Acupuncture for Pain in Pregnancy

Research from New Zealand: acupuncture for pain in pregnancy. A study on acupuncture for pain in pregnancy undertaken at a New Zealand hospital, shows a clinically meaningful symptom reduction in women with lower back and pelvic pain. The observational study looked at data on 81 women with lumbopelvic pain, who received traditional Chinese acupuncture weekly. In all, 89% of patients reported a clinically meaningful symptom reduction following treatment.

The authors conclude that this study supports existing clinical trial results indicating the benefits of acupuncture in reducing symptoms. The nature and extent of adverse events were consistent with those found in reviews whose authors have concluded that acupuncture in pregnancy is safe overall. Tailoring the treatment to the concerns of pregnancy may help clinicians feel more confident in acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment.

(Treating Pain in Pregnancy with Acupuncture: Observational Study Results from a Free Clinic in New Zealand. Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies, February 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.