Benefits Of Using Acupuncture During Pregnancy
According to the February 2011 issue of The Female Patient Acupuncture has become a larger part of mainstream medical treatments. There has been a steady increase in Los Angeles of Acupuncturists using Acupuncture for pregnant women who would like to limit risks and complications involved with taking medication. Through word of mouth and personal experience many Los Angeles women have discovered that Acupuncture works and that the risks to their well being is limited, even though there isn’t “scientific” support that can only be acquired via expensive clinical trials. There have been studies that show that Acupuncture can help with pregnancy symptoms like nausea, vomiting and can also be a reliable treatment for back and pelvic pain as well as depression. Acupuncture has also been shown to reduce labor pain, greatly reduce the need for analgesia during childbirth and help induce labor. The risks during Acupuncture are slim, and provide a reliable alternative to using pharmaceuticals, which can cause complications. With all of this in mind women are ready to try Acupuncture and explore its benefits, once there are positive results they will keep turning to Acupuncture without the support of scientific studies. They experience first hand why Acupuncture works and how well.
There are many pregnant women who experience nausea and vomiting during about %50 to %90 of pregnant women present these symptoms. By stimulating one point called PC-6 (which is located on the forearm on the palm side between two tendons about three finger width up from the crease of the wrist) using Acupuncture has seemed to be effective in helping relieve symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Using electro stimulation (electroacupuncture) and acupressure might improve results even further when used at this point (PC-6). Patients are not concerned with scientific proof or the mechanics of the treatment if they have positive results.
There are other common symptoms with pregnancy that acupuncture can alleviate such as, pelvic pain and back pain. Of the twenty five percent of women who will see their Doctor for help with these symptoms up to eight percent will be on bed rest and up to seven percent will continue to suffer with these symptoms after their child is born. Acupuncture has also been shown to have positive results in helping with back and pelvic pain in pregnant women. The regular medical treatment for these symptoms is physical therapy acupuncture has shown that it may be more effective. Acupuncture gives low risk treatment that doesn’t involve medication to treat back pain and pelvic pain in women who are pregnant.
Women from ages 25 to 45 who are pregnant often experience depression. Medical professionals have been searching fornatural methods to help with depression, relieving depression is crucial to the health of the child, mother and the family as a whole. Staying away from medication greatly reduces complications during pregnancy. There are clinical trials that have shown that there is a %63 positive response rate in using acupuncture to relieve depression during pregnancy. Acupuncture is an excellent alternative to pharmaceuticals for treating depression and the risks are very limited.
Acupuncture hasn’t become popular for inducing labor at this point, although it has shown the reduced need for analgesics during labor. All acupuncturists need to be aware of certain precautions when treating women who are pregnant. Acupuncture is a great alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and is low risk and natural. Veterinarians have been successful at providing evidence that acupuncture does not have a placebo effect by using acupuncture on animals.
Executing a clinical trial is very expensive. Acupuncture does not have something to patent like pharmaceutical companies, so there is no monetary gain to be had by conducting trials for acupuncture. We need to wait for government organizations or non- profit organizations such as the National Institute of Health to provide funding and to conduct these studies. This is a long process and takes far longer than for a profit private sector. MRI scans of the brain during acupuncture show strong readings the moment the insertion of the acupuncture needle sends a signal to the brain through the afferent nervous pathways, this stimulates the desired response of the CNS (central nervous system). The CNS sends desired signals to the targeted areas of the body through the efferent nervous system pathways. Just one of the crucial reactions achieved through acupuncture is to settle down the sympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture may allow the central nervous system to do its job, restoring health and maintaining it by taking the patient away from the fight or flight response.
Acupuncture has become popular in mainstream medicine even with the lack of scientific studies proving its effectiveness. Patients will explore acupuncture because of the low risk, because it is natural and because it is medication free. Patients pass their personal experiences with acupuncture along to others and continue with it themselves because of their personal successful results. Based on its popularity many Medical Doctors and practitioners of mainstream medicine are informed of the results of acupuncture, which prompts them to suggest acupuncture to their patients. Eastern and Western medicine are able to combine the best of both worlds providing more opportunities for success.
Your Acupuncturist can give you relief from many things that may be giving you trouble. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine that many people have turned to.. This article, Benefits Of Using Acupuncture During Pregnancy has free reprint rights.