Post Partum Disorders

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are three common pathological conditions after giving birth: 1) pain, 2) dizziness and vertigo or mental distress (post partum’s blue), and 3) constipation. The main causes of these problems are exhaustion of Qi (pronounce Chee, meaning energy) and Blood, leading to nourishment deficiency in part of patient’s body.

Most commonly seen post partum disorders are: Abnormal Lochia, Abdominal Pain, Joints Pain, Headache, Post Partum Anxiety and Depression, insufficient lactation, Breast Pain, and Breast Abscess.

Case One
A 29 year-old female patient suffered from left nipple pain for five weeks after giving birth. The pain episodically occurred without specific reasons. There were Raynaud’s phenomena (pallor, cyanosis, and redness) on the nipple along with the throbbing pain. It was difficult to nurse the baby due to poor milk flow. The patient looked cheerful but tense in emotion. She stated that there was not enough rest resulted from taking care of the baby and herself, in addition of dealing with visitors. She had Lochia for two weeks with only two to three days of heavy flow. Her diet was not specifically for post partum needs. She had sluggish bowel movement with hard stool but normal urination.

Physical exam finding: Flush complexion; pale lips and fingernails; light pale pink color in the left nipple. Light orange color around the edge of her tongue but lavender in the center with thin white fur. Her pulse is thin and string-like.

The patient received three acupuncture treatments and took granular Chinese herbal medicine of Jiao Ai Si Wu Tang/ four-substance decoction with Jelly and Mugwort for nourishing blood and promoting Qi movement around the sick area, which recovered her condition.

Case Two
After giving birth for three weeks, a 35 year-old mother started experiencing tinnitus in both of her ears and brain. She felt that she was in a factory with multiple engines running at the same time. The symptom was getting worse in the evening. Meantime, she felt slightly dizzy, lethargy and fatigue, and was not able to sleep well. Her bowel movements were very dry and sluggish.

Physical finding: face looked pale and her emotion looked exhausted. She had pale and enlarged tongue with tooth marks. Her pulse is thin and soft.

She had two acupuncture treatments combined with self-acupressure and Chinese herbal medicine of Yi Qi Cong Ming Tang/benefit Qi and nourish brain decoction in concentrated granular form for two weeks. Her problem was cured since.

Kejian Xiao, L.Ac.