Is it safe to see a chiropractor while I am pregnant?
Chiropractic is safe and effective for many issues during pregnancy.
Many women get relief from low back pain, tightness in shoulders, wrist pain, nausea and other conditions often associated with pregnancy. Dr. Tobi uses chiropractic adjusting, acupuncture, nutritional support, and exercise instruction to help you adjust to the many changes your body undergoes during pregnancy.
What is the Webster Technique?
The Webster Technique, discovered by Dr. Larry Webster, founder of the ICPA, is a specific chiropractic adjustment for pregnant mothers. Working to correct sacral subluxations, this technique balances pelvic muscles and ligaments in the woman's pelvis, removes constraint and allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth. Dr. Webster instructed many Doctors of Chiropractic in this technique and their combined results showed a high success rate in allowing babies in the breech position to go into the normal head down or vertex position. Because of its ability to facilitate easier, safer deliveries for both the mother and baby, many birth care providers are actively seeking Doctors of Chiropractic with the skills in this technique.
What is In-Utero Constraint?
Due to a lifetime of stress and trauma to a woman's spine and pelvis, her pelvic opening may be compromised, resulting in a less than optimum passage for the baby. Williams Obstetrics Text tells us that, "Any contraction of the pelvic diameters that diminish the capacity of the pelvis can create dystocia (difficulty) during labor." They further state that the diameter of the woman's pelvis is decreased when the sacrum is displaced. Additionally, these compensations to her spine and pelvis during pregnancy are likely to cause an imbalance to her pelvic muscles and ligaments. The woman's pelvis supports her growing uterus with specific ligaments. When the pelvic bones are balanced, the uterus is able to enlarge symmetrically with the growing baby. If the bones of the pelvis are out of alignment or subluxated, this will directly affect the way the uterus will be supported. Unequal ligament support of the uterus will torque the uterus reducing the maximum amount of room for the developing baby.
DHA Fatty Acids May Reduce Postpartum Depression
NEW YORK (MedscapeWire) Apr 12 -- Several studies summarized at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society on April 8 suggest that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acid supplements given to nursing mothers may improve early infant development. DHA supplements may also reduce the incidence of postpartum depression.
"We believe that the high incidence of postpartum depression in the United States may be triggered by a low dietary intake of DHA," presenter David J. Kyle, PhD, from the Mother and Child Foundation and Advanced BioNutrition Corp in Columbia, Maryland, said in a news release. "The higher the intake of DHA, the lower the incidence of depression."
A 1998 study by Joseph Hibbeln of the National Institutes of Health found a significant inverse correlation between DHA intake and incidence of clinical depression, and a more recent study by Hibbeln found the same relationship between DHA levels in breast milk and incidence of postpartum depression. During pregnancy, the placenta pumps DHA from the expectant mother to the fetus, increasing the mother's susceptibility to depression.
Maternal diet influences the level of DHA in breast milk. "The DHA content of mother's milk in the United States is among the lowest in the world," Kyle said, noting that daily dietary intake of DHA is about 40-50 mg in US women, 200 mg in European women, and about 600 mg in Japanese women.
DHA supplements of 200 mg daily double the DHA content of nursing mothers' milk relative to those who received placebo, according to a study by Craig Jensen from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
"The toddlers who were nursed from the moms getting the extra DHA performed significantly better [on standard neurological motor function tests] than those toddlers nursed from mums who were getting the placebo," Kyle said.
Last year, the FDA approved the addition of DHA to infant formulas. Women who want to increase their DHA levels can take dietary supplements or eat more tuna, salmon, algae, and other foods rich in DHA. To avoid mercury contamination, however, current guidelines suggest limiting fish to 12 ounces of cooked fish per week during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and avoiding shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.
