In this episode we continue our conversation from last week and talk about postpartum depression through a functional medicine lens. While medication and other highly medicalized treatments can be beneficial, they are definitely not the only means of making a big impact on depression. Through lifestyle factors such as nutrition, social health, movement, and sleep, we can make a huge impact on mental health issues (and most of the time these are low-cost and low-risk interventions!). Functional medicine refers to interventions that aim to get to the root cause of health conditions, and rather than seeking out solely the treatment strategies that manage symptoms, functional medicine providers will try to treat the cause of the issue from its source. This is an especially beneficial lens to look through as we talk about the chemical imbalances that come with postpartum depression and anxiety, and asking ourselves the question, "Why is this chemical imbalance occurring in the first place?" These types of questions ultimately lead to more profound healing, longer lasting results, and lower risks and costs to treatment.

Nutritional interventions that we can prioritize include getting appropriate intake of vitamins which are vital for brain function and neurotransmitter creation and exchange, including in particular B vitamins, myoinositol, D vitamins, and omega 3’s. Nutrients are the literal brain fuel we need in order to function at optimal levels, so it makes sense that if we are not putting the right things into our systems, then trouble will arise. Along with this, the concept of oxidative stress describes the inflammation that can take place in our brains with suboptimal thinking patterns, life events, nutrition, etc., and how nutritional supplementation and intervening with our negative cycles of thinking can impact free radicals in the body and improve health. We discuss sleep through a cultural lens and how we may benefit from leaning more into our village, along tips for getting your best night of sleep so that child-related disturbances aside, you have a strong sleep foundation to build on. This episode also entails an overview of pelvic health physical therapy, what it looks like for various circumstances, and how investing in quality care like this in the postpartum period can be highly beneficial for participating in functional activities without pain or hindrance. As we know, barriers from participating in life routines and meaningful activities can serve as perpetuators of distress and therefore the prolonging of depression.