Anxiety and stress have become a common part of many daily lives. This results in many illnesses and symptoms such as disturbed sleep, poor appetite, and unhappiness. Often this feeling of anxiety is new so the question is: how does this happen? During my many years of practice as an acupuncturist and practitioner or Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Acupuncture Center of New Jersey in Morristown, New Jersey I have learned that the stress of trying to get pregnant becomes a major cause for anxiety. Stress increases as a couple tries to achieve pregnancy and the longer the wait higher the stress.
I recently had the pleasure of helping a couple achieve a successful natural pregnancy with Traditional Chinese Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. During the initial consultation Laurie shared with me that she was experiencing anxiety and her job consisted of a lot of stress. We started with incorporating relaxing techniques in her everyday routine which consisted of meditation and yoga. Time was a constraint in applying these techniques, so I told her to start just 10 minutes and gradually add a few minutes each day.
Laurie received acupuncture twice a week focusing on calming her Shen or emotional spirit and freeing the stagnant Liver qi that was blocking her reproductive system. I prescribed a Chinese herbal remedy that focused on stimulating hormones and the flow of blood to her uterus.
After two weeks of acupuncture treatments and herbs to calm the Shen we were able to improve her sleep quality. Her ability to handle everyday stresses became more manageable.
She noticed she was less irritable and was more content during the day. She stated she was feeling happy and had a good amount of energy during the day. After two months of regular acupuncture and herbal formulas, Laurie achieved a natural pregnancy and she gave a birth to a healthy baby girl. She continues her meditation practice and practices every day.
