Acupressure at SP-6 reduces Anxiety & Analgesics in Labour

Acupressure at the point sanyinjiao or SP-6, just above the ankle, decreases maternal anxiety and analgesic consumption during labour, Iranian researchers have found. A total of 131 women in labour at Maryam Hospital, Tehran were randomly allocated to receive acupressure, touch applied as a control, or routine care. Within 30 minutes of starting the intervention, mean anxiety in the acupressure group was significantly less than both control groups, and it remained so 30 minutes after finishing the intervention. Sedative and analgesic consumption was also significantly lower in the acupressure group compared with the control groups.

The researchers conclude that acupressure at SP-6 could be considered an alternative method to decrease maternal anxiety and use of sedative and analgesics, especially pethidine.

(The Effect of Acupressure at Spleen 6 Acupuncture Point on the Anxiety Level and Sedative and Analgesics Consumption of Women during Labor: A Randomized Single-blind Clinical Trial. Iranian Journal of Nursing & Midwifery Research, March – April 2018.)

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.