Essential Oils are now available to order       online.
Single Oils
Oil Blends

The nine months a woman spends in pregnancy should be a wonderful period of time to be cherished.  Thee are, however, numerous discomforts and health conditions that may be experienced due to the physiological changes that occur in the body.  For many women this can put an extreme damper on the pregnancy experience.  Some of these conditions include morning sickness, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back and hip pain (as well as many other aches and pains), swelling of the hands and feet, etc.  And then there are potential complications at the end of a pregnancy that can increase the parent's anxiety levels such as a breech presentation and the threats of c-sections and/or labor induction.

There are many alternatives in the holistic world of health care that are beneficial in helping reduce or correct these discomforts and complications.

Chiropractic care:  As the pregnancy progresses, the mother's body releases different hormones that have been labeled as "relaxin".  These hormones have the effect of increasing ligament and tendon elasticity causing the joints of the body to become unstable.  This is important in the delivery process so that the pelvis will be able to expand allowing the baby to pass through the birth canal.  However, during the pregnancy unstable joints coupled with the dramatic changes in uterine and abdominal size can lead to numerous structural imbalances in the body.

The nervous system is responsible for coordinating the function of all other systems and organs in the body and for allowing the body to adapt to an ever-changing environment.

The largest portion of the nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, is encased in bone (skull and spinal column) with all other nerves in the body passing through openings in the bones to reach the rest of the body.  As a result, structural imbalances in the body can greatly affect how well the nervous system functions.  Chiropractic care reduces the structural imbalances that can lead to nervous system dysfunction.  Studies have shown that women under regular chiropractic care through their pregnancy experience significantly fewer complications and less pain through the labor and delivery process as well as the pregnancy.

Acupuncture: When most people think of acupuncture they think of needles.  However, acupuncture is a principle based on the philosophy in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) of balancing the energy systems of the body.  This is done by working with the meridian systems of the body.

What is a Meridian?  A meridian is a tube-like channel of electromagnetic energy that flows through the body.  It has been said by some that these channels are anatomically 2-3 mm below the surface of the skin.

There are 14 main meridians in TCM, 12 of which are paired with a right and left side while the other 2 are in the midline of the body.  These meridians are named after major organs in the body (large intestine, liver, heart, kidney, spleen, etc.) and begin or end on either the fingertips or toe tips and the face or chest.

As energy (chi) flows through the meridians, it flows from one meridian to another, to another, to another, until eventually it makes a complete circuit throughout the entire body.  As long as this energy is freely flowing and is balanced -- not too high, not too low, and balanced from the right to left sides -- an individual should be healthy.  However, if something happens in the body that causes a meridian to be "turned up" too high, "turned down" too low, or imbalanced from the right to the left, the individual's health can be adversely affected.  This is due to the fact that a meridian affects what it is named after or what it courses next to or through.

A skilled acupuncturist will evaluate the meridian systems, determine which meridians are out of balance and stimulate certain points - acupoints - to bring the meridians into balance.

What conditions Can Acupuncture Help Relieve?  In China, acupuncture is used on nearly every patient for every condition and when looking in different reference books on acupuncture, numerous acupoint formulas can be found for each condition.  By stimulating certain combinations of acupoints together many different effects in the body can be achieved.  The main question to be asked should be, "Is my problem being caused by an energetic or meridian imbalance?"  If so, acupuncture can have tremendous results.  If not. then the therapy becomes "acupuncture aspirin".  In these cases, does that mean that acupuncture should not be utilized?  Not necessarily.  Acupuncture can still yield results for an individual and help them gain relief.  However, if the underlying cause of the problem is not addressed, the results achieved with acupuncture will be limited.  The underlying cause of the problem, such as dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, structural or emotional imbalances, toxin accumulation in the body, etc., should be addressed in conjunction with acupuncture.  Then instead of being "acupuncture aspirin" it becomes a powerful healing therapy.

Conditions During Pregnancy

Within the alternative health world there are multiple therapies and treatments which yield beneficial results and can offer relief to the mother with significantly fewer, if any, side effects.  The following are a few common examples:

Breech Presentation.  In the chiropractic profession there is a specific technique, Webster's technique, which has a high rate of success in turning a breech baby.  The technique is based on adjusting the structural imbalances in the pelvis and relaxing the inguinal and uterine ligaments in order to give the baby adequate room to turn.  Acupuncture techniques are also very effective with turning a breech baby.  For example, heavy stimulation to the tip of the 5th (pinky) toe is one of the more powerful points.

Labor Induction.  When certain acupoints are stimulated together, there is a very high success rate of inducing labor.  These are extremely useful when a mother is overdue and her doctor wants to induce the labor medically.  Using the acupuncture techniques, the mother traditionally goes into labor within 24-30 hours of the therapy without the negative side effects of medication.  These techniques are also excellent for reducing a prolonged labor and delivery and when other acupoints are added to the formula, pelvic anesthetic can also be achieved.

Morning Sickness.  Morning sickness is generally due to hormonal changes in the body during the 1st trimester.  However, many women suffer throughout their pregnancy with this condition.  Then as the uterus increases in size and the abdominal organs move and rearrange from their normal positions due to the lack of space, heartburn often develops due to stress on the diaphragm.  There are numerous acupuncture techniques, visceral (organ) adjusting techniques, and homeopathic remedies that can help relieve these conditions.  Homeopathic remedies are extremely useful in that there are no known side effects with them and many of them can be customized to the individual needs of the mother.

At The Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy we have incorporated many different techniques in order to meet the individual needs of the patient.  Some of them include chiropractic, acupuncture, computerized health testing, homeopathy, nutrition, herbs, color and sound therapy, and massage.  With specific testing and examinations we are able to address the cause of the problem rather than chase the symptoms.