Toronto is a hub for acupuncture styles that range from classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Japanese Acupuncture, and western based acupuncture. If you just do a web search for “acupuncture in toronto” you will immediately see the wide world of teaching styles and types of therapists that are engaged in one of the acupuncture forms available in Toronto, Ontario.

Types of therapists include: acupuncturists who have studied at one of the TCM schools, Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Medical Doctors, Massage Therapists, Shiatsu Therapists, and other health professionals.

Any of them could be helpful. My suggestion, since it is how I was trained, is to find a good TCM acupuncturist in Toronto. My expertise is primarily with pregnancy and pregnant women, so I tend to prefer acupuncturists that have a focus or are a veteran in a particular classic style of acupuncture.

Women’s Health Issues: Pregnancy and Menopause

Early on in my acupuncture career, I found an affinity with treating women’s health issues including menopause and right now my practice is almost exclusively focused on pregnant women.

I find that pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time! It is a magical time. Alas, it can also be a difficult time. Women are often discouraged when the challenges of pregnancy feel overwhelming. And although it may be reassuring to be told that one’s aches and pains (for example, morning sickness, or sciatica, carpel tunnel syndrome, pelvic pain, back pain, insomnia, exhaustion or anxiety) is “normal”, that doesn’t bring relief.

Many women are told that there is nothing they can do to help themselves feel better. Their experience is often ignored or at best, belittled.

There are “new” options that are actually thousands of years old. Traditional acupuncture offers safe and effective relief. Thousands of women are enjoying relief they didn’t realize was possible. When performed by a knowledgeable professional, acupuncture really works!

Please contact Dawn Aarons by email at dawn@dawnaarons.com or visit her website at www.dawnaarons.com

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

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

This blog has been created by Dawn Aarons, an acupuncturist and teacher, based in Toronto, Canada. You are welcome to contact Dawn by email at dawn@dawnaarons.com or visit her website at www.dawnaarons.com