Holistic Postpartum Care with Acupuncture
Vivian Takafuji
Ph.D., L.Ac., Dipl. OM • Acupuncturist
Becoming a mother is both exciting and exhausting. As a new life is welcomed into the world, this time may be filled with all kinds of new stressors: adjusting to sleepless nights, uncertainty about care, the weight of this new responsibility, and more.
In addition, time and energy devoted to care of the newborn is most likely being juggled with work and other family or social responsibilities. With all of this, it is understandable to see how self-care for the mother can quickly fall to the wayside.
Compounding these new stressors, there has been a tremendous amount of physical and energetic transference between the mother and child during pregnancy and while nursing. We must consider the loss of blood and impact on the mother’s Qi (in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qi is the vital energy that circulates through the body at all times).
This is why focusing on the mother’s health is of paramount importance, especially after a pregnancy.
Regardless of how smoothly a pregnancy and birth has been, a recovery period for the mother is always recommended. Enter acupuncture…
Acupuncture can be immensely helpful to support the wellbeing of the new mother by improving circulation of blood through the pelvis, helping heal a Cesarean incision and minimize scar tissue.
Acupuncture can also help to resolve energetic imbalances that may manifest as sleep disturbance, digestive issues or mood disorders (e.g. anxiety, postpartum depression, etc.) — all things common to new mothers. After the nursing period, Chinese herbs can help to replenish a deficiency of Qi and blood.
This holistic approach to healthcare can be an invaluable resource for the overall wellness of a growing family.
If you’re a new mother, many congratulations! And know we’re here to help you thrive in your recovery period — and in life.
Thriving Magazine • Issue 16
Our October issue looks how we can make positive changes in our mindset and behaviors over the last 90 days of the year so we're starting 2023 with a head start (and skipping the resolutions!). Enjoy!
Articles are written by our experts in physical therapy, fitness training, chiropractic care. nutrition, massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy healing.
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Running is one of the most innate and natural movements humans can do, and yet those who regularly engage in it often continue to be perplexed and frustrated by the aches and injuries that can accompany it. Our ancient nomadic ancestors would regularly run down their hunting prey across vast plains for hours at a time, yet they probably ...
Heal From Within: Energy Healing Q+A
May 27, 2021What if we told you you were born with an innate ability to heal yourself? Whether you have chronic pain, are dealing with anxiety or sleep issues, truly any physical issue can be healed from within. It’s as simple as flipping the switch to turn on your own healing abilities! Everything in your life is energy- including YOU! When ...
The Benefits of Aromatherapy In The Springtime
May 19, 2021Virginia is for lovers we say. Well, I do agree until the moment I step outside for a morning jog in early spring… For those like myself, leaving winter behind is delightful. I know holidays are great BUT the prospect of the warm weather and outdoor activities give me a sense of freedom and abundance I really crave more. Though ...
Memo to Mom
May 5, 2021 Memo to MomIt’s May and we all know what that means, Mother’s Day is coming! While I am not a mom myself, I have several in my life that I love and care for. It never fails that every time I am in the presence of a mom, I notice the love and dedication she has for her family. Sadly, it is also clear the lack of priority she gives ...
Under Pressure
April 28, 2021 Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) to Relieve Allergy Symptoms Ahh Springtime! Warm sunny days and longer nights are all fun and games until, the one thing we can’t stand pops up, those pesky seasonal allergies. Trees, grass, weeds, and beautiful spring flowers all release tiny granules (pollen) into the air to fertilize other ...
Achoo!
April 14, 2021Achoo! The Spring weather is a welcome transition from the Winter cold. Blooming trees and flowers can lift our spirits but can wreak havoc on allergy symptoms. According to Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Spring is the time corresponding to the Liver organ and when the internal energies tend to lift up and outward. If there ...
Dry Brushing What is it and Can it Help During Allergy Season?
April 9, 2021What is Dry Brushing? Dry brushing, dry body brushing, or skin brushing is the use of a natural fiber bristle brush to aid in the stimulation of the skin, lymphatic system, circulatory system, and the nervous system. Skin brushing has been used in the healing practices of cultures all around the world for hundreds of years. ...
Stress management from a Chinese medical perspective
January 5, 2021by Vivian Takafuji, PhD, LAc, Dipl OM The stresses of living in a pandemic can take a tremendous toll on our health. For some, the psycho-emotional fears and worries for ourselves and others close to us can manifest as sleep disturbance, digestive complaints, acute or chronic pain, constant anxiety or depression. For others ...
The Benefits of Direct Access Physical Therapy
December 14, 2020 Are you or a loved one dealing with pain? Or maybe you’re a “weekend warrior” who pushed it a little too far? Or how about aches and pains from running? Maybe you’re dealing with muscle tension and loss of function from a physically demanding job? Or maybe you have persistent pain that has been around so long you can’t ...
Energy Healing: the Hows, the Nows and the WOWs.
July 7, 2020What if we told you you were born with an innate ability to heal yourself? Whether you have chronic pain, are dealing with anxiety or sleep issues, truly any physical issue can be healed from within. It’s as simple as flipping the switch to turn on your own healing abilities! Everything in your life is energy- including YOU! When ...
14 Smoothie Recipes to Decrease Appetite and Balance Your Blood Sugar
May 26, 2020Unless you have been living under a rock (which, may be the case with the current #Rona running around) I am sure you are aware that health and wellness is a hot topic these days. Health choices and food research is no longer just for those who are “another year wiser” but even the younger generation is jumping into the mix. As a ...
Oriental Medicine: What is it? How can it help?
May 19, 2020 Written by: Neida Fedison, L.Ac + Dipl. Ac + DAOM Have you ever heard about Oriental Medicine? You probably have but don’t even know it. You most likely know what Acupuncture is and with some limited information obtained through family members, friends, or even movies and TV shows. Then what is Oriental Medicine? It is the ...
What is Reflexology?
[ Blog Post Date ] What is Reflexology? Reflexology is a holistic modality using hand and finger pressure on the feet, outer ears and/or hands with the intent to stimulate nerve endings, creating positive electrical and chemical changes contributing to homeostasis. Reflexology is also known as zone therapy which accepts the belief that a ...
5 Tips for Respiratory Wellness!
February 18, 2020 Respiratory wellbeing (especially healthy lung function) is essential to living a healthy life. Now more than ever, respiratory wellbeing should be something you are looking to support. Your lungs bring oxygen to your organs by removing the carbon dioxide from your body. I know, it sounds pretty important, right? Now, you ...
5 Must Have Tips to Help Prioritize Sleep
February 18, 2020 Have you ever thought “what is sleep?”. Odds are, this thought has never crossed your mind. And that is okay. You are not alone; we were right there with you! But, what if we stopped and truly thought about what sleep is, how sleep affects our mental, emotional and physical state; more importantly, how proper sleep habits ...
National love your pet day!
February 18, 2020It's National Love Your Pet Day! Did you know that owning a pet can improve your overall mental and physical health? Studies show that owning a pet can lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol to improve heart health. MENTAL HEALTH: Ever had a long, stressful day at work and the second you go home to your furry ...
Train Like A NFL Athlete
NFL football players are some of the highest performing athletes in the world. With this comes strict regimes to ensure their mental and physical health. Everything from their eating habits to sleeping patterns plays a role in their performance and allow them to THRIVE. While not everyone may be an athlete at this level, many of their habits ...
MASSAGE FOR MAMMAS: ME-TIME IS IMPORTANT IN ALL PHASES OF MOTHERHOOD
July 8, 2019Written by: Maureen Moore, CMT + PTA I have always been fascinated by what the human body can accomplish and its level of resiliency. However, I didn’t fully realize just how resilient a woman’s body is until I went through the journey and recovery of giving birth to my son, Logan. Mamma’s, our bodies go through SO MUCH during ...
HOW TO COPE WITH WINTER THREATS: FIRE CUPPING, ESSENTIAL OILS AND AT HOME TIPS
January 21, 2020 Written by: Chantal Owen, CMT + CR + CCA With the cold, flu and allergy seasons upon us, we wanted to give the inside scoop on the ways Thrive can help aid your recovery and at-home tips to get through this season. Luckily so far our winter has been very mild this year yet the yoyo effect between the cold and warm days has ...
The Difference Between Medical Massage and Spa Massage
Have you ever wondered about the difference between a medical massage and a spa massage? We had one of our certified massage therapists, Chantal, discuss the differences to help better understand. While one might think all massages are alike that is not the case. Medical massages and spa massages have differences in their purpose, training, ...
Massage for Mammas: Me-Time is Important in All Phases of Motherhood
The prenatal and postnatal phases are both beautiful and brutal experiences when having a baby. When carrying, the lower ribs can become more flared to make room for the baby, especially during the last trimester. Once we have the baby and begin cradling during feedings, it creates more tension along the bra line area. Whether you’re nursing ...
The Life-Changing Benefits of Aromatherapy and the Raindrop Technique
Aromatherapy is a fascinating field–one that got me completely hooked and that I’ve been passionate about for years. As a French native, where aromatherapy and phytotherapy have a prominent place in health and wellness, I’ve always known the power of essential oils. However, the day that I observed Raindrop Therapy performed on a horse was ...
Why Breathing Into a Balloon Will Improve Your Golf Game
Golf is an obvious sport where rotational mobility is important, but even more important is how the full body rotation is controlled and sequenced. Without adequate control or correct postural setup, the way that your body rotates during a round of golf can influence how you move in the other areas of your life.“Good” posture is the ...
Injury-Prevention Tips for Runners
February 10, 2018FO Every runner wants to win the injury prevention race, whether it is the runner just starting out, the casual runner or the competitive runner. It seems that with all the advancements in training methods, shoe wear, research and even medicine we think we have found the answer. One thing has become clear to us, through all ...
5 tips for ‘Fit & Fab’ Total Body Wellness
May 27, 2017 We recently got to spend an awesome morning with the fabulous Kristen Crowley and the WGNT/WTKR News 3 morning crew. Kristen put together a '5 Days of Fit & Fab' Total Body Wellness series and we were honored and grateful to participate! In this series, we shared 5 quick tips to set your body up for success not only in the ...
Client Testimonials
April 20, 2017Three amazing women -- three inspiring client testimonials! We hope that these client testimonials are the key to help unlock someone else pain. OUR VALUES Thrive is a team of committed and hard-working professionals devoted to the healing, performance, and empowerment of our clients supplied by our dedication to proactive ...
Q & A: PRI Integration for Fitness and Movement Topic – deadlifting
Question: Patient with lower back pain was being treated with PRI. He is doing well and wants to return to dead lifting. Does he just lift as before with PRI activity as primer? Or are there changes in his technique? Is it practical to maintain PRI positioning - knees bent and pelvis inlet in extension during this particular ...
Defying the Odds – Tools of Champions
[ Blog Post Date ] The New England Patriots defied the odds by coming back from a situation that seemed impossible!Tom Brady. Credit Getty ImagesTom Brady credited the team's Mental Toughness for their Epic Superbowl win.Mental toughness is a collection of mental performance skill sets that allow a person to persevere through ...
Your Ribcage: Rib Mobility and Your Spine
The ribcage is a huge part of anatomy that tends to be ignored, especially when treating low back pain.Our ribcage is thought of as a steel cage that isn’t supposed to be very mobile, however, our ribcage is meant to be very mobile! Ribs attach to the front of our body on the sternum and are long levers that wrap all they way back to our ...
The Physiomassage Part 1: The History
I met Julie about 8 years ago when I decided to advance my career in Physical Therapy. I was a full-time massage therapist and personal trainer and knew Physical Therapy would give me the opportunity to further help people. I really wanted to learn what was causing my clients to have pain and why they were having movement dysfunctions. A ...
Grounding – If You Can’t Breathe You Are Not Grounded – Part 3
In Grounding Part 3, we look at the mechanics of breathing, as well as the mechanics of the respiratory and pelvic diaphragms we can identify how the mechanical ventilatory pump is a powerful driver to keep the body connected to the ground during dynamic movement.The central tendon of the respiratory diaphragm descends towards the ground ...
Grounding – Connection to Gait – Part 2
Hopefully you are following our discussion about the valuable principle of grounding. What's cool is our natural gait cycle is mechanically sound to help us ground ourselves to improve our internal physiology and system function. Unfortunately, many people have lost the reciprocity to exchange a rhythm between the right and left halves of the ...
Grounding – a principle that directly influences our health on multiple dimensions
January 23, 2017"Grounding" is a principle we apply in our programming and is essential for restoring normal physiological and mechanical function. Various research has been published to help explain the beneficial effects of grounding on human biological performance and health (note: Earthing is a form of grounding). The inability to ground ...
Real People. Real Results.
January 20, 2017 Our mission is to create value and provide our customers with solutions that get results. We have set out to enhance the healthcare experience, put our customers' needs and goals first, and tailor everyone's care to get results that matter! These are real people with real results. Movement is life! When you are injured and in ...
POSTURE TIPS
January 9, 2017Here are some of our most useful posture tips: When sitting, to stretch the front of your chest and help to keep your lower back unlocked – do a seated cross-connect stretch at your chair, take elbow to opposite knee while you open up the opposite chest wall reaching for the back of the chair. Hold this position for 4-5 ...
5 exercises to Improve your Posture
January 8, 2017Here are our top 5 exercises to improve your posture: Inchworms - Rounded Downward Dog Walk Outs From all fours, knees directly under hips and hands under shoulders (1). Shift your weight forward so your nose is over your fingertips. Exhale and round up through your mid-back like a "cat" yoga pose (2). Extend knees to inhibit ...
Pro Athletes Utilize Mental Performance Training
December 5, 2016 Attention Athletes! And Parents of Athletes! Mental performance training gives you the edge. Are you ready for college scouts? Are you performing to the best of our ability or are you looking to tap into your true potential? The Chicago Cubs went to the World Series this year for the first time in 71 years! And they WON!! ...
What are PRI orthotics
At THRIVE, we fabricate a very unique and special foot orthotic that applies neuromuscular principles with solid principals of lower extremity biomechanics. These orthotics effectively influence the entire postural and movement system by combining the Science of Postural Restoration (PRI) Advanced Physical Therapy with the biomechanics of ...
EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY TRIED PHYSICAL THERAPY…
October 6, 2016 Don't give up! Even if you have already tried physical therapy, you may be surprised at the options you have when you trust the right professionals to help.Here at Thrive, we offer solutions - alternative therapies, advanced techniques, and affordable prices for you to take control of your health. We are ...
Who’s Behind the Scenes taking care of your athletes? What are you doing for Performance Longevity & Performance Sustainment?
[ Blog Post Date ]When we look at the Olympics and Professional Sports (athletes at the highest level) there are clearly some athletes who always seem to get it right. What many people don't know is that it's not the physical training that keeps athletes performing consistently at the highest level. There is work that has to go on beyond the ...
What is the value of Mental Performance Training?
October 5, 2016 Our doctors specialize in the value of mental performance training and cognitive skills to help athletes achieve their full potential. Mental performance integrates the fields of sport science and applied sport & performance psychology to teach performance enhancement and recovery techniques so that you can accomplish ...
How are you managing your body’s response to stress?
September 10, 2016 "Chris, a 45-year-old business executive, had a family history of heart disease, and was feeling extremely stressed, fatigued, and generally in poor emotional health. A 24-hour heart rate variability analysis revealed abnormally depressed activity in both branches of his autonomic nervous system, suggesting ...
Learn how to be Brilliant Every Single Day
September 8, 2016 Our Doctors of Mental Performance provide cognitive training not only to Athletes, but also to Non-Sport High Performers as well. Those successful in their careers understand the value in learning. There is great benefit to learning about your personal physiology and how your body self regulates to keep your brain operating ...
Postural Restoration Integration for Fitness Workout
Around this time last year, I got to spend a weekend at North Carolina State University preparing for the PRI Integration for Fitness and Movement course. Last year, I worked with James Anderson to write and put together an advanced post graduate continuing education course to help various movement professionals understand the important ...
Graston Certified!
Graston Technique® is a unique, evidence-based form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively and efficiently address soft tissue lesions and fascial restrictions resulting in improved patient outcomes. Graston Technique® uses specially-designed stainless steel instruments with unique treatment ...
What is the deal with Cupping?
August 9, 2016What is the deal with Cupping? Cupping is a technique we have been using and it's getting great buzz this Olympics!It's cool to see some of the advanced techniques we have been using featured and publicized throughout the media. I'm sure there will be a surge of other Massage and Physical Therapists trying to learn how to add ...
Business Performance + Getting the Competitive Advantage
August 9, 2016Business Performance + Getting the Competitive Advantage GET THE EXECUTIVE'S EDGE: MENTAL PERFORMANCE TRAINING FOR DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP & BUSINESS PERFORMANCE. Learn how to regulate your physiology to produce greater results in business and in your daily life! Enhance your ability to perform under pressure and close ...
Mental Performance is not only for Athletes!
August 5, 2016Mental Performance is not only for Athletes The Mental Performance Specialists at Thrive help people develop the important skills necessary to be successful in sport and non-sport performance situations. Mental and Cognitive Skills Training helps people achieve their full potential, manage stress, and function better in ...
Check out Mo’s Radio Interview
July 23, 2016Check out Mo's Radio Interview Mo was interviewed on 102.1 The Tide! You can click on the link to listen to her interview about the unique services Thrive offers! https://southsidedaily.com/thrive-proactive-health OUR VALUES Thrive is a team of committed and hard-working professionals devoted to the healing, performance, ...
What sets the high performers apart from the average
July 6, 2016What sets the high performers apart from the average In high-pressure situations, on game day, in the heat of the moment, or when we are under stress or feeling exhausted - it's the mind that dictates how the body performs and often what sets the high performers apart from the average. Many people know how to train physically and ...
Wanna learn how to sleep like a Pro Hockey player?
May 18th, 2016Wanna learn how to sleep like a Pro Hockey player? This Article does a great job introducing the power of sleep to optimize recovery and performance excellence - Check out our Mental Performance REVIVE service line to learn more! OUR VALUES Thrive is a team of committed and hard-working professionals devoted to the ...
EVEN UPs – don’t let back, hip, or knee injury develop because of a foot injury!
May 12, 2016Even ups are one of those tools that not many doctors and patients know about, but can greatly impact the efficiency of healing. This great little tool helps to bring more symmetry to your gait and posture if you have to wear a cast, an orthotic walking boot or post-operative shoe. The extrinsic shoe balancer helps to minimize ...
BIO Q PULSE for Pain Relief + Healing + Rejuvenation
May 10, 2016BIO Q PULSE for Pain Relief + Healing + Rejuvenation We love when we get the opportunity to learn and visit the West Coast. This past winter we went to a continuing education course in California and were introduced to the Bio Q Pulse machine. We learned about the science behind how it stimulates reflex points in your body to ...
Train with intent (Mental Performance Series Part 2)
Many of Sloan’s friends also decided they wanted to be warriors, but what separated Sloan from his friends was his determination and plan of action to achieve this goal. He realized that to be part of the elite warrior group, he would need help. He sought out a mentor to help him develop his training plan. The elder asked him, “This road is ...
THRIVING under Pressure (Mental Performance Series Part 1)
Each of us has the heart of a warrior. As warriors we embark on a journey to accomplish our dreams and achieve our true potential. Throughout this journey we encounter numerous obstacles and setbacks that will test our physical and mental strengths.
We are proud that our Julie was featured and Interviewed on the PRI website!
June 5, 2015We are proud that later this year, Julie gets to start traveling the world to teach a new Postural Restoration Course called PRI Integration for Fitness & Movement. It is an advanced lecture and lab course designed to assist personal trainers, fitness instructors, coaches, sports medicine professionals, and movement ...