Cultivating Success With Holistic Therapy
Choosing the right practitioner makes all the difference.
Choose a practitioner with whom you are comfortable to talk with so that you can be partners in your healing process. A great practitioner has diagnostic abilities, vision, intention and technique. All practitioners are not identical, nor are their treatment styles, diagnostic abilities, personalities, training, history and strengths/weaknesses. Practices that have a factory or gym like atmosphere often give care that is diluted. Choose a therapy practice that offers privacy so that you can freely acknowledge your progress and discuss your concerns. Your therapist is ideally focused upon you throughout your treatment. It can be profoundly helpful to have someone who listens and strategizes with you.
Gaining Perspective: Bumps in the road are normal and to be expected.
It is common for people to begin therapy with high hopes and after a few sessions become disillusioned because their chronic issues have not disappeared. Chronic pain, albeit emotional or physical, can wear away at our perspective and judgement. It is easy to lose ourselves in confusion. A seasoned therapist who has seen thousands of patients can help to ground, encourage establishing realistic goals and help you to explore your options.
Some therapies enhance each other
For example acupuncture and Rolfing. Acupuncture can open up the energetic system by removing blockages which can sometimes be the underlying issue with structural and neurologic problems. A structural acupuncture approach can make the soft tissue manipulation of Rolfing more fluid and accessible. It is best to talk to your practitioners and ask for their advice. It is their business to be able to advise you what the best treatment strategy is.
Pursuing holistic therapies involves the cultivation of a practice.
When you commit to a therapy you are investing in a process that works best when you actively participate. Rather than opting for medication or surgery you are devoting time and resources to explore a noninvasive alternative option. Holistic therapies at their best yield self discovery and growth. Whatever type of therapy you choose has the potential to be transformational. You might get much more than you bargained for.
An underlying belief that supports holistic therapies is that our bodies and minds can be influenced psychologically, physically and energetically through noninvasive healing experiences. By choosing psychotherapy, body work, movement or an energetically based therapy you are investing in your own innate ability to recover and heal.
Acupuncture for Childbirth Preparation
Acupuncture is a powerful tool to help manage many of the problems women face during pregnancy. Exhaustion, depression, digestive issues, constipation, hemorrhoids, headaches, heartburn, insomnia, low back pain, nausea and stress related symptoms are successfully treated within the scope of acupuncture. It can also be helpful as an adjunctive therapy for gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory infections, UTI’s and more.
Weekly acupuncture during the last four weeks of pregnancy focuses on the preparation of a woman’s body for natural childbirth. The goals of treatment include:
Studies have shown that pre-birth acupuncture significantly lowers the incidence of medical interventions including C-sections, epidurals and episiotomies. Women who have pre-birth acupuncture have shorter labors with less discomfort.
Acupressure can be utilized to support a woman during labor. Prior to labor the acupuncturist instructs the woman’s partner or labor coach on how to administer acupressure to specific points that will help to facilitate the childbirth process. For some childbirth pairs, we mark the most important points on the women’s body so they are easily accessed when needed.
For childbirth support during labour, I recommend using two or three points together. I’ll share the name of each point and a little about the spirit of each point. Please note: Some of these points are contraindicated during pregnancy.
Reinforcing Labor
SP6 The United Crossing of Three Yins – This is an earth point. Here, the spleen, kidney and liver channels meet and the nourishing force of Qi joins with vitality and strength (earth, water, wood.) This meeting point joins these great resources.
LI4 Union Valley – This is a metal point. Valleys are lush with resources and this point helps clear the body of what is no longer needed, and does so with great vitality, helping the energy to flow.
Labor
GB21 Well of the Shoulder – Baby Descending Point. Wood. Helps us to shoulder life’s burdens, to stand upright and remain balanced. Fresh water gives us inspiration and reserves to shoulder our responsibilities.
BL32 The Second Sacral Bone Notch – This is a water point – water always reaches its destination, it is both soft and strong. In addition to helping babies find their way into the world, it reduces pain during contraction, facilitates dilation.
Stamina
KD1 Bubbling Spring – Also a water point. Bubbles up from the ground with great vitality. The source of vision which comes from growth. This spring taps into knowledge, tranquility, wisdom, creativity and courage.
ST36 To Walk in the Great Strength of Stillness – Earth point. Storehouse for putting things into action and moving with extra strength when things are difficult.
Pregnancy and childbirth are a treasured and sacred journey. Both acupuncture and acupressure are wonderful tools that can provide support for the transition.
By David Frome • Acupuncture • • Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, childbirth, childbirth preparation, labor, natural childbirth, pregnancy