Ask The Herbalist: Healing During Pregnancy

By Chris Lewis, MH, CMT

Q. Is it safe to do these healing programs during pregnancy (esp. the ones for pin worms)? And what about cervical displasia?

A. Yes, it is safe. But remember that the key to working with a pregnant woman is that everything you do should be in a gentle, non-invasive, non-radical manner. Here are some guidelines for using healing programs during pregnancy:

* DON’T use extra strong laxatives or purgatives or anything that might cause a sudden violent evacuation of the bowel as this could bring on contractions of the uterus and induce premature labor.

* DON’T use herbs or other substances that have a strong effect on hormones, like emmenagogues (anything used to bring on menstruation).

* DON’T swallow any essential oils straight. This is because essential oils are among the most concentrated herbal products available. A few drops of the oil is equivalent to taking pounds of the herb. Even so, most essential oils are safe for the average person to ingest in amounts less than 10 drops, but remember that during pregnancy everything needs to be milder and gentler.

* DON’T do anything that creates a great shock to your system, like joining the polar bear club for a mid-winter dip in the lake, starting a vigorous exercise program without working up to it gradually, doing anything that causes significant emotional or physical stress, doing extreme dramatic cleanses.

* DO exercise at a rate that you are used to (since before your pregnancy), or start a mild gentle exercise program if you’re not already exercising – for example, check out local yoga centers for special pregnancy classes.

* DO use gentle mild herbal cleanses that don’t cause you any dramatic healing crises. For example: instead of a 30 day fast, just add 4-8 ounces of fresh-squeezed carrot juice to each meal; instead of taking strong, fast acting herbal laxatives, take gentler milder ones like Turkey rhubarb, cascara sagrada, prune juice, etc. and start with a small dose rather than a large one, then work your way up gradually until you find the right dose for you.

* DO use gentle blood building herbs every day… like red raspberry leaf or strawberry leaf, blackstrap molasses, and all the nutritional superfoods like alfalfa, the blue-green algaes, nutritional yeast, and fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

* DO let all your health care practitioners know that you are pregnant. Most of the time, you can still get massages and other natural treatments during pregnancy, but your therapist may need to modify a few of the things they normally do to fit the situation.

NOTE: These guidelines of keeping everything mild and gentle also apply to nursing mothers, and remember: When nursing, don’t use anything in or on your body that you don’t want in your baby’s body because many substances are passed from mother to child in milk. If you have any questions about what herbs are safe to take while pregnant or nursing, please consult a qualified herbalist (medical doctors don’t receive any training in the use of herbs).

As for the pin worm problem (see article on Pin Worms), a bowel cleanse (the most important part of the program) can definitely be done during pregnancy, just remember to start off slow and work your way up in dosage until you find the right amount for you, and keep it simple and mild; do cleanse, but do it a little at a time, don’t try to drop years worth of toxins in a few days because your blood supply is feeding two now.

Complete detailed step-by-step instructions for cleaning out all the parasites, parasite eggs, disease germs, old fecal matter, the gum you swallowed when you were five, and everything else that is stuck in your colon and poisoning you right now are in my book “The Foundational Cleansing and Nourishing Program.” This wonderfully useful book also reveals how to clean stones, fat, cholesterol, and toxic buildup out of your liver and get your kidneys working like they did when you were 16!

As for the herbs, most of them should be perfectly safe in pregnancy, especially the pumpkin seeds, burdock, black walnut, etc. though I would still recommend starting with a smaller dose at first and if you notice anything real dramatic going on (other than the worms coming out, because that’s what you want), back off a little. I would probably avoid the extra strong herbs like pink root, wormseed, and tansy just while you’re pregnant. I don’t know of any evidence that these would harm the baby, but I prefer to err on the side of caution because these are potent herbal medicines and for pregnancy, I’d rather use larger doses of milder (food) herbs rather than smaller doses of stronger ones that are harder to control.

If you’ve been diagnosed with cervical displasia, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have it. Pap smear tests are notoriously inaccurate and the tests themselves have been linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer. Often, abnormal readings on pap smears are simply the result of the doctor rubbing and scraping a part of your body that is extremely sensitive anyway and wasn’t meant to be touched like that. It’s like using a cotton swab to scrape off a sample of tissue on the inside of your eyelid… of course the test will show irritation! The doctor just irritated it! Also, even if you actually do have cervical displasia, all medicine knows to do for this condition is either to use toxic drugs that will probably do more harm than good or to remove the entire cervix! If one of the women in my life had this condition, the first thing I would want them to do is a thorough body cleanse and adopting the mucusless diet to address the root cause of the problem.

Also, drinking marshmallow root tea, and using turmeric in any form will take down the inflammation. Marshmallow can also be used safely as a douche.

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Chris Lewis, MH                                Wellness Gardens
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