Voting for Executive Officers, Conference Registration, Strategic and Legislative Updates, and a re-cap from the AANP conference last week in Portland... national news, reserach updates, national conference announcements, and more.
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REGISTER BEFORE SEPT. 8TH AND SAVE
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This year's conference will bring together Naturopathic Physicians from across the state for a collaborative, inspired, and insightful weekend.
Nationally-renown clinical education presenters, industry exhibitors, partners, and our members will convene at Helena's Great Northern Hotel.
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MANP Fall Conference Announced
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October 5th & 6th
at the Great Northern Hotel
Helena, Montana
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Friends and Colleagues,
It is my genuine hope that you will join us at the fall conference in Helena.
Our leadership and staff have been hard at work, and all those who attend will reap the benefits of this effort.
Not only so we have CE that will stretch your thinking and advance your practice, but we will also be unveiling the products of two very important initiatives. One being the focused effort and planning undertaken by our Legislative Action Working Group to best position us for the interim and next legislative session. And the second is the updated strategic plan for MANP, a collaborative effort between members of our executive committee, our legislative lead, and our executive director.
Your presence and engagement with these topics will help propel our organization forward, and I could not me more proud of the work done in advance of this presentation.
Dr. Dawn Dalili
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The Conversation on the Future of Naturopathic Medicine
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Dr. Phillips-Dorsett attended the AANP conference in Portland on behalf of the MANP.
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Strategic Planning and Legislative Action
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Strategic Planning and Legislative efforts continue and will be presented at the Fall Conference.
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Report from AANP House of Delegates Representative
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Conversations, and ensuring our medicine flourishes in the evolving healthcare landscape.
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Dear MANP Members,
Holy smokes! What an exciting time to be a part of the national discussion of naturopathic medicine. At the AANP House of Delegates annual meeting we voted in bylaw changes to add a non-voting seat on the AANP board for NMSA and INM representitives. NMSA is our student association and INM is the non-profit arm of the AANP, which has been responsible for public awareness, fundraising and supporting legislative efforts for our profession. These bylaw revisions are part of a greater national effort to be more collaborative and inclusive.
After a year long conversation, inspired and driven by our very own Maggi Beeson, the Summit identified key areas to focus on for the future success of our profession. An all day finale prior to the conference was well attended and prompted focus groups targeting whole systems research, bringing the vis back to education, new graduate competency, and defining our common ground to promote our unique identity as naturopathic doctors. Many Parts, One Heart was the apt slogan worn proudly on pins by participants.
Members of the HOD have taken up their part by forming the Washington Initiative lead by Dr. Kelsey Klasumeyer of WA. The goal is to optimize resource utilization across state, national and specialty groups within our profession. As it stands naturopathic medicine has around 78 interest groups all vying for corporate dollars, membership and often "recreate the wheel" with marketing and administrative work. MicKinleyAdvisors was hired to give the HOD a presentation on organizational structures that have been utilized by other healthcare organizations. Some possible outcomes of this work could be reduced cost malpractice insurance, health insurance options or combination membership fees for national and state associations. This is in the very early stages, so hold tight for more to come.
AANP annual meeting report summary will be presented at the Fall Conference MANP membership meeting. Please reach out to me sooner if you have questions or would like to know how to get more involved with any of the work I have mentioned above. As your HOD representative and MANP secretary I am grateful to get your input as we move forward ensuring our medicine flourishes in the evolving healthcare landscape.
Best to you in health,
Danielle Phillips-Dorsett, ND
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House of Delegates
THE FUNCTION OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES SHALL BE TO:
- Amend the Corporation Bylaws
- Adopt official Corporation Code of Ethics, Definitions, Standards, and position papers developed in cooperation with the Board, Committees or Taskforces of the Corporation
- Hear reports from Corporation officers and leadership
- Advise or recommend action to the Board of Directors by means of House resolutions
- Represent their constituents and communicate to them Corporation information and actions
- Provide leadership and participate as members in Corporation committees and taskforces
- Adopt Rules for House procedure
- Nominate and elect the officers of the House of Delegates
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Report from the Legislative Action Working Group
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Our Legislative Work is Continually in Motion
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Dear valued members of the MANP,
Greetings! Saturday July 13th your Legislative Action Working Group team met in Bozeman for a full day meeting to discuss our plans going forward to best assist the MANP and our future goals. The primary outcome from that meeting was sending a UNIFIED message, first to all of you and also to our legislators going forward.
An important piece of this process is identifying more efficient ways to keep everyone up to date on our communications, beginning with this message. Your MANP President, Dr. Dawn Dalili, along with Executive Director Ingrid Lovitt and LAWG Chair Dr. Mackie Mescon, are collectively working on a detailed timeline of activities. This will be a valuable and much needed resource going forward to help keep us on track with our activities.
Your LAWG members are also working on further developing relationships with our allied healthcare professionals; these relationships are very important as we try to further naturopathic medicine as well as increase access to complementary care.
In order to actively portray a unified message, we are developing a program that will prepare our leaders prior to reaching out to legislators or healthcare providers who do not actively support us. This is to ensure that the MANP members are relaying the same principles and goals and avoiding any personal self-interests. We ask for your utmost understanding and patience with this process.
On another note, if you would like to contribute your time and/or expertise, please reach out to Ingrid to identify the best ways for you to help us in our unified goals. If you can contribute money, please make donations to the MANP, and specify whether or not you want that funding to contribute to the LAWG fund. If you cannot contribute time or money, please KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT. Our unified efforts are changing the landscape of healthcare for Montanans and we appreciate all of your collective achievements.
I will be providing updates throughout the year as the LAWG continues to meet and discuss the best ways to serve the MANP.
In health,
Kaila Sellars, ND
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Strategic Planning and Developing a Strategic Order
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We are in motion, strategic, and dedicated.
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Hello Fellow Dedicated Montana NDs,
It's Dr. Krieger here, Strategic Plan Champion! I have been tasked with keeping the MANP membership up-to-date regarding the development of our MANP Strategic Plan. As a reminder, the Strategic Plan is ultimately the mastermind behind why the MANP exists. What do we want to do as an organization? What direction and focus should we take the organization?
The Strategic Plan Committee met for the fourth time (that's 12+ hours) on August 5th to create a thoughtful rough draft that incorporates our membership's needs given the previous input we have received from them. We plan on tweaking this draft into perfection again with another meeting this August and presenting it at the Annual Meeting.
If you have any questions or were unable to provide input at the Spring Gathering or beyond, please let the MANP know before the final draft -- there's still time, last call for input!
I look forward to sharing with you all the collective vision we have for the future direction of the MANP...PS it's going to be amazing!
"
The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving." --Oliver Wendell Holmes
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Elect MANP's 2020-2021 Leadership
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The Candidates before you have made a commitment of time and leadership for a two-year term. In addition to regularly schedule meetings twice monthly, additional duties include appointed working groups, strategic planning, conference planning and presentation, legislative engagement, and general organizational and public engagement.
Your 2020 executive committee members will engage in an Orientation process with additional meetings leading up to their first meeting of their term in January 2020.
Nominees were required to confirm a commitment to serve in the office for the applicable term by signing the nomination form and providing a letter to the membership.
Thank you for supporting the MANP and for supporting those who have chosen to dedicate themselves at this time.
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The Candiates' Letters to the Membership
Petitions from MANP Executive Committee Officers
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President
Dawn Dalili, ND
Letter to membership:
It took well over a year to get comfortable in the role of president. Only now, after 18 months in the role, is forward-thinking and active responding to the needs of our maturing organization even possible. My hope is that continuing in this role for another two years, before supporting new leadership in taking the reins, will allow us to build on the momentum we have created.
My goals as president remain consistent:
I aim to promote clear and inclusive communication within the organization and between the MANP and external bodies.
I support the continued work on strategic planning that will allow our Executive Committee and Working Groups to rely on it as a guideline for decision making and activity.
I support the development of resources that will facilitate pathways for legislative activity & responsiveness and expansion of member benefits.
Qualifications: I have served as President for 18 months, and we've survived so far.
Bio:
Biography: I grew up in New Orleans, studied Economics and Math at Vanderbilt, and made the decision to change careers and pursue medicine after working in the corporate world for a few years.
I studied at SCNM and graduated in 2010. From there, I moved to Florida to raise Everett near family. We lived there for 5 yrs before moving to Montana 3 yrs ago.
I have shared an office with Dr. Krumbeck for over two years. During that time, we have grown and developed in numerous ways, including the integration of efficient systems, the addition of staff, and - most recently - the addition of a third physician.
Vice President
Danielle Phillips-Dorsett, ND
Letter to membership:
For the past 4 years I have felt blessed to provide primary care and adjunctive oncology care to the greater Billings area. I have learned a great deal about the inner strength it takes to provide exceptional naturopathic care beyond what was gleaned from textbooks and case studies in school. These few years have also taught me a great deal about the politics of practicing naturopathic medicine in Montana. As the current MANP secretary, I have been privy to the hard work my predecessors put forward to keep alive and allow our medicine to flourish.
As a show of commitment to our profession, I have been the chair of the spring gathering committee for the past 2 years. This position has allowed me to work with an incredible group of NDs who are committed to fostering a kindred naturopathic culture in Montana. I have been so grateful to see meaningful engagement at these gatherings that have supported mentorship, camaraderie and healthy debate. Reciting the naturopathic oath at the gathering with my peers helps to keep me grounded in the professional work I do on a day to day basis and is a great reminder that I am not doing it on my own.
I am applying for vice president to be a part of the movement to educate the legislature, patients, the public, and other medical providers about the incredible value of naturopathic and integrative care.
I have attended the past 2 MANP lobby days at the state capitol. This was an opportunity to educate those policy makers, democratic, republican and independent, about how naturopathic providers in Montana can make a difference in the health care system of Montana. I strongly believe in patient autonomy and a person’s choice to have the provider that best fits their needs. As an executive member, I will work to advance awareness of our profession in a manner that is directed by the MANP membership.
I have a strong desire to represent our membership needs as voiced through surveys, member comment and our annual member meetings. We are a diverse group and it can be challenging to piece together a cohesive force for movement in any direction. Through the promotion of Non-Violent Communication that is practiced at our clinic, I do think that all voices can be heard and address the needs of the membership. Through former leadership roles as a coach, team manager, child support case manager and teacher I have experience bringing people together for the benefit of the whole. In closing, I fully support the philosophy of ‘democracy of the intellect’ in which, when presented with compelling information, viewpoints can develop more richly as long as we are open to that development.
Please, membership, I urge you elect me, then help me deepen my understanding of your needs so I can help to strengthen our profession!!
Bio:
Education
• Naturopathic Oncology/Family Medicine Resident– Frontier Cancer Center and Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic, Billings, Montana
• Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine – Bastyr University, Seattle, Washington
• Bachelor of Arts, Biology – Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington
Career Summary
Dr. Phillips-Dorsett received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine in 2015 from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Through this program, which includes 2 years of supervised clinical practice, she developed a passion for treating her patients beyond their conventional diagnoses and lab values. She places emphasis on understanding the underlying cause of disturbance in a person that leads to physical and emotional discomfort. Using this as a foundation she helps patients by bolstering their own defense systems to not only return the body to health, but to optimize wellbeing.
Dr. Phillips-Dorsett joined Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic in November 2015 as one of the Family Medicine/Naturopathic Oncology residents. She currently works with pediatrics, primary care and oncology patients at the Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic.
In addition to the opportunity to work with Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Phillips-Dorsett was drawn back to Billings, MT for her family and the outdoor recreational opportunities. You may find her out cross country skiing or hiking in any of the beautiful surrounding areas.
Treasurer
Jennifer Krieger, ND
Letter to membership:
Dear Esteemed Colleagues,
I wish to continue to serve the MANP and its membership by continuing to expand my work within the MANP Executive Committee.
Practitioners that are drawn to naturopathic medicine often march to the beat of their own drum. We have all experienced uphill battles and roadblocks, fighting hard for the rights to practice our medicine. This became ever so apparent during our last legislative session.
My appreciation for grassroots movements continues to run deep given my time that I have previously served on the Executive Committee as both the Vice President and Secretary. The Oath of Naturopathic Medicine hangs above my desk, and I reference it every time I meet with a new patient. The pride I have when explaining and educating our naturopathic principles is not without the legislative struggles to get there, and I appreciate that even more now knowing all of the hard work that the MANP does behind the scenes.
I am passionate about expanding the recognition and scope of naturopathic medicine in Montana. As the current MANP Vice President, I have gained extensive knowledge in the legislative process as well as valuable leadership experience. I hope to continue to serve you actively in a leadership position.
As a transplant to Montana, I am absolutely in love with this beautiful state and all that it has to offer. I am so happy to call Bozeman home! My passion for naturopathic medicine runs deep, and I am so glad to promote this powerful medicine within Montana. I truly believe that we can accomplish great things within this state’s naturopathic community by building cohesive relationships within the MANP and beyond, and I am looking forward to tapping into and expanding the membership resources that the MANP has already successfully built.
I value the work that this association has put forth into the establishment of naturopathic medicine in Montana by current and past members. I welcome new growth and balance as we continue to build and operate as a unified team.
Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Sincerely Yours,
Jennifer Krieger, ND
Spring Integrative Health
Bozeman, MT
Bio:
Professionally, I have relocated my practice to Bozeman from Billings last year. My practice is focused on naturopathic oncology, primary care, autoimmune conditions, chronic disease, hormone balancing, family medicine and gastrointestinal health. I have also worked at two hospitals in the state providing naturopathic oncology care, which is a passion of mine.
Personally, I love hot springs soaking, fly fishing hidden Montana streams, road trips, creating and appreciating art, traveling, and openly welcoming any adventures that happen to cross my path.
Secretary
Kaley Burns, ND
Letter to membership:
The number of practitioners in Montana has grown and our advancement in the healthcare system at large has evolved. Our ability as an organization to continue to educate about and advocate for Naturopathic medicine means increased opportunity for us as physicians but also improved care for our ever-expanding community of patients. I hear much of the barriers and challenges that we face as a profession and I want to be a part of determining solutions.
A positive culture among our profession is at the core of our success. This requires that Montana practitioners be active members within this association. I find it vital to reach out across the state to the passionate, committed souls who can help us continue to create our community and support each other as our profession matures.
Bio:
Dr. Kaley Burns received her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from the National University of Health Sciences in Chicago, Illinois. During her time in Chicago, Dr. Burns worked as a research fellow assisting with clinical trials and participated in a medical volunteer brigade with Naturopathic Doctors International.
Dr. Burns previously practiced as a Naturopathic Physician in an integrative family practice in Manchester, CT. Having interned at YNC, she was eager to return as an associate physician and support the greater Billings community. Dr. Burns embraces a natural approach to health and aims to inspire and guide others on their health journey.
Expertise: Family medicine, primary care and preventative medicine, nutritional counseling, regenerative injection therapies including: prolotherapy, PRP, and Stem cell (including facial PRP); digestive and cardiovascular health, craniosacral therapy and autoimmune conditions.
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Thank you to our Sponsors
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Together we make an incredible natural medicine community.
The Montana Association of Naturopathic Physicians (MANP) is supported by incredible partners. These organizations are the foundation of natural medicine throughout the world and we are proud to have their support.
Together we are working to support naturopathic physicians, actively integrate advances in the science of health and human systems, and provide universal access to naturopathic care for all Montanans.
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Dr. Christine Girard Named President of National University of Natural Medicine
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Recognized Leader and Educator in Integrative Natural Medicine Returns to Her Roots
April 23, 2019
PORTLAND, Oregon —The National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) Board of Directors has appointed Christine Girard, ND, MPH, as the 18th president of NUNM. Dr. Girard will succeed David J. Schleich, PhD, who is retiring from the position after 12 years of service. Girard, a 1997 NUNM graduate, will assume the post July 1.
“I am truly honored for the privilege to serve as the next president of NUNM, where I first learned leadership as a student more than 20 years ago,” Girard said. “I look forward to working together with NUNM’s dedicated faculty and staff, whose unwavering commitment to educational excellence and student success is changing the world in which we live. I am grateful to all those who have come before me, leaving a strong legacy upon which I can continue to build, bringing NUNM to its next level of growth.”
With more than 20 years of academic, clinical and hospital-based leadership, Girard brings significant experience and a deep understanding of natural medicine within the rapidly changing field of health care. Her career has focused on integrative medicine and undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
In September 2018, NUNM established a nine-member presidential search committee tasked to find NUNM’s next president. The committee—comprised of a broad coalition of representatives, including members of the university’s board of directors, administration, faculty, staff and students—selected the new president from a roster of candidates who applied for the position from across the United States and overseas.
Under Dr. Schleich’s dynamic and enduring stewardship, “NUNM has reached a pivotal stage of growth,” said NUNM Board Chair Willow Moore, DC, ND, and chair of the presidential search committee. “Our next president must be someone who deeply understands our mission and unique identity, and can immediately build on our long, rich history in the development of natural medicine in North America. Dr. Girard brings a depth of academic, clinical and business expertise, as well as a passion for student education and natural medicine. We are thrilled to have her join us.”
Girard served as executive vice president at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) in Tempe, Arizona, for more than 10 years. There she provided oversight of SCNM’s clinical, academic and research enterprises. Her accomplishments included helping to lead strategic planning for a campus master plan revision; and successfully fundraising and supervising the design and build of several community clinics and a 48,000-square-foot LEED Platinum mixed-use facility. She also led a complete curriculum revision and gained approval for the SCNM residency program. In addition, Girard achieved a number of partnerships and accreditation successes—among them, an articulation agreement with the University of Arizona College of Public Health for a joint ND/MPH program for SCNM students.
Prior to SCNM, Girard was appointed the director of naturopathic medicine at Southwestern Regional Medical Center (SRMC), a Cancer Treatment Centers of America Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she provided integrative oncology care, had oversight of a staff of NDs, expanded the department’s services to include acupuncture, and participated in the planning and design of SRMC’s new hospital.
In 1999, Girard co-founded and co-directed with David L. Katz, MD, MPH, the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital, a Yale-affiliated acute care community hospital in Derby, Connecticut. She provided outpatient and in-patient clinical care, and taught undergraduate and postgraduate medical education across medical disciplines. While at Griffin Hospital, she created an integrative medicine residency program for naturopathic physicians in conjunction with the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. She was also a clinical research specialist in complementary and alternative clinical research at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, helping attract substantial research funding for the center.
Girard is a former board member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit doctoral programs in naturopathic medicine. She was named Physician of the Year by the AANP in 2010, the highest honor a naturopathic physician can receive; it is awarded in recognition of an individual’s dedicated leadership and achievement on behalf of the naturopathic profession.
In addition to her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from NUNM, Girard received a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Services Administration from the University of Arizona, where she has been a member of the faculty in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, teaching both undergraduate and master’s level public health online programs.
“Dr. Girard demonstrates a strong and collaborative leadership style that unifies diverse constituencies, as well as a personal commitment to NUNM and the values that guide us in all we do,” said Moore. “Her strategic vision for the future of health care will help NUNM continue to build its future as a world-class university and a leader in natural medicine.”
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17TH INTERNATIONAL ISLA CONFERENCE FOR MEDICAL LASER APPLICATIONS AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
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Laser Therapy is a globally recognized medical treatment, where research, education and clinical application have evolved significantly in recent decades, covering a vast range of modalities and regenerative protocols. The International Society for Medical Laser Applications (ISLA) has been at the forefront of this educational evolution, with conferences held in the United States, Europe and Asia each year.
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Colorado Naturopathic Physicians invite you...
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"We at the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly send out the attached flyer and conference schedule. The 7th Annual CoAND Conference, Trends in Naturopathic Medicine will be held on November 16, 2019 in Broomfield CO. Please offer your constituents a 10% discount off the full price by using this code, COAND2019. Early bird rates end September 1st.
If you are not the person we need to contact, we would greatly appreciate you sending us who would be best to send this information to. Thanks in advance for your help."
Best wishes,
Hilary Back, ND, LAc
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FDA clears new indications for existing Lyme disease tests that may help streamline diagnosis
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing four previously cleared tests with new indications to aid in the diagnosis of Lyme disease. The tests cleared are the first time that a test has been indicated to follow a new testing paradigm in which two tests called enzyme immunoassays (EIA) are run concurrently or sequentially, rather than the current two-step process in which a separate protein test called a Western Blot must be run after the initial EIA test.
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FDA approves new treatment for complicated urinary tract and complicated intra-abdominal infections
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Recarbrio (imipenem, cilastatin and relebactam), an antibacterial drug product to treat adults with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI). “The FDA remains focused on facilitating the development of safe and effective new antibacterial drugs to give patients more options to fight serious infections,” said Ed Cox, M.D., M.P.H., director for the Office of Antimicrobial Products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “It is important that the use of Recarbrio be reserved for situations when there are limited or no alternative antibacterial drugs for treating a patient’s infection.” Recarbrio is a three-drug combination injection containing imipenem-cilastatin, a previously FDA-approved antibiotic, and relebactam, a new beta-lactamase inhibitor.
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Book Review – Depression after Childbirth by Dr. Katharina Dalton
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Written by Carol Petersen, RPh, CNP – Women’s International Pharmacy
Dr. Katharina Dalton was a pioneer in women’s health, coining the term “premenstrual syndrome” (PMS) and recognizing that progesterone may relieve PMS symptoms. She then turned her attention to the complicated issue of depression after childbirth. Her book Depression after Childbirth: How to Recognize and Treat Postnatal Illness was first published in 1980 and categorized postpartum depression (PPD) according to its degrees of severity.
Causes and Characteristics of Postpartum Depression
As mothers experience hormonal fluctuations during and after childbirth, both their physical and emotional wellbeing are affected. Postpartum depression shares many symptoms in common with other forms of clinical depression, including:
- Lethargy or unusual fatigue
- Irritability
- Increased appetites
- Feel achy all over
- Isolation
- Increased risk of suicide
If you think you might be suffering from postpartum depression, contact your medical practitioner right away or go to the nearest emergency room.
In the mid-1960s, a group of physicians at the North Middlesex Hospital in London performed a survey of 500 of their pregnant patients before and after delivery. They found the women who were happiest, elated, and euphoric during the later months of their pregnancies had the highest risk for PPD. The mothers who developed PPD had two noticeable characteristics: a favorable attitude to motherhood, and labile emotions. Although PPD often begins early on after giving birth, it may also start when the mother stops breastfeeding, as another dramatic change in hormones occurs at that point. Postpartum depression may also occur after miscarriages, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancies.
Levels of Severity in Postpartum Depression
Mild Postpartum Mood Changes: The “Blues”
Known as the “maternity blues,” “baby blues,” or “postnatal blues,” the mildest form of mood changes after a woman gives birth is also the most common. It often begins within three to ten days post-delivery but is usually subsides within one or two weeks. One of the main symptoms of the “blues” is excessive crying that begins suddenly and with no apparent reason.
In the early 1900s, women would usually stay in the hospital for 14 days after giving birth. This was generally enough time for this milder form of depression to fade away while having plenty of support from the hospital staff. Today, most women are sent home within 48 hours, often with little to no assistance unless family and friends pitch in.
Moderate Postpartum Depression: Postnatal Exhaustion, Depression, and Irritability
Tiredness and lethargy is another manifestation of PPD that may persist as long as six to nine months. Although difficulty in sleeping may be a symptom in other forms of clinical depression, women with PPD experience no problem sleeping and indeed, no amount of sleep seems to be enough. On the other hand, some patients may experience irritability that may be very difficult or impossible to control. The irritability may present in swings from anger to distress.
Dr. Dalton suspected that the plunge of hormones that occurs at delivery may be involved, and pointed out that low thyroid might be a factor along with low potassium and iron levels. A woman who has recently given birth should have her thyroid function tested if she exhibits one or more of the following symptoms:
- Falling asleep at any time day or night
- Experiencing lank and thinning hair
- Feeling cold
- Having a slow pulse
Fortunately, thyroid and other hormone levels can be evaluated by a woman’s healthcare provider, who may determine the use of hormone therapy necessary to correct any deficiencies or imbalances.
Severe Postpartum Depression: Psychosis
Psychosis is the most severe form of PPD that many times begins within two weeks after a woman gives birth. In psychosis, a woman may lose contact with reality and become unaware of her surroundings. She may have auditory hallucinations in which she hears voices or visual hallucinations in which she sees imaginary people, animals, or things. She may have ruminating thoughts, during which she can’t stop thinking about something.
Postpartum psychosis may require more drastic forms of treatment or even hospitalization. According to Dr. Dalton, progesterone therapy may prove helpful in addressing even these severe symptoms. As with any concern for mental wellness, it’s important to consult a medical professional in order to form a personalized treatment plan.
Similarities between Postpartum Depression and Premenstrual Syndrome
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