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Here is a list of Rachel Westfall's publications on herbs
and childbearing, with the abstracts. The complete articles are available
upon request. You can also find Rachel's full publication list below.
Westfall RE,
Janssen PA, Lucas P, Capler R. ‘Survey of medicinal cannabis use among
childbearing women: patterns of its use in pregnancy and retroactive
self-assessment of its efficacy against ‘morning sickness’.’ Complementary
Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2006, 12(1):27-33.
Abstract: A majority of
women experience some nausea and/or vomiting during pregnancy. This
condition can range from mild nausea to extreme nausea and vomiting, with
1–2% of women suffering from the life-threatening condition hyperemesis
gravidarum. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) may be used therapeutically to
mitigate pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting. This paper presents the
results of a survey of 84 female users of medicinal cannabis, recruited
through two compassion societies in British Columbia, Canada. Of the
seventy-nine respondents who had experienced pregnancy, 51 (65%) reported
using cannabis during their pregnancies. While 59 (77%) of the respondents
who had been pregnant had experienced nausea and/or vomiting of pregnancy,
40 (68%) had used cannabis to treat the condition, and of these respondents,
37 (over 92%) rated cannabis as ‘extremely effective’ or ‘effective.’ Our
findings support the need for further investigations into cannabis therapy
for severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
Westfall RE,
Benoit C. ‘The rhetoric of “natural” in natural childbirth: childbearing
women’s perspectives on prolonged pregnancy and induction of labour.’
Social Science and Medicine, 2004, 59(7):1397-1408.
Abstract: It is widely
known that the notion of prolonged pregnancy, defined medically as 41+ or
42+ weeks gestation, has been hotly debated within the medical and midwifery
communities for many decades. Within this debate, pregnant women’s voices
have rarely been heard. Presented here are the results of a qualitative
study of self-care in pregnancy, birth and lactation with a non-random
sample of women in British Columbia, Canada. A panel of 27 women was
interviewed in the third trimester of pregnancy, and 23 of the same
participants were re-interviewed post-partum (50 interviews in total).
Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Many
of the women said they favoured a natural birth and were opposed to labour
induction at the time of the first interview. Yet all but one of the ten
women who went beyond 40 weeks gestation used self-help measures to
stimulate labour. These women did not perceive prolonged pregnancy as a
medical problem per se. Rather they saw it as an inconvenience, a worry to
their friends, families and maternity care providers, and a prolongation of
physical discomfort. The findings are interpreted by examining the
literature on the medicalization/healthicization of childbirth.
Westfall RE.
‘Use of anti-emetic herbs in pregnancy; Women’s choices, and the question of
safety and efficacy.’ Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery.
2004, 10(1):30-36.
Abstract: The majority
of North American pregnant women experience some degree of nausea and
vomiting, usually in the first few months of pregnancy. Women utilize many
coping strategies, including self-treatment with herbal medicine and other
alternative therapies. In a qualitative study of self-care in pregnancy,
birth and lactation within a non-random sample of 27 women in British
Columbia, Canada, 20 women (74%) experienced pregnancy-induced nausea. Ten
of these women used antiemetic herbal remedies, which included ginger,
peppermint, and Cannabis. The safety and efficacy of each of these herbal
remedies is discussed here. Only ginger has been subjected to clinical
trials among pregnant women, though all three herbs were clinically
effective against nausea and vomiting in other contexts, such as
chemotherapy-induced nausea and post-operative nausea. While safety concerns
exist in the literature for all three herbs with regards to their use by
pregnant women, clinical evidence of harm is lacking.
Westfall
RE. ‘Galactagogue herbs: a qualitative study and review.’ Canadian Journal
of Midwifery Research and Practice. 2003, 2(2):22-27.
Abstract:
Women often face challenges in their efforts to breast-feed their infants.
One of these challenges may be a real or perceived insufficient milk supply.
Presented here are some results from a qualitative study of self-care in
pregnancy, birth and lactation among a purposeful sample of childbearing
women in British Columbia. Twenty-three women were interviewed at one to
four months postpartum, and were asked to share their experiences with
childbirth and postpartum self-care. Interviews were tape recorded and
transcribed. All 23 women were breastfeeding. Four women reported
insufficient milk supply, whereas 14 women used galactagogue substances
including herbal remedies, food items and pharmaceutical drugs to enhance
their milk supply. Eleven women (48% of the sample) were using any of five
galactagogue herbs, in many cases prophylactically. Each herb is reviewed
and discussed here: blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus), fennel (Foeniculum
vulgare), fenugreek (Trigonella foenicum-graecum) raspberry leaf (Rubus
idaeus), and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). This study reveals that
galactagogue herb use is an element of postpartum self-care for some women,
and it also identifies a need for clinical testing of the herbs. A
larger-scale survey of galactagogue herb use would be beneficial to the
state of knowledge, as would clinical trials and case reports on the more
popular herbs.
Westfall RE.
‘Herbal healing in pregnancy: women’s experiences’. Journal of Herbal
Pharmacotherapy. 2003, 3(4): 17-39.
Abstract: Many women use
home remedies to maintain their health during pregnancy. Here, pregnant
women’s perspectives on herbal medicine are explored in a small (n = 27),
non-random sample of pregnant women in British Columbia, Canada, and
follow-up interviews with six mentors from the community. While many of the
women were cautious about using herbs during pregnancy, they considered them
to be safer–as a general rule–than pharmaceutical drugs. Herbal tonics were
widely used, and simple home remedies were usually the first line of defence
against common health complaints. In choosing to self-medicate with herbs,
the women said they were guided by prior knowledge (32%), trusted sources of
advice (56%), and intuition (12%). A reliance on prior knowledge was not
strongly correlated with the woman’s age (r = 0.27) or the number of
pregnancies she had experienced (r = 0.21). Trusted sources of advice
included books, friends, family members, maternity care providers,
herbalists, herbal shops, and internet. The majority of herbal advice (69%)
was received by word-of-mouth. The women’s mentors were an important source
of herbal self-care information.
Westfall RE.
‘Herbal medicine in pregnancy and childbirth.’ Advances in Therapy. 2001;
18(1): 47-55.
Abstract: Pregnant women often use medicinal herbs in an effort to
maintain good health and reduce the need for medical intervention. A
survey of the scientific and popular literature identified a number of
therapeutic herbs used in North America. Three categories are discussed:
tonics, herbs for preventing miscarriage, and herbs for inducing labor.
Some of these preparations may address women's needs in ways that
biomedicine has failed to do. Purported merits and hazards of these
medications are discussed.
Request an article reprint
Full publication list
Published refereed papers
Sandall J, Benoit C, van
Teijlingen E, Wrede S, Westfall R, Murray S.
‘Social Service Professional or Market Expert? Maternity Care Relations
under Neoliberal Healthcare Reform.’ In press, Current Sociology.
Westfall RE,
Benoit C. ‘Compliance and resistance to medical dominance in women’s
accounts of their pregnancies.’
Sociological Research Online. 2008, 13(3).
Benoit C, Westfall
R, Treloar AEB, Phillips R, Jansson SM. ‘Social Factors Linked to Postpartum
Depression: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study.’ Journal of Mental
Health. 2007, 16(6):719-730.
Westfall RE,
Janssen PA, Lucas P, Capler R. ‘Survey of medicinal cannabis use among
childbearing women: patterns of its use in pregnancy and retroactive
self-assessment of its efficacy against ‘morning sickness’.’
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2006, 12(1):27-33.
Westfall RE,
Benoit C. ‘The rhetoric of “natural” in natural childbirth: childbearing
women’s perspectives on prolonged pregnancy and induction of labour.’
Social Science and Medicine, 2004, 59(7):1397-1408.
Westfall RE. ‘Use
of anti-emetic herbs in pregnancy; Women’s choices, and the question of
safety and efficacy.’ Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery.
2004, 10(1):30-36.
Westfall RE.
‘Galactagogue herbs: a qualitative study and review.’ Canadian Journal
of Midwifery Research and Practice. 2003, 2(2):22-27.
Westfall RE.
‘Herbal healing in pregnancy: women’s experiences’. Journal of Herbal
Pharmacotherapy. 2003, 3(4): 17-39.
Westfall RE.
‘Herbal medicine in pregnancy and childbirth.’ Advances in Therapy.
2001; 18(1): 47-55.
Refereed book chapters
Benoit C, Carroll
D and Westfall R. ‘Midwifery and Maternity Care in Canada.’ In: Women's
Health in Canada: Critical Theory, Policy and Practice. Edited by C.
Varcoe, O. Hankivsky and M. Morrow. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
2007.
Westfall R. ‘ The
pregnant/ birthing body: the public body and negotiations of personal
autonomy.’ In: Body/ Embodiment: Symbolic Interaction and the Sociology
of the Body. Edited by D. Waskul and P. Vannini. Hampshire, UK:
Ashgate. 2006.
Non-referred publications
Westfall R.
Book Review:
Nestel, Sheryl. ‘Obstructed
Labour: Race and Gender in the Re-Emergence of Midwifery.’
University Of British Columbia Press, 2006. In press,
Canadian Journal of Sociology.
Benoit C, Westfall
R, Bonfonti A, and Nuernberger K. ‘Social determinants of mental health
disparities among new mothers.’ Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health
Research Bulletin 5(1), 2006.
Westfall RE and
Glickman BW. ‘Conservation of indigenous medicinal plants in Canada.’
Conference proceedings, Species at Risk Conference, Victoria, BC, March
2-6, 2004.
Westfall, R.
Book review: ‘Nursing Mother, Working Mother’. Journal of the
Association for Research on Mothering, 2004.
Westfall R.
Book review: ‘The Uterine Crisis’. Ovarian Connection 2004.
Westfall R.
‘Breastfeeding as a fertility regulator.’ Mama Mia 2004, 1(1):19.
Westfall R.
‘Studying the maternal experience.’ Ovarian Connection 2003.
Westfall RE. ‘An
ethnographic account of lotus birth.’ Midwifery Today 2003, 66
(Summer):34-36.
Westfall R. ‘The
state of midwifery in British Columbia.’ Midwifery Today 2002; 62
(Summer): 51-55. |
