Acupuncture used as anaesthesia in
childbirth
A recent survey has found that acupuncture may be an extremely safe and effective form of anaesthesia to be used in childbirth. A survey between 1981 and 1987, analysed 16649 cases of acupuncture treatment used as anaesthesia in caesarian sections conducted throughout 5 provinces in China. The researchers not only found an extremely high success rate, but there was also no evidence of any of the complications associated with conventional forms of
anaesthesia.
The success rate of the acupuncture anaesthesia was found to be a remarkable 98.9%. Blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration were all stable during operations, and blood loss was found to be less than in caesarian operations using epidural or local anesthesia. Furthermore, no complications or anaesthetic accidents occurred during any of the operations under acupuncture anesthesia.
The report concluded that the use of acupuncture anesthesia for cesarean section was very safe not only for the mother but also for her fetus with none of the side effects associated with conventional
anaesthetics.
Wang DW; Jin YH. Present status of cesarean section under acupuncture anesthesia in China. Fukushima Journal of Medical Science (JAPAN) Dec 1989, 35 (2) p45-52
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Diet
in pregnancy
The dangers of coffee, tea, chocolate and cola during
pregnancy
A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that caffeine may be a cause of spontaneous abortions. Researchers evaluated the risk factors in over 300 women who had had sponetaneous abortions and compared their findings with the same risk factors in over 1,000 women who had had normal pregnancies and delivered healthy babies. The one factor which stood out from all others was... caffeine. The researchers established that for each 100mg of caffeine consumed, the risk of a sponetaneous abortion rose by 22 per cent.
Infante-Revard C et al. 'Fetal loss associated with caffeine intake.' JAMA 270: 2940-2943
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Perineal
discomfort
Essential Oil of Lavender and Perineal discomfort following
childbirth
Lavender oil is traditionally used by aromatherapists for its antiseptic and healing properties, and it is also commonly recommended to be used as a bath additive to help reduce perineal discomfort following childbirth. Researchers at the Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, undertook a blind randomized clinical trial using a total of 635 postnatal women to test these claims.
The women were divided into 3 groups; the first group were given pure lavender oil, the second group being given a synthetic lavender oil and the third group were given an inert substance as bath additives to be used daily for 10 days following normal childbirth.
Analysis of the total daily discomfort scores revealed no statistically significant difference between the three groups. However, on closer inspection, the results did show that those women using lavender oil recorded lower mean discomfort scores on the 3rd and 5th days than the two control groups which is a time when the mother usually finds herself discharged home and perineal discomfort is high.
Whilst it cannot be concluded from these results that the use of essential oil of lavender in the bath (at the quality and dilution levels used in the study) reduces postnatal perineal discomfort, there is evidence to suggest that lavender oil used in the bath may help alleviate discomfort at certain times. No doubt more research will follow, but in the meantime, as no side effects were found, it seems that lavender oil may be a useful additional remedy to complement other forms of treatment helping postnatal mothers suffering from perineal discomfort.
Dale A; Cornwell S. The role of lavender oil in relieving perineal discomfort following
childbirth: a blind randomized clinical trial. Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. Journal of Advanced Nursing (ENGLAND) Jan 1994, 19 (1) p89-96
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Nausea
& vomiting
Acupressure for the prevention of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain
relief
There have been numerous studies demonstrating the efficacy of acupressure on the P-6 (Neiguan) acupoint in preventing and alleviating nausea (1). However, researchers at the Department of Anesthesiology, Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan have recently demonstrated
that this treatment has applications in childbirth.
Nausea arid vomiting are common side effects following administration of epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief. The researchers therefore sought to evaluate the antiemetic effect of P-6 acupressure in women who were given epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief.
In a randomised, double-blind and controlled trial, sixty women receiving epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief were allocated to receive either the acupressure bands on the P-6 acupoint on both arms, or placebo bands, before the administration of
spinal anaesthesia and the women were monitored over the following 48 hours.
The data revealed that the incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly decreased from 43% and 27% in the control group, and from to 3% and 0% in the acupressure group. These results demonstrate that prophylactic use of acupressure bands bilaterally on the P-6 acupoint can significantly reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief.
(1) See ALTERNATIVES in health™ Vol1;1,4
(2) Ho C.-M.; Hseu S.-S.; Tsai S.-K.; Lee T.-Y. Effect of P-6 acupressure on prevention of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (Denmark) , 1996, 40/3 (372-375)
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Nausea
& vomiting in pregnancy - Ginger, Vitamin C
A review of available
evidence about the effectiveness of alternative therapies for nausea and
vomiting of pregnancy.
A search of 14 additional
US and international data bases between 1996-1997 for papers that
described use of alternative medicine in the treatment of pregnancy and
pregnancy complications, specifically those addressing nausea, vomiting,
and hyperemesis. Bibliographies of retrieved papers were reviewed to
identify additional sources.
All relevant English
language clinical research papers were reviewed. Randomized clinical
trials addressing specifically the use of nonpharmaceutical and nondietary
interventions were chosen for detailed review.
Ten randomized trials
studying the effects of acupressure, ginger, and pyridoxine on nausea and
vomiting of pregnancy were reviewed. Evidence of beneficial effects was
found for these three interventions, although the data on acupressure are
equivocal. Insufficient evidence was found for the benefits of hypnosis.
Other interventions have not been studied.
The report concluded that
there is a dearth of research to support or to refute the efficacy of a
number of common remedies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. The
best-studied alternative remedy is acupressure, which may afford relief to
many women; ginger and vitamin B6 also may be beneficial.
Obstet Gynecol 1998
Jan;91(1):149-55. Aikins Murphy P Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
and The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research in
Women's Health, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York, New York 10032, USA. pam15@columbia.edu
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Acupressure,
Intravenous metoclopramide & nausea and vomiting
during spinal
anesthesia for cesarean section.
Nausea and vomiting occur frequently during
cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Metoclopramide reduces
intraoperative nausea and vomiting, but not without potential side
effects. Acupressure, a noninvasive variation of acupuncture that involves
constant pressure on the wrist, has been suggested as an alternative
method to prevent nausea and vomiting. The aim of this study was to
compare acupressure and intravenous (IV) metoclopramide for the prevention
of nausea and vomiting during elective cesarean section under spinal
anesthesia. Seventy-five patients were studied in a randomized,
prospective, double-blind comparative trial. Group I patients received
acupressure bands + 2 mLIV saline, Group II patients received placebo
wrist bands + 10 mg IV metoclopramide, and Group III patients received
placebo wrist bands + 2 mL IV saline.
Patients who received either acupressure or
metoclopramide prior to initiation of spinal anesthesia for cesarean
section had much less nausea than patients in the placebo group.
Acupressure is an effective, non-pharmacologic method to reduce
intraoperative nausea during elective cesarean section in the awake
patient.
Anesth Analg 1997
Feb;84(2):342-5, Stein DJ, Birnbach DJ, Danzer
BI, Kuroda MM, Grunebaum A, Thys DM, Department
of Anesthesiology, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York 10019,
USA.
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Post
Natal Depression
Guided visualisations in childbirth
Relaxation and guided visualisation can be particularly helpful for women suffering from post-natal depression according to a study reported in the Journal of Holistic Nursing. Researchers monitored women who had given birth to their first child for the first four weeks following the births. Those women who were given relaxation exercises and guided visualisations showed reduced depression and anxiety but also improved self-esteem than women in the control group.
Rees BL. Effect of relaxation with guided imagery on anxiety, depression and self esteem in primiparas. J Holistic Nurs 13 (3): 255-67. Sept 1995.
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Hydrotherapy
in Childbirth
Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology. University of Liverpool, United Kingdom have confirmed earlier
research findings that hydrotherapy is extremely beneficial for pregnant
mother-to-be during labour.
The use of birthing
pools (luring labour is increasing in the United Kingdom, and researchers
felt the need to establish whether this was justified by investigating the
value and safety of hydrotherapy as a birthing aid.
The study was performed in a
District General Hospital in Liverpool where a group of 100 women of low
obstetric risk used the birthing pool at some stage (luring their labour’s
and a control group of 100 women were matched in terms of age, parity and
obstetric history hut laboured and delivered without the use of a birthing
pool.
The main outcome measures
were operative delivery rates, duration of labour, analgesic requirements.
perineal trauma and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes.
The results showed that those
women who used the birthing pool had significantly reduced operative
delivery rates, a shorter second stage of labour, reduced analgesic
requirements and a lower incidence of perineal trauma. The women who used
the birthing pool also required significantly less analgesic aid.
The report concluded that
hydrotherapy during labour significantly aids the labour process, minimises
the use of analgesic medications md should he considered as a safe and
effective birthing aid.
Aird IA; Luckas MJ; Buckett
WM; Bousfield P. Effects of intrapartum hydrotherapy on labour related
parameters. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol (Australia) May 1997, 37 (2) p137-42
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Acupuncture
& Childbirth
To study the analgesia efficacy of drugs combined with acupuncture analgesia
for painless labor, 462 normal
pregnancy women were observed. During the latent phase
in labor, several analgesia methods: acupuncture analgesia, analgesics,
magnetotherapy and auricular
acupressure, TENS combined with dihydroetorphine were
used respectively. While the intrauterine pressure and the peripheral
content of beta-EP were measured
during labor, the experiments of SEPS were also
performed on healthy adults to demonstrate the analgesia efficacy of those
analgesia methods. The
combination of drugs with acupuncture is an excellent method
for painless labor without any complications and all the mothers and babies
are safety. The effectiveness is 97.5%. The results demonstrate that the
mechanism of analgesia efficacy
should be regulated the incoordinate uterine action
and improve the hypertonic status of uterus, but also can decrease the
pain threshold and elevate the
tolerance of uterine contractions during labor.
[Clinical
study on painless labor under drugs combined with acupuncture analgesia]
Jin Y; Wu L; Xia Y. Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical
University, Beijing. Chen Tzu Yen Chiu (CHINA) 1996, 21 (3) p9-17, ISSN
1000-0607
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Reflexology
& Childbirth
Whenever stress
and nervous tension are present, reflexology, like massage and aromatherapy
can be very effective in inducing relaxation. It will also help to 'balance'
organs and tissues throughout the body and, acting through the nervous
system, actually help strengthen and normalise the circulatory system. In
this way, it can help activate the body's own healing force to aid recovery.
Reflexology may also be employed to
help stimulate the reproductive organs through the autonomic nervous system
and so help strengthen and correct under functioning organs and balance
hormonal function. Although there are no controlled studies on the subject
of reflexology and infertility, there have been research studies relating to
the effects of reflexology and childbirth.
A study at the Gentofte Hospital in
Copenhagen revealed that reflexology is beneficial to women during the
labour of childbirth. 58 out of 60 women giving birth experienced
"outstanding pain relief using reflexology treatment", and 11 out
of 14 women were able to avoid surgery under general anaesthesia. Dr Carsten
Lenstrup was so impressed by the results that he said: "Taken as a
whole, the results are so good that am not in any doubt that reflexology can
give many women a better, easier and less painful delivery than they would
have had otherwise." (2)
The findings of the Gentofte study
were supported by a further study carried out by Dr Gowri Motva at the
Jeyrani Birth Centre on the effects of reflexology on pregnant women. 37
pregnant women completed a course of 10 reflexology treatments with
remarkable effect. The average length of the first stage of labour was 5
hours whereas the text book average is 16 - 24 hours; the second stage of
labour lasted an average of 16 minutes compared to the text book expectancy
of 1 - 2 hours, and only 5.4% of the women who had reflexology treatment
required emergency caesarian section compared to an average of 13% in Newham
district which was the district where the study was conducted.(2)
(1) Reported in "Berlingske
Tidende" 15 July 1988
(2) Reflexology Association - Research Co-ordinator Kristine Walker
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Whirlpools
baths in childbirth
When
three whirlpool baths (Jacuzzis) were ordered as part of the renovations in a
birthing unit in the USA, it was seen as an ideal opportunity to conduct a
randomised, controlled trial to explore the effects of the whirlpool baths on
narcotic and epidermal requirements of women during labour.
A simple protocol was set up;
393 women were offered the whirlpool during labour and the control group of
392 women received conventional care. The labour’s were all recorded and the
results analysed.
The first point of note was
that no births occurred in the tub, a common fear of many women and healthcare
professionals. All of the women in the hydrotherapy
group were able to get out of
the whirl-pool before the final stage of labour.
What was remarkable was the
fact that the results showed clearly that the hydrotherapy group required
fewer pharmacologic agents than women in the control group (66% vs 59%),
experienced fewer deliveries by forceps and vacuum, and were more likely to
have an intact perineum than the standard-care group.
Labour was longer for the women
in the hydrotherapy group, who coincidentally were more primiparous and in
earlier labour on admission. No differences were noted in the low rates of
maternal and newborn signs of infection in women with ruptured membranes.
The report concluded that
Whirlpool baths in labour have very positive effects on analgesia
requirements, instrumentation rates, condition of the perineum, and personal
satisfaction. In fact, the re-searchers were so impressed with the results of
their study that further trials are being planned.
Rush J; Burlock 5; Lambert K;
Looslev-Mjllrnan M; Hutchiscn B; Enkin M. The effects of whirlpools baths in
labor: a randornised, controlled trial. Birth (UNITED STATES) Sep 1996,23 (3)
p136-43
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This page was last updated on 19 October 2006 11:16:46
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