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Post Labor use of Cold Witch Hazel Packs

By Archived User | Updated: Dec 31, 2021 | Published: Dec 31, 2021

Someone has asked me a question...she was told not to use cold witch hazel pads (with aroma therapy oils) on the female parts postpartum, because it would "rob the women of vital qi" and was tis true.

I told her that the uterus is open and suscetible to cold invasion postpartum and that she should definitely not chill the pads...but MAYBE she could get away with just the witch hazel as it had the cooling, antiinflammaory property itself that she is looking for (altough I would still not advise it).

Opinions?

Archived Comments

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Witch hazel pads are often recommended for postpartum pain and swelling - with ice packs also being recommended in the acute stages. While in general terms, Chinese Medicine, prefers warmth and circulation to cold, these are usually used for a very short time so I feel the affect would be quite minimal. I certainly wouldn&#39t tell a new mother that they are robbing their vital qi by using such a widely used and relatively easy and effective solution to postpartum swelling.

Now that said, there are a host of viable treatment options with the witch hazel pads being one of the easier self-help treatments. If you have an active patient who has just given birth certainly appropriate acupuncture can be quite helpful to calm the swelling and ease pain.

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