What foods can relieve postpartum depression? Is dha useful?

Postpartum depression is a common phenomenon. Many women may experience this phenomenon after giving birth. When suffering from postpartum depression, we can also relieve it by eating some food. So what food can relieve postpartum depression? Is it useful to eat DHA for postpartum depression?

1. Bananas, lean meat, nuts, green vegetables, tomatoes, and avocados. The above foods are rich in potassium ions, which can stabilize blood pressure and mood. Bananas contain a substance called alkaloids, which can boost people's spirits and confidence. Bananas are also a source of tryptophan and vitamin B6, which can help the brain produce serotonin.

2. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grapefruit, citrus fruits, papaya, cantaloupe. The above fruits are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C has the functions of eliminating tension, calming nerves, and calming the mind. The high amount of vitamin C in grapefruit can not only maintain the concentration of red blood cells and make the body resistant, but also resist stress. Most importantly, vitamin C is one of the important ingredients in the production of dopamine and adrenaline.

3. Eggs, yeast powder, dark green vegetables, milk, high-quality meat, cereals, pumpkin seeds, sesame. The above foods are rich in B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and forming brain nerve conduction substances. They can reduce mood swings and effectively prevent fatigue, loss of appetite, depression, etc.

4. Deep-sea fish. It is rich in fish oil and Omega-3 fatty acids. The Omega-3 fatty acids in marine fish have similar effects to commonly used antidepressants such as lithium carbonate. They can block nerve conduction pathways, increase the secretion of serotonin, partially relieve nervous emotions, and significantly relieve depressive symptoms, including anxiety, sleep problems, and depression.

5. Water spinach, spinach, peas, and red beans. These foods are rich in magnesium, which has the effect of relaxing nerves. Researchers have found that a lack of folic acid can lead to a decrease in serotonin in the brain, leading to depression, and spinach is the most famous food rich in folic acid.

Reasonable supplementation of DHA and normal dietary levels during pregnancy can help alleviate the symptoms of postpartum depression. Some people like to supplement DHA with supplements, but it is best to supplement DHA with fish. It is recommended to eat salmon, mackerel, sardines or trout twice a week to meet the body's needs for DHA and reduce the risk of postpartum depression. However, experts warn that fish should be eaten appropriately during pregnancy to maintain a balanced diet, because excessive consumption of fatty fish is not conducive to the normal development of the fetus.

If postpartum depression is treated with drugs, it is actually the same as the usual drug treatment for non-postpartum depression. Both are treated with antidepressants. At present, the antidepressant treatment we use is mainly divided into three types. The first is the A-level recommended drugs, which are the drugs we recommend first, mainly including fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, duloxetine, venlafaxine, escitalopram, citalopram, fluvoxamine, mirtazapine, bupropion, etc. The second is the B-level recommended drugs, such as trazodone, tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants. The third is the C-level recommended drug moclobemide. The most common drugs are still the A-level recommended drugs. The specific choice of which drug is mainly based on the patient's clinical characteristics. If the patient is accompanied by obvious temper and anger, we generally choose antidepressants with sedative effects, such as mirtazapine, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, venlafaxine, and trazodone. If you suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms, you will choose drugs such as sertraline. If accompanied by psychotic symptoms, fluvoxamine can be used.

Most patients with postpartum depression are weak in character and in a bad situation. They overthink and damage their qi and yin. According to Chinese medicine, this disease belongs to the category of depression and zang-yang agitation. The pathogenesis lies in emotional disorder, the inability of the liver's qi and blood to flow smoothly, or qi and yin deficiency and internal disturbance of virtual fire. Chinese medicine has a good effect in treating this disease. Chinese medicine treatment of postpartum depression is generally divided into three steps. The first step: Chinese medicine conditioning,

1. Modified Baihe Dihuang Decoction: Schisandra chinensis, licorice, lily, Ophiopogon japonicus, floating wheat, raw earth, Pseudostellaria heterophylla, bamboo shavings, jujube. Take one dose daily with water decoction.

2. Xiaoyao Powder: Bupleurum, mint, licorice, angelica, atractylodes, ginger, white peony root, and poria, decocted in water, one dose per day, divided into two doses.

3. Depression-relieving and Anshen Decoction: white peony root, bupleurum, schisandra chinensis, anemarrhena asphodeloides, poria, stir-fried jujube seeds, polyphylla, angelica sinensis, and julibrissin bark, one dose per day.

4. Xiao Chaihu Decoction: Bupleurum, licorice, ginger, wine-soaked Scutellaria, ginger-soaked Pinellia, Codonopsis, and jujube, one dose per day, divided into two doses.

5. Guipi Decoction: ginseng, jujube seed, polygala, atractylodes, longan meat, astragalus, poria, licorice, angelica, and costus root, one dose per day.

6. Ganmai Dazao Soup: decocted licorice, polygala, cyperus, jujube, Huai wheat, bupleurum and curcuma into water and taken.

7. Coptis chinensis and donkey-hide gelatin soup: Coptis chinensis, floating wheat, jujube seed, scutellaria baicalensis, bupleurum, licorice, white peony root, calamus, curcuma, jujube, and donkey-hide gelatin. Boil in water and take one dose daily.

Step 2: Acupuncture. Acupuncture is an important physical therapy method in traditional Chinese medicine. According to the cause and condition of the disease, different puncture methods and different acupoints are used for acupuncture. Acupuncture can dredge the meridians, refresh the brain, and calm the mind.

The third step: psychotherapy. Traditional Chinese medicine is also combined with modern psychotherapy. Psychologists communicate with patients to help them understand their condition and encourage them to let go of their psychological burdens, fight the disease with optimism and confidence, and get rid of the troubles of the disease as soon as possible.