08/10/2026
470,000.
That’s how many women report postpartum depression in the United States each year.
Thousands more experience postpartum psychosis.
And those are only the women who are diagnosed and reported.
As a mom of two boys, I can’t stop thinking about how many women are silently carrying burdens that no one can see.
I’ve been there in my own way. I’ve struggled with anxiety. I’ve been misdiagnosed. I’ve fallen through the cracks. I’ve felt overlooked by the healthcare system. I’ve found support through both Western medicine and Eastern medicine, and I believe there is room for both.
When we stop viewing healthcare as an either-or conversation and start viewing it as a team effort, more women get the support they deserve.
Acupuncture is not a replacement for mental health care, therapy, or medication when those are needed. But it can be a powerful part of a mother’s support system—helping regulate the nervous system, improve sleep, reduce stress, and support emotional well-being.
To every healthcare provider, therapist, physician, midwife, doula, and acupuncturist: please keep asking the questions. Please keep checking in. Please keep listening.
And to my fellow acupuncturists, I believe it’s time for us to step forward.
Learn more about postpartum mental health.
Talk about it openly.
Collaborate with mental health professionals.
Educate your communities.
Because every mother deserves to be seen, heard, and supported before she reaches a breaking point.
No mother should have to suffer alone. And if the cost of a session is what is stopping you from coming in, make the appointment. We will figure it out. Bc you matter. And we need you here! Ray of Sunshine Acupuncture lakecountycarecollective
