Pregnancy is an exciting time in a woman’s life but can also have its problems. Morning sickness, fatigue and insomnia are not uncommon. Chinese medicine and western medicine agree that this is due to hormonal changes, increased blood flow and other physical changes to the body. Ideally a woman should rest more when experiencing these symptoms as it is well known that nausea is generally worse when a woman is tired or overworked. If this and other simple lifestyle changes don’t alleviate the problem, then acupuncture might be the answer. Vomiting and Nausea are caused when these changes effect the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) area of the brain.
As acupuncture works on the nervous system, by needling certain points we can moderate the CTZ response and therefore alleviate the nausea and the need to vomit. While a woman may feel some relief after a single session it won’t be sustained.
For morning sickness, the best evidence supports intensive acupuncture for relief of symptoms. At the clinic we think we can usually make a significant difference to long term reaction in 3-6 sessions within a two week period and price accordingly. Of course, nausea may resolve itself by the second trimester and patients may choose to get anti-nausea medication from their GP that may help.
For fatigue and insomnia, we use acupuncture to influence the energy and sleep mechanisms through the nervous system. We go through the patient’s history and if we feel it necessary we may suggest herbs or provide nutritional support and will explain why. We also provide moxibustion for breech, and support for labour induction, and acupuncture for pain in pregnancy
If you would like help book here for a first appointment or call the clinic on 0403273008 to arrange an appointment.
Studies supporting acupuncture:
1.Gan TJ, Jiao KR, Zenn M, Georgiade G. A randomized controlled comparison of electro-acupoint stimulation or ondansetron versus placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anesth Analg. 2004;99(4):1070-1075.
2.Carlsson C, Axemo P, Bodin A, et al. Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidum; a placebo-controlled, randomized single-blind, crossover study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2000;20(4):273-279.
3.Smith C, Crowther C, Beilby J. Acupuncture to treat neasea and vomiting in early pregnancy: a randomized trail. Birth.2002Mar:29 (1):1-9