Morning Sickness, II – Does acupuncture help?
Does acupuncture really help women with Morning Sickness?
I have worked with dozens of women with Morning Sickness over the past 13 years. Some women have immediate dramatic improvements, while others do not. Most women find that acupuncture, in combination with lifestyle and dietary modifications, improves their quality of life and is a welcome support.
Here are two very different stories of women that I have worked with:
Rosa- “Rosa” was a social worker pregnant with her second child. She was working full time and had a two year old son. Rosa was 10 weeks pregnant and had been constantly nauseated from the beginning of the pregnancy. She continued to force herself to work, with regular visits to the washroom to vomit. She was able to eat small meals, though often had to throw up soon after eating. She had never tried acupuncture before and had been encouraged to come by her sister-in-law. During the treatment, Rosa allowed herself to relax and to cry. She was exhausted and scared. When she stood up from the treatment, Rosa’s nausea was gone. She was thrilled. She began a pre-planned holiday the following day. I spoke with Rosa after her holiday to learn that the nausea did not return. She was doing well and had cut down on her work schedule. I did not see Rosa again, but was told that her pregnancy and birth were healthy and happy.
Dana – “Dana” saw me weekly throughout her pregnancy starting at 28 weeks. This was here third pregnancy in which she suffered from hyperemesis. It was difficult for Dana to get out of bed without being overwhelmed with nausea and vomiting. A care worker was called in to help her with her children. She was taking a large dose of Diclectin which did take the edge off somewhat but did not stop the symptoms. After we began regular acupuncture treatments, Dana rarely vomited. Her nausea subsided for a day or two after treatment, but regularly returned. Acupuncture was a welcome short term relief and helped her to feel well enough to eat more and enjoy her children. Dana was still nauseated throughout labour. She told me that she felt the nausea lift at the moment that her placenta separated (and was then born). She remembered feeling the same way at her previous birth.
Research
Dawn Aarons, Acupuncture Therapist in Toronto, Canada was interested in the following acupuncture research which she wishes to share:
Research conducted in Australia in 2002 concludes that “acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for women who experience nausea and dry retching in early pregnancy”. Here are more details about these studies:
Smith et al. in 2002 published two articles from their research on nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. The first looked at the effectiveness of acupuncture and the second at the safety of acupuncture treatment in early pregnancy.
Summary
The objective was to compare i. traditional acupuncture treatment, ii. acupuncture at Neiguan P-6 only, iii. sham acupuncture and iv. no acupuncture treatment for nausea and vomiting.
593 women who were less than 14 weeks pregnant and were suffering nausea and vomiting of pregnancy were randomised into 4 groups and received treatment weekly.
The acupuncture group, in which points were chosen according to a traditional acupuncture diagnosis, received two 20 minute acupuncture treatments in the first week followed by one weekly treatment for the next four weeks.
The sham acupuncture group were needled at points close to but not on acupuncture points and both the sham and Neiguan P-6 acupuncture groups were treated with the same frequency as the traditional acupuncture group.
All group received their treatment from the same acupuncturist.
The outcomes of treatment were measured in terms of nausea, dry retching, vomiting and health status.
When compared to the women who received no treatment, the traditional acupuncture group reported less nausea throughout the study and less dry retching from the second week. The Neiguan P-6 acupuncture group reported less nausea from the second week and less dry retching from the third week. The sham acupuncture group reported less nausea and dry retching from the third week.
So while all three acupuncture groups reported improvement with nausea and dry retching, it was the traditional acupuncture group that had the fastest response.
Patients receiving traditional acupuncture also reported improvement in five aspects of general health status (vitality, social function, physical function, mental health and emotional role function) compared to improvement in two aspects with both the Neiguan P-6 and sham acupuncture groups. In the no treatment group there was improvement in only one aspect.
Although there were no differences in vomiting found in any of the treatment groups the authors speculated that more frequent treatments might have produced greater benefits.
In assessing the safety of acupuncture in early pregnancy data was collected on perinatal outcome, congenital abnormalities, pregnancy complications and problems of the newborn.
No differences were found between study groups in the incidence of these outcomes suggesting that there are no serious adverse effects from the use of acupuncture treatment in early pregnancy.
Conclusion
Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for women who experience nausea and dry retching in early pregnancy.
Both my personal experience and research support the assertion that acupuncture is helpful for women suffering from nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. While there are no guarantees, acupuncture brings relief and improves the quality of life of most pregnant women that try it. It does not have side effects and is safe to use in pregnancy. Acpuncture offers new options to women.
Stay tuned for Morning Sickness III – self help suggestions and recommendations
