The March issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology includes an encouraging study for women who have depression during their pregnancies. The study suggests that acupuncture treatments, when specifically geared toward helping depression, may have a positive effect.
As many as one in five women suffers from depression during pregnancy, and I learned firsthand from the roller coaster of emotions I experienced during my pregnancies.
I was plagued by sleeplessness, nausea, and general discomfort at exactly the time I should have been celebrating the good fortune of multiple healthy pregnancies after age 35. Once I sought acupuncture treatments, though, I discovered that by relieving the worst of my pain, nausea, and sleeplessness, I began to enjoy the imminent arrival of my child.
To better understand how a series of needles placed on my body could possibly make me happy, I spoke with Michael Shpak, a board-certified licensed acupuncturist who was trained by two former midwives.
“In pregnancy, the woman’s body is taxed and burdened—her blood-sugar balance, thyroid function, and adrenal function can be altered, and she can be anemic,” he explains.
In other words, your body bears the burden of what Shpak calls “two physiologies”—yours and the baby’s.
In addition to this physical taxation, there are psychological ramifications in the transition to becoming a mother. And not all of that is a celebration, according to Shpak.
How does it work?
“Persistent pregnancy-induced discomforts respond beautifully and reliably to both the systemic and local effects of acupuncture,” says Shpak.
Acupuncture affects the central nervous system, which controls the brain and spinal cord. Studies have shown that it can work both locally, where it can reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and ease pain, as well as globally, in that it can directly influence brain chemistry through the release of endorphins.
Endorphins are released along with cortisol, the hormone involved in your reaction to stress and anxiety. “The combination of these neurotransmitters and hormones helps to balance those four physical functions—blood-sugar balance, thyroid function, adrenal function, and anemia,” says Shpak.
Research has also shown that acupuncture activates the nucleus accumbens, or pleasure center of the brain, which may explain the link between acupuncture and relieving depression.
