Researchers at Queen’s University and the University of Alberta in Canada, have investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture for assisting in the initiation and duration of labour.
Sixteen pregnant women at full term, were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture either at sites traditionally used to bring on labour, or at nearby sham sites. The results showed that women in the true acupuncture group on average went into labour 62 hours ahead of the sham group, and also experienced labours which were on average two hours and twenty minutes shorter. Patients reported that the experience of undergoing acupuncture provided them with a sense of control over the outcome of their pregnancy and that they enjoyed their interaction with the acupuncturists.
(Effectiveness of Acupuncture for the Initiation of Labour at Term: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Journal of Gynaecology & Obstetrics of Canada, December 2008.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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