Allopathic treatment of depression in adults is predominately
prescription antidepressant medication, the most prescribed class of
medication in the US for those 20e59 years of age.4 Individual, group
and support therapies are also widely used in the treatment of
depression and anxiety with varying degrees of success. The postpartum
woman, generally healthy, young and without medical
conditions requiring medications, is often reluctant to accept
a psychiatric diagnosis and prescriptions for medication. As a consequence,
these women’s depression and anxiety are undetected and
undertreated.5 New mothers, often fearful of pharmaceutical medications
for themselves or concerns for their breast-fed infant, seek
complementary alternative therapies to treat their symptoms.
Complementary therapies are widely accessed for various
physical and emotional discomforts, especially among women.