Q Since giving birth my hands and feet are both swollen and cold. Can edema and postpartum wind illness be managed together?
A Postpartum edema and the cold, tingling sensation often appear intertwined with the reduced circulation and recovery capacity after childbirth, so managing them together is effective. When circulation is aided and qi and blood are replenished, both symptoms often improve together.
Detailed Answer
After childbirth, hand and foot edema appears as the body fluids that increased during pregnancy are eliminated, and at the same time, coldness and tingling often overlap due to loosened joints and reduced recovery capacity. Edema usually improves over several postpartum weeks, but if circulation is sluggish, edema and postpartum wind illness symptoms can persist together for a long time, so managing them together is more efficient than separately.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, postpartum edema and coldness are seen as a state in which qi and blood are depleted by childbirth so that the circulation of fluids and blood both slow down together. When treatment that replenishes qi and blood and warmly aids circulation is given, the edema often subsides while the coldness in the joints also eases. However, if only one leg is severely swollen and painful, the possibility of a blood clot must be ruled out first.
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