My Postpartum health story

Having Anjali was one of the most amazing and difficult things I have ever done - and boy were we in awe and exhausted for a long time. At some point, she began sleeping through the night but I was still waking up 1-3 times per night and often unable to go back to sleep. I was also still feeling extremely exhausted, short-tempered and just not feeling like myself at all. I actually consulted 3 different practitioners who all gave me extremely similar "diagnoses" but it wasn't until the third that I finally was able to really hear it and do something about it. Long story short, my adrenal system was extremely fatigued and probably had been from even when I was pregnant. Actually, I've heard that having a baby can lead to adrenal fatigue and serious thyroid conditions that may "test" normal according western/allopathic medicine but in eastern/alternative modalities, there can be slight abnormalities that can be the precursors to disease if not rebalance. I also had a few other things going on that were explained in the context of Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine systems.

So here's the long story if you desire to stick around and read it. I first consulted an MD who is also trained in Dr. Andrew Weil's Alternative Healing, then I saw a natropath who also does acupuncture. (I didn't know that schooling for Natropaths at accredited schools is equivalent to medical school). Finally I consulted an MD who is also trained in Ayurveda, traditional medicine from India. All of them noted the adrenal fatigue but it wasn't until the 3rd diagnosis that I began taking several different herbs and adjusted my diet to help manage the issues going on. The Ayurvedic "diagnosis" was extremely comprehensive in that I was also given specific dietary modifications based on my body constitution and certain aggravations and was advised to perform pacifying self massage. The acupuncturist also does Mayan massage which is an amazing adominal massage that helps to realign the uterus for women. The Mayan believe that if a woman's uterus is out of alignment, she is out of alignment. I 100% recommend ALL women to seek out a Mayan Massage practitioner...

I have felt more like myself since I started taking the herbs and following all the other advice than I have in eons! This all said, I would definitely recommend anyone who has "inexplicable" fatigue/anxiety or other "not feeling like myself" symptoms to consider consulting someone outside of the western/allopathic world as it can help detect issues that may not seem critical but that could develop into serious disease down the road. If you're in the ATL, I have a couple of practitioners that I recommend and then there's the Ayurvedic MD who's in Colorado.

In the ATL:

• Caroline Friedlander at Morningside Acupuncture - http://www.morningsideacu.com
• Dr. Bhatia, http://www.atlantaholisticmedicine.com

In CO: Dr Nita Desai - http://www.nitadesaimd.com

Be healthy, be calm, breathe deeply... peace.