Post partum depression link, La Leche League

[Guest guest]

Hi Janel;

This is another responsible, dedicated organization offering the best

commonly known for safe management of ppd, and as such is both good

research source for us doing comparative analysis of ayurveda and

other protocols, and of course good safe legal recommendation source

for moms if they do not have access to Ayurvedic physicians and

AyurDoulas for postpartum care, consultation or herbal supports. Of

course also for transition safety net, tho side effects of the

antidepressants is often scary.

 

> http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBdepression.html

 

One of the articles caught my attention here, and I'd like to repeat a

little info on this. I know, Dr. Bhate, you have shared on this

subject with me offline and if you don't mind, I'll find and post.

 

The article in the LLLeague leader's resource says,

" In light of the varied opinions on antidepressant use by

breastfeeding mothers, the best we can so for a mother is to share

information from the literature:

 

* Maternal peak serum concentration The time at which a drug is at

its highest level in the mother's blood.

* Drug half-life The amount of time it takes for the drug serum

concentration to decrease by one-half. This term is used to estimate

how fast a drug leaves the body.

* Milk-to-plasma ratio (M/P ratio) The concentration of a

medication in milk and in plasma. Concern is raised when a drug has an

M/P ratio greater than one.

>

Note that the drug half life discussion is misrepresenting some real

issues, including that the antidepressant medications concentrate in

the brain tissue many many times over the bloodstream. So blood serum

represents very incomplete info. When the serum drops or body for

other reasons is able to begin eliminating from the brain, it often

downloads into bloodstream in huge concentrations.

 

As we have discussed before, given that the SSRI drugs increase

cortisol levels at normal dose much more than coffee or sugar by

several times, this is very dangerous for mother and baby, it seems to

me and in the opinoin of Dr. Ann Blake Tracey, at

www.drugawareness.org. I have seen none of the research saying these

medications are safe discussing long term brain accumulations.

 

I have not seen formal discussion among ayurvedists either on doshic

effects of these medications, although it is my perception that they

mask the symptoms to give their results by interfereing with ability

to emotionally feel while not interfereing with phycical feelings of

mental activity or will. So issues of balanced feminine

emotional/spiritual energy concerns should be evaluated in male or

female. And the ama accumulations around brain glands and??? will be

increasing along with previous statement to vata, possibly pitta as

neurotransmitter hormones tend to increase pitta.

 

There is research showing neonatal and infant drug influence from

mothers using medical or recreational tend to grow up many years later

with drug use profiles. The side effects of the cortisol alone are

considerable, influencing fight or flight type long term patterning.

 

I will post in the files section the protocol I share with my students

for pp mood imbalance assessment. Any feedback from the vaidyas is

welcome! it is simply summary of what I have learned so far. I

believe these kind of questions are what we need to include in a

research study that would actually show results of value to the

mothers and their families. Some is already being done, on fats, for

instance, but the bigger umbrella is not yet understood by any but a

handful and the Ayurvedic physicians. Even the mothers in the many

cultures which used to do similar things, usually do not know why!

 

Ysha Oakes, D.Ay, PPAD

Diplomate of Ayurveda, Postpartum AyurDoula, Aroma Therapist

641-472-1695