the imbalance in the body. Most people think of fertility and they think of blood, hormones, and specific sex organs. But ultimately it is all about the body being in a state of homeostasis. Digestive organs and the uterus are physically both very close, and moreover when there is such a disharmony in an organ system, other systems will also be affected. So my goal was ultimately to help with the inflammation in that region in general. Needless to say, after only 2 months of treating her digestive issues, she also became pregnant. 

Often patients at the clinic see both the chiropractor and the acupuncturist, and we love this, since they get complimentary benefits from both. Recently, Dr. Katrina invested in a Dolphin Neurostim and though this device has many benefits, scar release is particularly great. She tried it on a patient for her C-section scar and there were some pretty great results, but the scar tissue damage was also quite severe in this case. Dr Katrina recommended the patient try acupuncture and I was thrilled. This isn’t something I treat commonly but would love to since I know how beneficial it can be. Because of the severity of the scar tissue there was some pain, but also numbness in the lower abdomen. I first started the treatment with cupping. I would move the cup gently over her scar back and forth to help break up the scar tissue and help encourage more blood flow to the superficial layers of the skin. After a few minutes of performing that, I placed needles along the scar, but also in specific points in the abdomen and body to promote blood and qi flow since there were some pretty clear signs of stagnation. After a few treatments, not only did the scar improve dramatically in appearance, the discomfort had also ameliorated greatly. 

Lastly, before you think that it might be difficult as a new mom to receive treatment, there is hope. I currently treat a new mom and she brings her little one with her. We have reclining chairs that we can use during treatment, and my patient comfortably reclines and holds her baby with the support of a pillow and I can still do a full body treatment. Of course not all babies are as quiet as this one, but if you are needing treatments and think you can’t leave your newborn, know that there are options.

Cheers to all the mothers, and mothers to be!