Tolle Totum
Rhonda Steinke, ND
Rachel Hickey
Spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, is clinically recognized as pregnancy loss before 20 weeks of gestation.1 Roughly 15% of recognized pregnancies end up in miscarriage,2 which leaves a relatively large number of women having to grieve the loss of a child. Additionally, many cases of miscarriages are left unreported, so the incidence may be even higher.3
Fifty percent of first-trimester pregnancy losses are caused by fetal chromosome abnormalities and are thus thought to be unavoidable.1 Possible preventable risk factors and etiologies accounting for the other 50% of miscarriages include advancing maternal age, maternal diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disease, and thrombophilia, extremes of maternal weight, uterine structural abnormalities, and exposure to teratogens or infection.4 Furthermore, psychological stress before and during a pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage by approximately 42%.3 Research shows that women who have experienced pregnancy loss tend to have heightened psychological stress, leading to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),5 along with sadness and excessive worry during subsequent pregnancies.6 It is clear from these findings that the psychological well-being of the patient should be taken into account when trying to prevent a miscarriage from occurring.
Dr Steinke uses progesterone therapy for recurrent miscarriage and threatened spontaneous abortion. She starts by measuring serum progesterone at baseline and again 48 hours later, then prescribes bioidentical progesterone accordingly. Progesterone treatment has been shown to lower rates of miscarriage.7 However, progesterone treatment remains controversial, with research suggesting no benefit of progesterone therapy in preventing miscarriage.8,9 It also does not incorporate the psychological well-being of the patient.
Pranic Healing for Miscarriage
We propose a safe treatment for miscarriage prevention: Pranic Healing. This is a no-touch healing modality that uses life force (prana) to remove stagnant, used-up prana in the body and to energize the body and accelerate its healing process. Pranic Healing’s law of self-recovery parallels the naturopathic principle of Vis medicatrix naturae. The law of self-recovery states that the body, in general, has the innate capacity to heal itself. By using prana, this modality corrects imbalances within the energetic anatomy, thereby assisting in a more rapid healing process.
While supporting women with progesterone therapy for miscarriage prevention, Dr Steinke has found that waiting causes the most psychological stress – specifically, waiting to see if progesterone therapy is warranted, and again to see if it works. During these periods, she has offered Pranic Healing to support women emotionally and physically and has found it to be quite successful. We would like to highlight 3 different cases for which Pranic Healing has been supportive.
Case Study 1
The first patient is a 27-year-old female who initially presented with concerns of a prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma, heart palpitations, severe headaches, and a health goal of achieving a healthy and natural second pregnancy. Because of the prolactinoma, she was told it would be challenging to conceive; however, she was able to conceive her first child with assistance of fertility treatments. After a year of diet and lifestyle modifications, optimal nutrition, and constitutional homeopathy, this patient was able to conceive her second child naturally. Six weeks into her second pregnancy she experienced symptoms of vaginal bleeding. Her midwife told her to prepare herself for miscarriage. The patient called Dr Steinke and asked whether there were any treatments she could try to help prevent miscarriage. Dr Steinke told the patient about Pranic Healing.
After 1 session of Pranic Healing, the bleeding ceased completely. The patient’s midwife prescribed progesterone therapy the following week, and the pregnancy was carried to full term. The patient attributes the miscarriage prevention of her second child to Pranic Healing.
Soon after having her second child was born, this patient desired a third child; however, due to difficulty experienced with the previous pregnancy, she was not optimistic. Challenges appeared within the first trimester when the patient presented again with vaginal bleeding. The Pranic Healing protocol for miscarriage prevention was applied, and within 1 session the vaginal bleeding stopped. Progesterone was later prescribed, and serum levels of the hormone increased, but vaginal bleeding resumed. Her midwife ordered an ultrasound, which revealed a tear in her uterus lining.
Three Pranic Healing sessions were conducted to control the bleeding. Pranic Healing was again applied at 41 weeks, due to concerns about the baby being late-term and the mother not being able to deliver in a birthing center. The Pranic Healing protocol for facilitating labor was applied 2 times within 2 days. The baby was delivered within 1 hour of starting contractions on the second day of treatment. The patient stated that Pranic Healing supported her emotionally and helped her feel certain about a positive outcome.
Case Study 2
The second patient is a 32-year-old female whose first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. During her second pregnancy she was supported with progesterone therapy into her third trimester, at which point she self-reduced the prescription dose frequency. A routine blood test showed that progesterone levels had dropped, and the patient admitted that she hadn’t felt much fetal movement. As she resumed a proper progesterone dosage, Pranic Healing was suggested until levels were stable.
Three sessions of Pranic Healing were completed, after which the patient reported feeling more fetal movement. She also stated that she felt healthier and stronger after Pranic Healing and that it provided her with a sense of hope and relief. Her baby was delivered full-term.
Case Study 3
The third patient is a 32-year-old female who had been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis and had experienced 3 previous miscarriages. Along with progesterone therapy, Pranic Healing was applied 1-2 times per week throughout the first trimester for miscarriage prevention, as well as to help manage her emotions. After already living with 3 miscarriages, the patient housed a lot of fear and anxiety around the prospect of having another miscarriage.
She reported that the Pranic Healing sessions significantly diminished these symptoms and she was able to remain positive throughout the pregnancy. She also believes that Pranic Healing contributed to her having a natural labor and delivery.
Conclusion
With these individualized cases, it is impossible to know whether there would have been a different outcome if Pranic Healing was not applied. Although more research is needed supporting the use of Pranic Healing as a miscarriage prevention therapy, these case studies do suggest benefits from this safe and simple healing modality. The emotional relief experienced by these 3 patients in and of itself is enough to warrant the use of Pranic Healing in these types of situations, especially since increased psychological stress has been associated with an increase risk of miscarriage. Pranic Healing is another tool that physicians can offer in conjunction with progesterone therapy or when progesterone therapy isn’t warranted or isn’t working.
References:
- Tulandi T, Al-Fozan HM. Spontaneous abortion: Management. Last updated August 10, 2018. UpToDate® Web site. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/spontaneous-abortion-management. Accessed August 14, 2018.
- Tulandi T, Al-Fozan HM. Definition and etiology of recurrent pregnancy loss. Last updated June 1, 2018. UpToDate® Web site. https://tinyurl.com/y8b4zb6h. Accessed August 14, 2018.
- Qu F, Wu Y, Zhu YH, et al. The association between psychological stress and miscarriage: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):1731.
- Tulandi T, Al-Fozan HM. Spontaneous abortion: Risk factors, etiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic evaluation. Last updated June 28, 2018. UpToDate® Web site. https://tinyurl.com/ybayhs62. Accessed August 14, 2018.
- Giannandrea SA, Cerulli C, Anson E, Chaudron LH. Increased risk for postpartum psychiatric disorders among women with past pregnancy loss. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2013;22(9):760-768.
- Chojenta C, Harris S, Reilly N, et al. History of pregnancy loss increases the risk of mental health problems in subsequent pregnancies but not in the postpartum. PLoS One.2014;9(4):395038.
- Saccone G, Schoen C, Franasiak JM, et al. Supplementation with progestogens in the first trimester of pregnancy to preventmiscarriage in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Fertil Steril. 2017;107(2):430-438.e3.
- Haas DM, Ramsey PS. Progestogen for preventing miscarriage. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(10):CD003511.
- Coomarasamy A, Williams H, Rai R, et al. Progesterone in Women with Recurrent Miscarriages. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(9):894.
Rhonda Steinke, ND, is a naturopathic physician who brings a distinct quality to her medical practice in Gilbert, AZ, by utilizing Pranic Healing. It was through the use of this modality with her own health crisis that emphasized for her the power of Pranic Healing. Dr Steinke truly enjoys being a bridge between the conventional and energetic sciences.
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Rachel Hickey is a naturopathic medical student and Pranic Healer. Before starting medical school, she obtained her master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and thus also offers a unique perspective on the connection between the conventional and energetic sciences. Like Dr Steinke, Rachel discovered the power of Pranic Healing through her own healing journey, and she hopes to bring awareness to this therapeutic modality through communication and research.
