Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea
A Safe and Natural Method to Ease Rebellious Stomach’s
By Paul J.O'Brien
B.A., N.C.E.H.S., Dip. Acu., Cert Clin. Med. M.AFPA, M.ETCMA, M.C.Th.A.
Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments are among the most popular in my clinic. The truth is that although a pregnancy is a time of joy and celebration for my clients, pregnancy itself and cause a variety of imbalances and the most common is that of Morning Sickness. Unfortunately Morning Sickness doesn’t just happen in the morning, and with Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments it may not happen at all. This makes both the expecting mother, and in many cases their partner quite happy.
Morning sickness occurs in about one half of all pregnancies and most often between the 6th and 16th weeks, weeks 8 -12 being the worse, although it can for the full course of a pregnancy.
The degree to which the symptoms present and their severity can vary from person to person, sometimes it is simply a slight cause of nausea at varying points in the day, in others it can be quite extreme with violent vomiting and the onset of a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. This later case requires hospitalization.
Often women suffering from morning sickness and nausea restrict their food. Simply put, they just don’t feel like eating. Luckily it is not thought that this will damage the growing baby in any way. The real concern is that with the reduction in food and combined with vomiting vital fluid will be lost and the body can become dehydrated. Excessive vomiting may lead to hospitalization to receive intravenous fluids.
Dehydration can be monitored in number of ways – checking the ketone level in urea (ketone sticks are available in most pharmacies). This helps to monitor electrolyte and hydration levels. The stick indicating the severity of the ketosis. Of course decreased urination or heavily concentrated urination is an obvious indicator that the body may be dehydrated.
If a pregnant woman is showing signs of ketones in the urine, or urinating only once every 24 hours I highly recommend consulting a doctor and consultant for further testing.
Thankfully several studies have shown that Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments are very effective in reducing and relieving the symptoms of Morning sickness, and I have found the same in my own practice when treating Morning Sickness with Acupuncture.
In the March 29th issue of Birth (2002) a study by Smith C, Crowther C, and Beilby J. showed that there was improvement in women suffering from Pregnancy induced nausea and Morning Sickness.
The trial was undertaken at a maternity teaching hospital in Adelaide, Australia, where 593 women less than 14 weeks' pregnant with symptoms of nausea or vomiting were randomized into 4 groups: traditional acupuncture, pericardium 6 (p6) acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or no acupuncture (control).
Treatment was administered weekly for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes of the Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments tested for were reductions in nausea, dry retching, vomiting, and health status.
Comparisons were made between groups over 4 consecutive weeks. Women receiving traditional acupuncture and P6 only acupuncture reported less nausea throughout the trial and less dry retching compared to the sham acupuncture group and control group.
They concluded that Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatment is an effective procedure for women who experience nausea and dry retching in early pregnancy.
In the Journal of Pain Symptom Management, 2000 Oct;20(4):273-9, Carlsson CP, and others conducted a study to see if acupuncture could improve the recovery rates of severe morning sickness, 33 women with hyperemesis were evaluated in the sudy. And analyses showed that there was a significantly faster reduction of nausea and more women who stopped vomiting after active acupuncture.
Furthermore The Journal of Reproductive Medicine 2001 Sep;46(9):811-4, published a study by Slotnick RN undertaken to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of P-6 for the relief of nausea and vomiting associated with early pregnancy. Both this study and a similar one conducted by Dundee et al., evans at el., 1993 conclusively showed that proper stimulation of the acupuncture point reduced nausea and vomiting in patients.
Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments are very effective in reducing and relieving the symptoms of Morning sickness and provide a safe alternative to contraindicated medication. In fact this particularly with the conventional treatment for morning sickness which is simply to reassure patients it will end, when in fact it may not. Of course in serious cases where the patient is very dehydrated direct intervention is required.
I've treated many women successfully for Pregnancy induced Nausea, here are just one of my patients comments...
No More Nausea: After months of trying to conceive, we were delighted to learn that I was finally pregnant in January 2008. Unfortunately I went on to have a miscarriage in March. I'd heard a lot about the benefits of acupuncture in aiding conception and decided to give it a try. I first started attending Paul O' Brien for treatment in June and find the sessions brill. Apart from the fact that the treatment helped to regulate my cycles, I noticed a definite improvement in my sleeping pattern and generally began feeling more relaxed and de-stressed. After four months I was thrilled to discover I was pregnant again and am happy to report that all's progressing well and I'm now 18 weeks gone. My GP and the hospital consultant I was attending regularly doled out the advice to 'relax' and 'focus on other things' rather than obsessing about trying to conceive, but post-miscarriage I found that I could think about little else but getting pregnant. However, Paul's sessions were a key factor in helping me chill and unwind and I became less fixated and preoccupied with the whole issue. This healthier frame of mind along with the marked increase in my Luteal Phase from 9/10 days to 15/16 days are, I believe, what helped me get pregnant so quickly this time around. I'm still attending Paul now and have found the sessions particularly helpful in alleviating the dreaded morning sickness. Thanks Paul :-) Gillian Diamond, 35, Dublin. UPDATE: I am delighted to announce that on June 15th, Gillian gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Mother and baby are in excellent health and I wish them all the best. |
If you are pregnant and suffering from Morning Sickness, and want to ensure the best possible health for yourself and baby, then perhaps you should consider Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea protocols.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Acupuncture for Pregnancy and Nausea treatments protocols that I provide or wish to start a course of treatment then please feel free to contact me or make an appointment where we can discuss any specific concerns or questions you may have.
Ready to get started? Great. Call my clinic at 087 901 9627 so we can discuss your needs and set up the first appointment.
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