One more reason why I love being a chiropractor!

Hi everybody!

So obviously there are many reasons why I love being a chiropractor! Love helping people, meeting patients, the freedom of being my own boss, could go on and on. Yesterday, I had one of these great moments in my practice and I wanted to share it with you.

In my practice, I treat a lot of children and babies as you must know but I also get some referrals from an MD for work related injuries. These cases are quite challenging, as they are complex most of the time. The patients usually have tried many therapies before they give chiropractic a try.

A few weeks ago, I had a case of a gentlemen who came in suffering of lower back pain, hip pain and upper back pain. He had been off work for a year and was actually now walking with a cane. He had so much pain from his hip and leg that he could only walk with the help of that cane. I will not go in to all the details of the exam and relevant clinical things but I can tell you that after reviewing his case, in my opinion, there were no reason why he would not respond. So we had a discussion about what I was going to do which included muscle work and adjustments. He was instructed to combine ice to all the other things he was already doing. He was so incapacitated that he was having trouble taking care of his little girl who is 11 months old.

So we started treatment last week. I did 3 visits on him last week. They were going well!! For sure, he was a bit sore but he was seeing a change so he was encouraged. When he came back this week Tuesday, I was bent changing my head rest paper when he came in to the room. When I looked up, I asked him "so how are you feeling after the week end? " He replied " LOOK NO MORE CANE" he had been walking with a cane for over 3 -4 months!! WOW !!

I was so happy!! He said he was so encouraged and happy that he had told his wife over the week end that all he wanted to do was give me a hug!! YEAH!! We exchanged a hug and continued with the treatment. He is not out of the loop yet but at least on the right way!

These moments are just so special. Chiropractic has changed his life. Originally when he came in, he was so discouraged and most probably now for the first time he was smiling and encouraged!! Wow it is a great feeling!!!

This made my day and I told all my friends!! For moments like these, I will continue to practice. It happens quite often but some are more powerful then others! I love being a chiropractor. At 14, when I said I wanted to be a chiropractor, I do not think I realized fully what it meant but now I know.

When you have passion for your work it shows ! Do something you love and you will see the days will just fly by without you noticing.

I hope you enjoyed the post and if you have great stories like that please share them with me! I would love the hear them.

Valerie

Postpartum Depression!! not to be ignored!

Hi everyone

This week I had the pleasure of attending the Grande Conference of the Association of Lactation of Quebec. Going to conferences is always so stimulating and fun. You not only get to meet colleagues but you get to listen to great speakers!!

The first day monday was on postpartum depression and the new paradigm. We had the pleasure of listening to an amazing speaker, Kathleen-Kendall Tackett. I learned so much on the subject. I thought it would be interesting to share with you some of the key elements.

Post-partum depression is sometimes not always talked about because of the stigma attached to it. Many mothers go untreated just because they do not get the appropriate help and first of all diagnoses. Breastfeeding also gets blamed easily with postpartum depression. Certain cultures say that 10-20% of mothers get postpartum depression but some people think that the numbers can actually be as high as 40-50%.

The old paradigm thought that the drop in estrogen and progesterone were some of the triggers for postpartum depression. Other risk factors identified were stress, pain, lack of sleep, inflammation, psychosocial trauma and a history of depression and anxiety.

The new paradigm and the latest research identified that the inflammation is actually the main trigger in postpartum depression and depression. Inflammation underlies all the other risk factors. It was found that the more inflammation you have in your plasma, the more depressed you may be. Normally, we can manage stress but when our system balance does not work you can not handle it and you start secreting some inflammatory components. You then add all the other possible triggers and your chances of having postpartum depression becomes very high!

The pro-inflammatory cytokines rise in the last trimester of pregnancy therefore mothers are at higher risk of depression in the last trimester. Moms that are showing signs of depression during pregnancy should be treated! It was shown that depression and anxiety increase the risk of preterm birth.

Breastfeeding is known to reduce these inflammatory cytokines because it has a calming effect on mothers and reduces stress and the stress response. It is key to help moms preserve their breastfeeding during these difficult period. Depression does change the way moms interact with their baby. It was also shown that depressed breastfeeding mothers touched, stroked and looked at babies more than depressed non-breastfeeding mothers. Breastfeeding is therefore good for mom and baby!!!

However if mom is experiencing breastfeeding difficulties and nipple pain, they were at higher risk of getting postpartum depression (38% versus 14%). This makes sense as it increases stress and inflammation therefore more at risk! So it is key to help mothers get out of breastfeeding pain and problems as quickly as possible. When the pain is gone ( i.e. inflammation is reduced ), the mood usually returns to normal.

She talked about the various treatment options for mothers . The traditional treatments such as antidepressants are sometimes necessary for a short course to get the mothers back on track. It should be noted that there is no contraindication to nursing with most of the antidepressants prescribed. Some alternative options such as omega 3 supplementation have been shown in many studies to help relieve depression. St- John's wort is also an herb used to treat mild to moderate depression. It is important to mention to moms that there are alternatives when they decide which way to go when it comes to treating depression.

This was a quick summary but you can find a lot more information on her web sites. I am also including the abstract of her article that talks about it. If you would like the full article email me and I will forward it to you guys.

http://www.kathleenkendall-tackett.com/

http://www.breastfeedingmadesimple.com/

http://www.uppitysciencechick.com/

I hope you will pay attention to mothers around you and see if they are suffering from depression. Don't be shy to get help if you are worried!!

Valerie

International Breastfeeding Journal

Review Open Access

A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of

inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory

treatments protect maternal mental health

Kathleen Kendall-Tackett*

Address: Family Research Laboratory, 126 Horton Social Science Center, 20 College Road, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New

Hampshire, 03824, USA

Email: Kathleen Kendall-Tackett* - kkendallt@aol.com

* Corresponding author

Abstract

Background: Research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has revealed that depression

is associated with inflammation manifested by increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines.

Discussion: The old paradigm described inflammation as simply one of many risk factors for

depression. The new paradigm is based on more recent research that has indicated that physical

and psychological stressors increase inflammation. These recent studies constitute an important

shift in the depression paradigm: inflammation is not simply a risk factor; it is the risk factor that

underlies all the others. Moreover, inflammation explains why psychosocial, behavioral and physical

risk factors increase the risk of depression. This is true for depression in general and for

postpartum depression in particular. Puerperal women are especially vulnerable to these effects

because their levels of proinflammatory cytokines significantly increase during the last trimester of

pregnancy – a time when they are also at high risk for depression. Moreover, common experiences

of new motherhood, such as sleep disturbance, postpartum pain, and past or current psychological

trauma, act as stressors that cause proinflammatory cytokine levels to rise. Breastfeeding has a

protective effect on maternal mental health because it attenuates stress and modulates the

inflammatory response. However, breastfeeding difficulties, such as nipple pain, can increase the

risk of depression and must be addressed promptly.

Conclusion: PNI research suggests two goals for the prevention and treatment of postpartum

depression: reducing maternal stress and reducing inflammation. Breastfeeding and exercise reduce

maternal stress and are protective of maternal mood. In addition, most current treatments for

depression are anti-inflammatory. These include long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, cognitive therapy,

St. John's wort, and conventional antidepressants.