Holistic medicine for postnatal depression

Homoeopathic and holistic medicine remedies are made from an intriguing collection of plants, herbs, minerals and animal parts, all used in the name of restoring health and harmony. Monkshood, snake venom and sulphur are all remedies that have been in use for 200 years. Modern additions to the list of remedies include Coca-Cola, scorpion and bamboo. The list has been growing in number each year since the inception of homoeopathy and currently there are about 3000 of these homoeopathic remedies. Today, research on each new holistic medicine remedy can take up to three years to complete. Needless to say, there are ripples of excitement in the homoeopathic world when a new and very useful remedy is unfolded.

In Germany in 1994, Bernd Schuster completed research on bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) as a holistic medicine homoeopathic remedy. The research has since been applauded as one of the most complete, readily applicable and important pieces of work in modern homoeopathy. Bernd and his colleagues had the idea to work on bamboo after becoming captivated by its nature. Noting the similarity of the shape of the bamboo stem to the human spinal column, they surmised that bamboo might be helpful for the pathologically altered or stiffened spine, an intuition which later proved correct.

The nature of bamboo

The nature of bamboo is beguiling. It is actually a species of grass but grows like a tree. It is hollow inside but is very strong. In Asian countries bamboo is a part of daily life. It’s used for water pipes to irrigate, as a building material, for scaffolding, as food, raw material for paper and receptacles for food and drink. In Australia, it is often seen as a symbol of Eastern mysticism. It can imply a meditative quality; music played on a bamboo flute, for example, can assist you to enter a trance. The beauty of the leaves is portrayed in countless Japanese ink paintings and we have seen the eerie grace of giant bamboo stands in various movies. Its beauty makes it easy to forget that fast-growing bamboo was used for torture and that some species of spreading bamboo are regarded as a pest. It is known as the fastest growing plant on earth, with one species able to grow an incredible 47 inches in a single day.

In China, people identify bamboo as a symbol of desirable personality characteristics: it represents elasticity, endurance and perseverance. The stem bends and does not break. In a storm the tall branches may bend so much they seem to almost touch the ground. The leaves are moved by the wind but don’t easily fall. Bamboo yields to the storm and survives.

Bamboo as a holistic medicine

One part of Schuster’s research was to unearth the traditional uses of bamboo as a holistic medicine. Schuster and his team learned that just as bamboo has many uses in daily life, it also has many uses in holistic folk medicine. In holistic folk medicine the leaves have been used to treat blood diseases and inflammation. Tabashir, which can be found as a hardened material inside bamboo, has been used for tuberculosis, asthma and leprosy. In Chinese diet therapy, a soup of bamboo shoots and carp is used to treat measles. The tips of the branches have been used in India for uterine disorders. The shoots are said to be an appetite stimulant and digestion aid. The root has been used for ringworm. The juice from the flowers has been used for earache and deafness.

Some modern studies confirm its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour effects and its action on the uterus. There had, however, been no systematic research on its therapeutic holistic medicine benefits and Schuster and the team felt compelled to convert bamboo into a holistic homoeopathic medicine and do more extensive research.

The homoeopathic research

The homoeopathic research method is called a “proving”. Provings include a detailed listing of the many mental, emotional and physical symptoms that can be treated by the medicine. The homoeopathic proving of Bambusa found the plant capable of treating emotional problems of a very specific nature as well as many of the physical problems for which it had already acquired a reputation in traditional use.

The research showed that bamboo is useful for post-natal depression as holistic medicine accompanied by irritability and impatience. The holistic remedy can be needed when a mother makes statements like “I feel as if my emotional foundations are lacking.” “I feel deserted and no one asks if they can help me.” “I would like to run away and I can easily cry over trivial things.” “I am anxious about what’s in store for me over the next few years.” “There’s a huge mountain to overcome.” “I find too much closeness in a relationship to be suffocating.” “I need more support.” “I can’t handle my child and I have no desire to get out of bed.”

The research showed there were two important themes for someone needing the remedy. The first was associated with the mother not feeling emotionally supported. Physically, there was a need for support in the back associated with pain, sciatica, stiffness and changes to the spine, and a tendency to lean against things and to prop up the head. Second, Bambusa is of great use when emotional problems are compounded by hormonal problems. It has been shown to help with symptoms such as swelling of the breasts before menses accompanying depression.

The other homoeopathic remedies it may resemble are Cimicifuga and Sepia and it should be carefully differentiated from them before being prescribed.

Case studies

Since the research was completed there have been hundreds of reported cases confirming clinically that the remedy has a powerful action. It appears to be especially useful in the postnatal period if depression is associated with back pain, torticollis, sciatica, arthritis, stiffness and problems connected to the return of menses after childbirth. Some cases from Bernd Schuster are related below:

• Karen (a 29-year-old mother) could not look after her 12-week-old baby because of severe headaches. The baby was delivered by caesarian and Karen’s headaches started shortly afterwards. Initially the pain was felt only when she shook her head or cleaned her teeth, but by the time the baby was three weeks old she could only lie down. She could not bear the sound of her child crying. It helped her if she lay down or supported her head, which was necessary because of a feeling of heaviness or enlargement of her head. She menstruated immediately after childbirth and everything got on her nerves. She said she wished “her little boy would get lost”. Then she laughed and said she didn’t mean it and then cried and said, “I feel guilty enough about not looking after him properly.” After being given Bambusa her head and neck pain did not return and her mood improved markedly.
• Lisa (a 35-year-old new mother) reported: “The stress of the birth completely changed me. It was difficult. I am nervous and wreck. Breastfeeding makes me feel weaker — while nursing I have a terrible feeling. My mood is the same as when my mother died. I always weep when I am nursing. I feel empty, miserable, depressed, drained of all my energy.” She was completely stressed and almost felt persecuted by her crying baby. She lay in bed all day. She was afraid to be solely responsible for the child. “I imagined the relationship with the child to be closer, but I need someone to help me — I need more support.” After being given Bambusa, Lisa is more at ease with the baby, the weakness, emptiness and depression have gone and she has more energy. She finds it easier to tell friends how she really feels and to say yes when they offer to help.
• Judy (a 38-year-old mother of two) suffered from headaches, backaches, sciatica and a feeling of stiffness in the morning, all of which were worse for three days before her period. She had been diagnosed with postnatal depression in the past. She said that these days she would describe it as “feeling down”. “My children are not babies any more, but still everything to do with them depends very much on me. My husband is never there. My parents have now moved here and they are always wanting something. And I have to do a lot of jobs physically which women don’t usually do. They all come to me when they want something but no one ever asks if they can help me. It bothers me for the future — if I get ill, no one will be there for me.” She has had other homoeopathic remedies and chiropractic, which both worked well, but it was not until she was given Bambusa that her mood improved profoundly, she changed the dynamics in her relationships and her pain and stiffness disappeared.

It appears Bambusa is usually needed straight after birth, a time of high demands on the mother and the whole family. The family situation is turned upside down, plus the mother has to endure sleep deprivation and being always on call, while breastfeeding and worrying about the child’s wellbeing. The mother often feels stressed, drained, tortured, overwhelmed and underhelped. She feels trapped, with her roots firmly in the ground; she stiffens up and can only yield to the demands made on her; her energy goes into survival. The resulting ineffectual search for help and support is the central to how bamboo works on the emotional level. The bamboo plant is often used as a foundation, providing structure and stability. Bamboo is hard, tough, indestructible, giving protection against typhoons. Its therapeutic use as holistic medicine can help to support and stabilise the new mother. The remedy will work most effectively when there is further support from husband, friends, chiropractic, counsellors and support groups. A major factor in its success as a remedy is giving the woman the encouragement to ask for help, to take time out and, more importantly, accept help when it is offered.

It is in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis holistic medicine (described as “bamboo spine”) that Schuster feels there is promise and would like to see more research done in this area. In the meantime, he says, “With almost clinical certainty, Bambusa relieves a stiff neck.” Therefore, it should be considered a leading homoeopathic remedy for postnatal depression when the depression is accompanied by a stiff neck, back pain or sciatica.

Bambusa is one of many holistic medicine homoeopathic remedies available to help certain kinds of depression. If you feel you would like to discuss it further, contact a homoeopath in your area by phoning the Australian Homoeopathic Association in your state or visiting www.homeopathyoz.org

Linlee Jordan is a homeopath in Sydney. She has a Masters Degree in Health Science Education and lectures in Homeopathic Clinical Studies at Nature Care College, Sydney. (02) 9905 9415