Acupuncture to Induce Labor

Acupuncture eases pain of women in labor

What easily pops up in your mind when you hear “birth and delivery”? This phrase of course is synonymous to “pain” don’t you think?

Pregnancy and childbirth are both deemed as milestones in a woman’s life, however, this could also be the most painful stage of the process towards motherhood. It is a fact that the anticipation of motherhood is laced with both pleasure and sorrow. However, as more pregnant women resort to acupuncture pregnancy treatments, the agonizing part of childbirth could be history.

Acupuncture is an ancient form of healing that originated from China. It was initially used for anesthetic purposes and has been used for over 3,000 years. It utilizes hair-like needles to stimulate the acupuncture points, which is responsible for the flow of the body’s vital energy, also known as Qi.

This particular traditional Chinese medication has been proven effective to cure a variety of ailments including pregnancy-related conditions such as fatigue, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, back pains as well as easing labor pains.

Danish researchers have reported that pregnant women who have acupuncture treatments are less likely to ask for chemical-based pain killers.  The team of researchers conducted a test on 603 women who were in labor. The women were arbitrarily assigned to different pain relief treatments. Some had acupuncture, while others had transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, and the rest had the other traditional forms of pain relievers such as epidural anesthesia, pethidine (Demerol), nitrous oxide, and warm bath.

After the test, the team concluded that acupuncture, which was administered by trained midwives, reduced the pains of the women in labor. While those who had TENS and traditional pain relievers asked for more pharmacological pain killers. The test also proved that acupuncture can help women get more relaxed compared to those who had different treatments. The use of analgesic medications was only intended to reduce pains during labor, which is caused by the contractions in the uterus.

Recent studies showed that Meperidine, which is currently one of the commonly used medications to ease labor pains, is not very effective and since it is chemical-based, it could affect the health of both the baby and the mother.

An epidural block on the other hand, has been found out to be unsuitable during certain stages of labor and could not lasts long, which is unsuitable for those who have labor problems such as slow progression.

Alternatively, acupuncture not only gives pain relief to the women in labor but it also helps shorten the labor process.

Acupuncture treatments to induce labor

Modern lifestyle, eating habits, environment pollutants and a lot more have been blamed for bringing about various ailments that have not been known to many of our ancestors. These same reasons also took the blame for complicated pregnancies and labor problems.

Well, maybe there is a wave of truth to that but the oriental form of healing known as acupuncture, which has been proven to treat a wide range of ailments, likewise has a treatment for pregnancy-related conditions as well as addressing labor complications.

This form of healing, which has been in existent for thousands of years already with roots originating from China, uses very thin needles to rejuvenate the vital energy flow of the body, known as Qi, by inserting the needles to the identified acupuncture points that are associated to a woman’s gynecological health.

While there’s a hint of truth to the reasons previously mentioned as to the causes of illnesses these days, acupuncture unveils a number of reasons how a woman’s personal activity can affect her gynecological health.

Stress, for one, affects the energy flow of the body just as the labor process can cause the change in direction of the Qi flow in a woman’s body. The direction of the flow could either result in an uncomplicated labor or otherwise.

Complications in labor can be dictated by the psychological and physical state of the woman in delivery. These factors can affect the woman’s energy flow, which can result to delayed and difficult delivery.

The Yin channel causes the energy flow to rise while the Yang channel causes the energy flow to go down. For pregnant women in labor, it is very important for the Qi to flow downwards, thus acupuncture or acupressure is needed to assist the downward movement of the Qi by putting pressure on the specific acupuncture point combination.

Qi deficiencies such as insufficient Qi and blood or Qi and blood stagnation are usually the culprit behind a complicated delivery.

Qi and blood stagnation can be easily treated through simple relaxation of the mother. Acupuncture pregnancy treatments have been proven to help women relax and ease the anxiety.

Specific acupuncture points that can help the Qi flow move downwards include SP-6, GB-21 and LI-4. To circulate the Qi and blood towards a downward movement to induce labor, acupuncture must be applied on LI-4 or the large intestine’s yuan source point and the SP-6 point, which as a three leg yin on the foot. GB-21 is also another point that can be stimulated to encourage a downward Qi flow.

Encouraging natural labor through acupuncture

More and more women now resort to acupuncture treatments to be relieved of the common pregnancy-related conditions such as morning sickness, fatigue, anxiety as well as induction of labor, when necessary.

Aside from needing acupuncture to induce labor, acupuncture can actually help in ensuring a natural labor process with lesser pain compared to the conventional methods of encouraging labor progression.

Acupuncture is a traditional medical practice, which has been in existent since 3,000 years ago in China. It utilizes specialized fine needles to help revitalize the body’s natural flow of energy, called as the Qi, along the pathways known as the meridians.

For most pregnant women who are closely approaching their due date, the feeling of excitement and anxiety can be very taxing. However, during this stage of the pregnancy, the women can already acquire acupuncture treatments to prepare the body for a natural labor process. 

Acupuncture is currently a widely embraced treatment for women health concerns. Women’s health have been the core focus of traditional Chinese medicine for over thousands of years and now has gained the interest of many, including western medicine practitioners, as most women today suffer from the same gynecological problems from that of decades ago.

Based on Traditional Chinese Medical theories, majority of the acupuncture points play a vital role in the regulation of a woman’s gynecological health. So, in preparing a pregnant woman for natural labor through acupuncture, the acupuncture points are stimulated to normalize the hormonal levels of the body, thus encouraging a natural flow of energy as well as a natural progression of labor.

Before resorting to labor induction, acupuncture can actually help in encouraging a natural labor process for pregnant women. Aside from acupuncture, a similar treatment can be done without the use of needles by using massage or ample pressure on the acupuncture points in stimulating the energy flow of the body. Although, acupressure has lesser intensity compared to acupuncture, it shares the same principles in revitalizing the pressure points and deliver the same results.  

With regards to safety issues, acupuncture and acupressure are the safest forms of pregnancy treatments, if performed by the experts who are well educated and trained about the principles of acupuncture pregnancy treatments.

Acupuncture treatments have also been proven to address common health concerns of women including Amenorrhea or the absence of menstrual period, menstrual cramps, Dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual periods, menopausal symptoms, infertility, abnormal bleeding, Endometriosis, PMS, irregular periods, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Purge childbirth woes with acupuncture

Most new couples get delighted over a confirmation of pregnancy, most especially if it is their first.  However it is usually during the first delivery that women suffer the most.

Every woman graduates to a new phase of their lives during first pregnancies. This stage unveils a lot of things to first time expectant moms. During this time, her hormonal levels could get awry that she herself could not understand it, like she easily cries and gets depressed, her feelings of anxiety and joy will go in limbo, and most especially changes in the physical appearance could also affect her self esteem.

Pregnancy entails a lot of unfavorable health conditions and ends with the anticipated backbreaking pain during labor. In other words pregnancy is a perfect combination of ecstasy and agony. However, since western medicine has already started to embrace acupuncture, which has been proven to treat pregnancy-related conditions, more pregnant women have found relief from this ancient Chinese art of healing from pre-natal care, labor and delivery, to postpartum treatment.

Acupuncture involves the insertion of specialized needles to the body’s acupuncture points, which conduct the proper energy flow of the body known as Qi along the pathways called the meridians.

Regular acupuncture treatments benefit both the mother and the baby, especially when acupuncture treatments are done throughout the entire span of the pregnancy, it does not only sustain the mother’s health but it also keeps the baby healthy. And when both mom and baby are healthy, with hormone levels at regular rate, complications during labor and delivery are less likely expected.

Originally used in China as anesthetic for the past thousands of years, acupuncture has been tested and proven to ease the pains of those in labor. Moreover, a study at the University of Vienna’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology discovered that acupuncture encourages cervical ripening and can actually shorten the labor process, thereby giving reprieve to delivering moms. The Vienna team found out that acupuncture is an advisable way of preparing for childbirth as it abridges the first stage of labor.

Acupuncture treatment prior to labor prepares the body for childbirth by gradually assisting the effacement and dilation of the cervix at the same time readies the mother emotionally and physically by allowing the body to naturally regulate hormone levels and relaxing the muscles for a more uncomplicated and painless labor process.

With acupuncture, expectant moms can now cherish the thought of welcoming the new addition to the family without reservations or anxieties regarding the pain that is involved in childbirth.

If you are one of the pregnant ladies who have their due dates coming near then you will be the one who is waiting anxiously for the labor to start. At this particular point of time, you will be eagerly looking for different ways to start the labor in a natural way. There are various methods for doing this, but the most common among the different labor programs is the one named as the acupuncture labor process. It has been discovered that when during this process an outside force is applied on a particular acupuncture point then it gently asks the body to start the process of pregnancy. Some people might think that the needles used in the acupuncture labor process will cause great pain when they are applied on the skin, but don’t get afraid as the needles used in this process are not solid. The thin structure of the needle causes less pain when it is injected.

Acupuncture labor process has proved to be the most effective in bringing the labor pains in a natural way. This process is similar to the acupressure in which the same body parts are used but without the use of needles unlike the one used in the acupuncture process. In the acupressure method thumbs and fingertips are used in the place of needles.  In the acupressure method for labor you use the fingertips and thumb to apply pressure on different points of the body.

Applying pressure also has different methods like you can apply the pressure in a rotating manner and in a manner where the pressure is released. The wonderful thing about acupressure treatment during pregnancy is that it can be performed in homes also. As this pressure is simple, this particular process can be done by a person who is doing it for the first time. Acupuncture labor process and the acupressure labor process are the safest and easiest way to start the labor early.

There are different ways in which a pregnant mother can induce the labor. Among the different ways one of them is known as the acupuncture labor treatment. The woman who undergoes this treatment experiences less pain during the labor period. It is becoming so popular among the women that those who have done it once said that if they were pregnant for the second one, they will perform the acupuncture treatment again. The main reason for using the meperidine is that it helps in reducing the pain which occurs due to the contraction of the uterine. It is one among the various pain relief medicines which are used for curing the pain during the labor period.

The acupuncture labor treatment can be said as the part of the Chinese medicine. This system of medicine has developed since 5,000 years. There are many other forms of acupuncture which have been discovered in parts of Japan, Korea and Thailand. The benefits of this particular treatment have been discovered since many years and now, it is spreading its effects in the controlled studies. The acupuncture treatment is a common practice in China but it is difficult to find them in the United States as the acupuncturists are not allowed to do their practice in the hospitals. However, some of the hospitals allow performing the acupuncture in their hospitals.

In the acupuncture labor treatment many people are afraid of the needles that are injected into the skin. But the needles used here are sized too small. They are as small as that they can be passed through the hole of another needle. Various studies have proved that the needles are used to increase the endorphins which results in your relaxation. And when the needles are pierced into the skin you will hardly feel them. It is considered as the easiest and the safest method for delivering a child.