ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Pregnancy guide

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Here are some suggestions that may help:

• Dietary changes: Eat iron rich foods: dark green leafy vegetables, red meat, offal, whole grains, dried fruits especially prunes, parsley, watercress, molasses, cocoa. Avoid teas, coffee, bran.
• Supplements: Iron taken with Vitamin C but not with Zinc, Floradix, pregnancy multivitamin supplement.
• Herbal remedies: Nettle, peppermint, blackcurrant, yellow dock or parsley tea.
• Homeopathy: Ferrum Phos, Ferrum Metallicum, Calc Phos, Nat Mur, Pulsatilla can be useful.
• Aromatherapy: Black pepper, 3 drops in 10 mls carrier oil for light massage in the third trimester.

• Exercise: Stretch the wrists backwards and forwards. Massage upwards from the wrist.
• Reflexology: Lymphatic tecnique on the hands and feet to relieve the oedema.
• Acupuncture: Is helpful by a qualified acupuncturist.

• Dietary changes: Increase intake of fiber (fruits, vegetables, lentils, oats, prunes, figs). Increase fluid intake (water, herbal teas, juices). Avoid tea (contains tannins). Eat more vitamin C rich foods (oranges, mandarin, rockmelon, capsicum).
• Herbal supplements: Dandelion tea, rhubarb root tea. Take 2 tsp psyllium seeds in water. Take 1 gram vitamin C with food especially if taking Iron.
• Homeopathy: Nux Vomica, Bryonia, Nat Mur can alleviate the symptoms.
• Aromatherapy: Light abdominal massage with 5 drops in total of either orange oil, mandarine, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit or lemongrass in 10 mls of sweet almond oil.

• Dietary changes: Have smaller, more frequent meals. Have a light dinner and earlier. Avoid spicy, fatty foods. Eat raw almonds, pineapple or pawpaw after meals. Avoid tea and coffee.
• Herbal supplements: Fennel, aniseed, chamomile and peppermint teas help settle the stomach. Slippery elm bark powder 1 tsp in water neutralizes the stomach.
• Acupressure: Press intermittently on the midline point four finger breadth above the umbilicus.
• Aromatherapy: Orange and neroli oil can be used in the second trimester, chamomile. Lavender can also be used in the third trimester in a massage blend: add 5 drops in total to 10 mls of carrier oil such as sweet almond oil and massage the area gently.

• Lifestyle changes: Gentle exercise such as walking or swimming. Relaxation, hypnotherapy, yoga massage help keep stress at bay.
• Dietary changes: Eat plenty of garlic, avoid tea and coffee, drink dandelion tea. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and grains can be helpful (bananas, potatoes, avocadoes, tomatoes). Magnesium rich foods such as cooked beans and peas, dark green leafy vegetables, milk, nuts, seafood. Calcium rich foods such as skim milk, spinach and broccoli. Celery and cucumber are mildly diuretic.
• Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Homeopathy can be useful.
• Aromatherapy: Lemon, mandarin, neroli, ylang ylang or rosewood oils are all relaxing and anxiolytic, and can be used during the entire pregnancy either in a massage blend, a bath, a foot bath or in an oil burner. Lavender toward the second half of the pregnancy is also relaxing.

• Dietary changes: Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee, cheese, sugar, chocolate, ham, sausage, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes in the evening. Have an early evening meal. Drink hot milk, chamomile tea or lime flower tea at bedtime.
• Homeopathy: Passiflor, Coffea, Nux vomica can help. Rescue remedy is also useful (4 drops under the tongue).
• Reflexology: Relaxation techniques, solar plexus hold and stretch all toes.
• Aromatherapy: Lavender oil 5 drops in 10 mls carrier oil for a massage. Lavender, mandarin, neroli, petitgrain, orange or ylang ylang (a few drops in a bath, a foot bath or a burner).
• Hypnotherapy, relaxation tapes, yoga, massages, breathing exercises have been found to be very useful.

• Dietary changes: Increase intake of calcium rich foods such as dairy products, canned fish, dark green vegetables, sesame and sunflower seeds, bananas.
• Exercise: Calf stretch, walking, swimming. Elevate the legs while sleeping or sitting.
• Herbal remedies: Cramp bark and ginger decoction.
• Homeopathy: Mag Phos tissue salt.
• Aromatherapy: A foot bath with lavender oil 10 drops, geranium oil 5 drops, cypress oil 2 drops in warm water. A massage blend with ginger oil 2 drops and black pepper oil 2 drops in 10 mls of carrier oil.

• Lifestyle and prevention: Eat a balanced diet and drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day. Drink dandelion tea. Avoid coffee. Take regular exercise like walking and swimming, Yoga is also beneficial.
• Dietary: Include celery and cucumber in the diet, as well as onions and garlic.
• Aromatherapy: A foot bath with a 1-2 drops of either lime, orange, tangerine, grapefruit or geranium oil will bring relief. A massage blend with 2 drops geranium oil, 2 drops grapefruit oil and 1 drop cypress oil in 10 mls sweet almond oil can be used when doing the lymphatic drainage on the feet and hands.