Acupuncture and Women's Health

Before interviewing Laura Gabbé, Licensed Acupuncturist, at the Providence Day Spa this month, my only prior experience with acupuncture was working with Sally Rappaport, LAc, who put a needle in my right wrist and relieved the chronic tendinitis in my left ankle. So although I had some inkling of the Magic of Acupuncture, I had no idea of the range to which this magic could be put.

A great many women, says Laura, spend years of their life trying to avoid getting pregnant. Then, at last, they decide they are Ready for Parenthood, and discover that they needn't have worried. Pregnancy proves much more elusive than they could ever have thought. They arrive in her office--panicky, stressed, and miserable. Many of them are contemplating IVF (in vitro fertilization), and are cowed at the expense and stress this entails.

Depending on the lady's age, Laura embarks upon a three- to six-month course of treatment with acupuncture and herbs. Although there is no guarantee that she will get pregnant with acupuncture alone, women who receive a course of it before IVF have an increased chance of success, as well as easier pregnancies and more efficient labors. Acupuncture improves blood flow to the endometrium, creating a richer, thicker lining, and stimulates the production of hormones in the proper amounts to improve egg quality. It also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body to relax, heal and balance itself. Oftentimes, the stress caused by attempting to get pregnant is one of the factors impeding conception; Laura helps her clients to take better care of themselves overall, without focussing exclusively on outcome.

Pregnant women may continue seeing Laura for problems such as nausea, headaches, backaches, allergies, depression, and a whole host of other symptoms that, being pregnant, they may not take drugs for. She says that doctors often tell these women that they 'just have to put up with it' for another five or six or seven months, which is not what an exhausted lady with sinusitis wants to hear.

If labor is delayed significantly beyond the due date, Laura can help to bring it on. She often refers clients back and forth with Wendy Morris, D.C., who has a high success rate in turning breech babies, using the Webster chiropractic technique. Laura reports that many of her clients who see her regularly have 'more efficient' labors; i.e. the baby is nearly born in the cab, while the obstetricians and midwives are still telling them to go home and wait another 12 hours or so.

In these modern days, a great number of girls who have trouble with cramps, mood swings, and other severe symptoms at menarche are put on The Pill. This may mask the symptoms, but doesn't cure them--and the possible negative side effects of The Pill are well-known. When they come to Laura instead, she is generally able to reduce their symptoms by 70% in three cycles or less.

Women undergoing menopause also come to Laura for hot flashes, depression, and insomnia. Oftentimes the treatments prescribed for menopausal symptoms, such as hormone replacement therapy and antidepressants, are worse than the problems themselves; it seems well worthwhile to try a side-effect-free alternative! And a recent study has indicated that acupuncture is just as effective as Effexor in treating menopausal symptoms triggered by breast cancer treatment.

Laura frequently provides advice and reassurance to her regular clients who call her with problems; she is more accessible than many physicians or OB/GYNs. She does not work in opposition to Western allopathic medicine, but in complement to it, and readily refers a client to a doctor or other healthcare provider when necessary. For more information, please contact the Providence Day Spa in Brooklyn.

Preview of Coming Attractions

Guess what? Pretty Lady is Expecting! It is true. She is finally past that dicey First Trimester, marked by nausea, exhaustion, and the ever-present fear of suddenly not being pregnant anymore. Her life as a Bohemian Artist is about to change, radically. Part of her thinks that it's About Time.

So she is running around, gathering all the information she can about Women's Health in general, and Pregnant Women's Health in particular. After a tip from a Park Slope Mommy and client of hers, she engaged the services of Clementine Midwifery, an oasis of good old-fashioned common sense and nurturance. Stacey and Barri spent a solid two hours during her first appointment, taking a full genetic history, nutritional overview, battery of blood tests, and answering questions in a reassuring and supportive manner. On their recommendation, Pretty Lady is halfway through Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and doing her best to prepare for a positive Birth Experience.

Next, she interviewed Wendy Morris of Soulshine Family Wellness Center, a Network Spinal Analysis Chiropractor. In addition to providing ongoing bodywork which increases the balance of the nervous system overall, Wendy is a practitioner of the Webster Technique, of turning breech babies by light chiropractic adjustment of the sacrum, and release of abdominal muscle tension. A detailed description of Pretty Lady's first session with Wendy is forthcoming.

Then she moved on to an hourlong interview with Laura Gabbé, Licensed Acupuncturist, who specializes in Women's Wellness at the Providence Day Spa. Laura was such a Font of Useful Information that Pretty Lady only hopes that she can get it all down, without either leaving anything out or confusing her readership.

Finally, she took a M.E.L.T. class (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) with Sara Bethell at the Park Slope Fitness Collective. This involved slow, gentle manipulations of the spine and muscles on long styrofoam rollers; the results were glorious. Pretty Lady felt like she'd just had a massage. Sara is teaching six-week workshops; sign up now!