A study undertaken in Spain has shown that acupuncture needling of the point Qihai, which lies just beneath the navel, can shorten the third and final stage of labour – the expulsion of the placenta. A total of 76 women who had been through a normal spontaneous hospital birth, were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture at Qihai, or sham treatment at a non-acupuncture point nearby.
Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups. The acupuncture group had a mean time to placental expulsion, of 5.2 minutes. The control group had a corresponding time of 15.2 minutes. This has important implications for maternal health, since a prolonged third stage is considered a risk factor for postpartum haemorrhage. The authors say this treatment is simple, safe and inexpensive.
(Influence of acupuncture on the third stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, online 17 March 2015.)
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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