Acupuncture and Pregnancy

Acupuncture management of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)

Acupuncture and Pregnancy: Dawn Aarons, Toronto – High Blood Pressure can become a pregnancy related complication in which case it is called Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH). If a woman is also experiencing edema (excessive fluid retention) and has protein in her urine (determined with a dipstick test in a urine sample), this condition is referred to as preeclampsia.

Women can also enter pregnancy with pre-existing high blood pressure (essential hypertension).

In both cases, blood pressure is monitored on an ongoing basis. The systolic (the top figure) and the diastolic pressure (the bottom reading) are monitored. Concern will arise if either the systolic or diastolic pressure rises significantly above the woman’s original blood pressure (baseline). A diastolic pressure of over 90-95 is usually considered a cause for concern, particularly if accompanied by upper body edema, protein in the urine, severe headaches, nausea or vomiting, and/or visual disturbances.

Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) affects 2.5-3% of pregnant women (Redman C, Sargent 2005. Latest Advances in Understanding Preeclampsia. Science 308: 1592-4.) PIH is more commonly experienced by first-time mothers, especially those under 19 and over 40 years old, and those who are obese.

Acupuncture for High Blood Pressure

Acupuncture is the most commonly used method to treat hypertension during pregnancy in our Toronto Acupuncture clinic. Acupuncture is used to balance and relax the body, and is most successful in combination with lifestyle adjustments – especially regular exercise, stress relief, and a healthy diet.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, the appropriate treatment depends on the underlying imbalance that is causing the hypertension. Different imbalances will show different combinations of signs and symptoms in addition to the high blood pressure. An experienced acupuncturist will determine a woman’s pattern of imbalance (in this case some possibilities include Liver Blood deficiency, Liver and Kidney yin deficiency, Spleen Yang Deficiency, Liver Yang Rising) and treat her specific condition. In her book, Acupuncture and Pregancy in Labour, Debra Betts writes, “positive changes are clearly achievable with acupuncture, indicating that it can help the body to normalize and allow women to progress naturally through their pregnancy. These changes include reduction in uric acid to normal levels and stabilization of liver enzymes, as well as the more obvious signs of blood pressure readings remaining within acceptable medical limits”(p.110)

Research on Hypertension

Research on Hypertension supports calcium supplementation and regular exercise.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study that reported that consuming sufficient calcium during pregnancy can reduce the risk of PIH and preeclampsia. The researchers found that 1500 – 2000 mg daily of calcium supplementation can lower the risk of PIH by 70% and the risk of preeclampsia by over 60%.

A study on exercise and gestational hypertension concluded that the most active women were 43% less likely to develop preeclampsia than sedentary women. (Marcoux, S., J. Brisson, and J. Fabia. The effect of leisure time physical activity on the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 43:147-152, 1989.)

See Self-Care Guide for Pregnancy Hypertension for information on things you can do to help yourself. Consider using acupuncture as part of the overall care plan you arrange in consultation with your primary health care provider.

Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia

Morning Sickness, I – Acupuncture and Morning Sickness

Why do they call it morning sickness when it lasts all day?

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is an unwelcome, but perfectly normal, part of pregnancy that does not put your baby at any increased risk.

Although NVP is sometimes trivialized as a minor inconvenience of pregnancy, it can have a significant, adverse affect on your day-to-day activities and quality of life.
Morning sickness is a catchall term used to describe everything from a hypersensitivity to odors or an aversion to certain foods to severe vomiting. Between 60 to 80 percent of pregnant women experience nausea, retching, and/or vomiting, at some time during their pregnancy. The degree of nausea and vomiting you have during one pregnancy does not predict how you will feel in future pregnancies. Most pregnant women have nausea and vomiting during the early months of pregnancy often beginning in the first month of pregnancy and continuing until the 14th to 16th week (when 90% of cases are resolved). However, some women have nausea and vomiting through their entire pregnancy.

NVP is thought to be caused by the hormonal, metabolic and chemical changes of early pregnancy. It is more likely to be a problem for women who are carrying twins or other multiples or who are feeling run down. Emotional stress, traveling, or some foods may also aggravate the nausea.
About 1 out of every 300 pregnant women develops a severe form of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum (Latin for “excessive vomiting in pregnancy”). This condition occurs when the body is unable to compensate for the relentless vomiting and loses valuable body salts (electrolytes) and body fluids. The disorder is thought to be linked to higher-than-usual levels of the hormones hCG and estrogen, and it is more common in first pregnancies, young women and women carrying multiples.
If you are suffering from Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy, don’t despair! There are things you can do for relief.

In Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is the primary treatment for morning sickness in pregnancy. Acupuncture helps the body to balance itself and redirect energy flow, bringing relief from symptoms.

Energy can flow upward, downward, inward and outward. In digestion, the normal flow is downward. Food is eaten, digested and evacuated. But when a person is nauseated and/or vomiting, the usual downward flow has been reversed. This is called “counter flow of Stomach Energy (Qi)” in Chinese Medicine. There are a number of patterns that underlie counter flow. Distinguishing the exact pattern allows the acupuncturist to offer an effective treatment.

The Patterns for Morning Sickness
• Spleen and Stomach Energy (Qi) deficiency: Nausea and vomiting with epigastric fullness and bloating, no desire for food and drink, exhaustion and heaviness of limbs.
• Liver invading Spleen: Nausea and vomiting with a bitter or sour taste, depression or irritability, tendency to sigh and to be easily angered, chest heaviness.
• Stomach Fire: vomiting of food soon after it has been eaten, persistent thirst for cold drinks, heartburn, dizziness, constipation, red face, chapped lips.
• Phlegm: vomiting mucus or constant spitting of saliva.

It is possible to have a combination of patterns. An experienced practitioner can use acupuncture to help your body to balance itself. When the body returns to relative balance, symptoms disappear. With the constant changes of pregnancy, balancing becomes a lively, sophisticated dance.