Acupuncture for Nausea, Pain, & More

Pregnancy is a time when a woman’s body develops large amounts of qi and blood to support the pregnancy and developing baby.  Haemoglobin is the red blood cell that carries oxygen to every cell of her body.  The haem component of this cell contains the iron.  If this gets depleted this is known as iron deficiency anaemia. The symptoms of this are excessive fatigue, breathlessness, pallor, heart palpitations and poor resistance to infections.  A woman may begin her pregnancy already deficient due to a poor diet or other health condition.  At the beginning of her pregnancy she will have her iron levels checked.  This will give a baseline of her iron stores (ferritin) and the state of her haemoglobin.   At around 26-28 weeks another blood test is offered to check this status.  By this stage, her blood volume has increased providing further information about how well her system is managing with the demands of the pregnancy and developing baby. It is around this time that the baby starts to call on more iron from the mother’s system as it starts developing more of its own haemoglobin.  The mother requires enough iron in her diet to support both herself and baby without leaving either one vulnerable.  It is common at this stage for woman to require extra supplementation for iron. At 36 weeks another blood test will be offered to check her iron stores and haemoglobin.  This will declare the state of her iron studies and whether her system will require more iron support prior to going into labour to minimize the risk of haemorrhaging following birth and to prevent premature labour. Some women appear more at risk of iron deficiency anaemia that others.  They are ones on a poor diet, unable to absorb iron efficiently,  poorly managed vegans or vegetarians, multiple pregnancies, woman who have had their children close together, or woman who have had recurrent miscarriages prior to the current pregnancy.  

Chinese medicine views anaemia as qi and blood deficiency.  The treatment of acupuncture for this condition focuses on building good amounts of qi and blood.  This is best started as soon as the woman becomes symptomatic or is aware of her low iron levels. When a woman presents in clinic a full history will be taken, a Chinese Medicine diagnose made and, a treatment plan put in place.  She will be shown how she can support this at home each day with her diet, appropriate supplementation, and the use of moxa on certain points.

Birth prep acupuncture is a treatment we offer in the final weeks of pregnancy to help strengthen kidney yang qi and to nourish blood to prepare for childbirth.  Research has shown that women who have pre birth acupuncture experience a shorter labour, use less pharmacological pain relief, and recover faster. Our data that we are collecting has demonstrated this to be the case.  This is a safe and effective treatment that promotes natural childbirth. Treatment can be tailored to the woman’s needs incorporating points for specific ailments as pregnancy advances. Feedback from woman in regard to this treatment has been very positive.

It is understood that when pregnant the digestive function slows somewhat under the influence of estrogen and progesterone in order for more absorption of nutrients to take place.  The intestines are also grossly displaced to make way for the developing baby.  This contributes to an increased susceptability to constipation and discomfort.  Furthermore in early pregnancy women may be suffering from nausea or vomiting leading to dehydration and a low fibre diet which exascerbates the situation.  If a woman is taking iron tablets she maybe experiencing the side effects of constipation from these.  According to Chinese Medicine there are a number of underlying patterns that can contribute to this disfunction of the bowel.  Acupuncture, dietary advice and exercises can result in more regular soft bowel function.  

Headaches in pregnancy can be common.  The body’s blood volume increases substantially, and the increase levels of hormones are thought to be the main influence.  The Chinese Medicine viewpoint is that the Conception and Penetrating vessel is flushed with an abundance of qi and blood that is directed towards the developing baby to nourish its rapid development.  The blood supply to the head is reduced leaving it vulnerable to stagnation of qi and blood which presents as a headache of varying intensity.  When the head is undernourished this leads to an imbalance between the yin and yang giving rise to yang hyperactivity.  When undernourished it is open to attack by pathogens which can enter the head via its orifices.  Other triggers could be from foods such as chocolate or gluten, vitamin and mineral deficiency or stress and insomnia. There is very little research on using Acupuncture to treat headaches in pregnancy.  However historically is has been used successfully with good outcomes.  Clinically we witness very positive results in our clinic.

http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/headaches_chinese_medicine_understands.html

Heartburn is a very common complaint in pregnancy with most woman experiencing it at some point during pregnancy.  The stomach qi has a descending action on the contents, facilitating its passage to the next stage of the digestion tract.  The Spleen qi focuses on transforming and transporting the contents.  The two work synergistically together.  As the pregnancy advances, the growing baby pushes up under the stomach, compromising the upper sphincter, resulting in an upward movement of qi creating a painful burning sensation.  Acupuncture is helpful in nourishing the spleen qi. There are certain points used that have a descending action on the stomach qi, calming and dispersing the discomfort/stagnation.  Dietary advice and stress management are also part of the treatment plan.

In order for a woman to go into labour around her due time according to Chinese Medicine there are three factors that need to occur; yang qi needs to strengthen and mature, a woman’s qi and blood needs to flow freely and the door of the uterus (the cervix) needs to open.

There are many factors involved as pregnancy matures and readies for childbirth.  There is the length of pregnancy, age of placenta, hormones, position of the baby, stress, health of both mother and baby, emotions such as fear, frustration, and anxiety.  Any of these things can disrupt the woman’s body from going into labour smoothly. There are many acupuncture points that have been used traditional to facilitate the free flow of qi and blood, nourish qi and blood, sooth a woman’s emotions and help correct the position of the baby.  Even if an induction is planned acupuncture may facilitate a more efficient labour. The feedback that we have received from woman is that it helped them cope better and reduced the intervention rates.

Sleep disturbances in pregnancy are very common.  There are a variety of reasons for this.  In the first trimester there are rapid changes taking place within the woman’s body that is influence by the high levels of circulating pregnancy hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. In early pregnancy many women suffer from nausea that disrupts their sleep, increase urinary frequency occurs as the uterus and developing baby is moving up out of the pelvis, breathing difficulty from congested sinuses, sleep apnea and mood disorders.  Later in pregnancy it is related to discomfort from the developing baby putting pressure on the woman’s pelvis, back or ribs; heartburn, increased urination from pressure applied on the bladder as the baby then begins to descend into the pelvis, oedema, stress and anxiety.

Acupuncture is very effective in treating insomnia with many clients falling asleep during treatment. 

Treatment may involve the recommendation of supplements, stress management, diet, and lifestyle changes.

https://www.meridian-acupuncture-clinic.com/Acupuncture-for-Pregnancy-and-Insomnia.html 

As the pregnancy is advancing there are several musculoskeletal pain conditions that can arise as the woman’s body adjust to extra weight distribution and the hormones of pregnancy are influencing the ligaments.  This includes sciatica, carpal tunnel, leg cramps, backache, rib, hip and pelvic pain, and joint pain.  The growing baby can put pressure on the ribs and pelvis leaving those areas very tender.  As the pregnancy advances a woman’s centre of gravity is altered which can lead to neck, shoulder, and back problems.  In Chinese Medicine this type of pain is seen as a disruption in the flow of qi that flows through the channels of the affected area.   The qi is stagnating.  This comes about from over strain, trauma, or from pathogenic factor from cold, damp, heat or wind that has invaded the channels disrupting its flow.  In the event of carpel tunnel syndrome this has occurred due to the increased oedema in the cells which has put pressure on the nerves that flow through this tunnel.   There is usually an underlying deficiency of Kidney qi that has left the body vulnerable. Treatment will involve nourishing the qi and moving the stagnation gently. If oedema is present acupuncture is used to relieve some of the oedema.  TCM dietary advice will be included in the treatment.

This occurs in about half of pregnancies and can happen at any time of the day and sometimes reoccurs throughout the pregnancy.  It can range from mild nausea to severe vomiting (hyperemesis gravidarum) that needs medical assistance. The cause is thought to be related to high hormone levels such as HCG and oestrogen which overwhelms the woman’s system.  It is understood in Chinese Medicine that this creates a disordered function of the Penetrating vessel which interferes with the descending action of the Stomach qi leading rebellious qi which presents itself as nausea and vomiting.  There are several patterns here that Acupuncture can help to correct.  While having treatment Nicky and Elaine will also discuss triggers of nausea, dietary and lifestyle changes that is known to help.  When treating morning sickness, a woman may require more frequent treatments depending on the severity of her symptoms. It is our clinical experience and data that is showing that treatment using Acupuncture for nausea and vomiting is very beneficial.

https://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/acupuncture/research/morning-sickness/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11843784

https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=27775

Oedema is an accumulation of an excessive amount of fluids within the body tissues.  This can range from mild to excessive.  Mild oedema will resolve overnight while resting.  Once it starts accumulating beyond this then special attention is given to the woman’s blood pressure and urinalysis.  If this is moving out of the normal range, then close monitoring will be done by her Lead Maternity Carer.

The Chinese medicine understanding of this is that the spleen is failing to transform and transport the fluids of the body.   When we refer to the spleen function, we include the stomach as well.  Combined they carry out the role of transforming and transporting the contents that is put into it whether that be solid food or liquids.  This process is helped by the other organs particularly the Kidney which provides the yang energy to heat the contents.  They co-exist in this function.  If a woman’s body is deficient in this type of qi she is more likely to experience more oedema and become symptomatic of its presence.  She may experience such symptoms of swelling of the limbs, heaviness of limbs, tightness to her skin and difficulty in attempting to squat, cold limbs, she may have carpel tunnel syndrome.  If there is excessive oedema in the lower limbs they may leak fluid. During pregnancy woman are particularly vulnerable to spleen qi deficiency as the function of their digestive organs slows down a bit to allow for more absorption of nutrients needed for the developing baby.

Acupuncture is given to nourish her Spleen qi, Kidney yang qi and to clear the damp accumulation. There will be a discussion around diet and the known damp forming foods that should be removed from her diet.  She will be shown how to moxa certain points so she can continue supporting the treatment each day at home. 

During pregnancy there is an increase in circulating blood volume and increasing estrogen levels.  This can have a direct impact on the nasal mucosa, leading to inflammation and increased gland activity.  This can leave women vulnerable to sinus infections or aggravation of a pre-existing Sino nasal condition.  Leaving the person with blocked nasal passages, postnasal drip, localized pain, headaches, and purulent nasal discharge.  When treating pregnant women with this condition we have seen good results using acupuncture.  In Chinese Medicine it is understood that an acute attack is due to invasion of wind-heat that impairs the descending function of the Lung qi.  In a chronic condition it is due to Spleen qi deficiency allowing dampness to accumulate.  Often eating an abundance of damp forming foods such as dairy, sugar or an excess amount of cold foods will exacerbate this condition.

 https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=28181