Yayyy, you had a baby! Congratulations! But… now you don’t sleep, your body hurts in any multitude of ways, and another one that probably no one warned you about: When you do actually sleep at night, you’re occasionally woken up by not your baby’s tears, but your sweat. If only your husband could bleed, he’d at least be contributing somehow to the trifecta, am I right?
Why does this happen?
Simple. And most of you already know the answer: Hormones. The concept of “blood” and “vital fluids” in Chinese medicine encompasses hormones as well as neurotransmitters, the latter of which might also explain why Postpartum Depression or Anxiety is so rampant.
Subjective amounts of blood loss begin from the 1st week of pregnancy, when Mom’s vital fluids are being allocated no longer to herself, but to her fetus and placenta. So ladies, your blood is never yours again. Actually it can be, once you stop nursing, but then stress depletes the blood as well, which is apparently unavoidable in parenthood. Fortunately the best means to supplement beyond early bedtimes, are steak and red wine… and herbs.
Sweat loss is not insignificant. While it often offers our bodies a beneficial cooling effect, our perspiration contains within it vital nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, amino acids, and anti-microbial peptides, some of which cannot be replaced by supermarket-grade electrolyte beverages.
It is a well-known fact that our body’s detoxification process happens through the liver and kidneys, not sweat glands, so any kooky yoga teachers who ever recommended hot yoga or HIIT training to “detoxify,” could more or less be brought up on malpractice. That is unless you don’t consider exercise the physiological modality it is proven to be.
In Classical Chinese medicine it is said that excessive sweating depletes our body’s “Yang,” which might be partially defined by things such as our amino acids and anti-microbial peptides. So let’s not lose our Yang, because losing Yang eventually leads to losing blood, which perpetuates the cycle!
Acupuncture would use points to calm the hypothalamus and stimulate the adrenals to produce hormones to slow the vicious cycle. Commonly used Chinese herbs might include Gypsum stone (if Mom is very thirsty for cold drinks), Rehmannia root (if there is also still any bleeding and Mom’s feeling emotionally disturbed), or Oyster Shell actually (if there is tightness at the ribs and/or chest, and Mom’s having trouble sleeping).
Please don’t self-prescribe. Consult a real herbalist.
