Pregnancy Nausea and Morning Sickness
Written by The Blue Heron Clinic
Many pregnant women believe that morning sickness during pregnancy go hand in hand but what these women may not realise is that there are natural, effective measures which can be taken to reduce the incidence and severity of of this pregnancy symptom while increasing the likelyhood of a healty pregnancy. Some of these steps include:
- Diet Changes
- Lifestyle Changes
- Holistic Therapies such as massage or acupuncture
- Rrelaxation techniques such as meditation, Tai Chi or Yoga
Morning sickness or nausea gravidarum can affect more than half of all pregnant women and has several causes including changes in hormone levels, liver function and increased sensitivity to odours. Morning sickness can be mild but in severe cases may affect the pregnant woman for all three trimesters of pregnancy. For many pregnant women taking simple precautions and making a few lifestyle changes can greatly influence the frequency, duration and severity of nausea during pregnancy. Some of these include:
- Drinking plenty of fluids, water, fruit juice or herbal tea
- Resting during the day, lie down with a pillow under your head and legs
- Avoiding fatty of spicy foods
- Avoid standing up suddenly, take your time getting out of bed
- Avoid strong smells as these may make you feel sick
- Get some fresh air and exercise daily
- If possible, sleep with the windows open at night for increased air circulation
Acupuncture and Morning Sickness
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), nausea during pregnancy is caused by a disharmony between the Stomach, Spleen and Liver energies.
The pregnant woman's body normally increases the production of Blood (Xue) in order to provide nutrients for the fetus. However, production can sometimes exceed demand and the excess Blood (note: this is Blood according to TCM not Western Medicine) is then stored in the Liver which becomes over-full. As Liver Chi (Energy) is often released upwards as a form of release this overflowing can then affect the Stomach resulting in nausea and vomiting.
Where does Acupuncture fit in? The use of specific Acupuncture points such as Pericardium 6 (Neiguan) and Stomach 36 (Zusanli) can have a pronounced effect on mild or severe nausea during pregnancy. The use of Acupuncture during pregnancy is quite common and considered safe when applied by an experienced acupuncturist.
News: Acupuncture for Morning Sickness - BBC
"Acupuncture helps relieve morning sickness for pregnant women, a study shows. It is hoped the findings will give wider recognition of the medical benefits of the ancient Chinese art."
Research: Acupressure for Morning Sickness - Royal Society of Medicine
A prospective study was designed to test the efficacy of pressure at the P6 (Neiguan) acupuncture point, in preventing morning sickness."
Cure Morning Sickness With Acupunctrure - Mail Online UK
It is already one of the most popular alternative therapies and now doctors say acupuncture can help cure morning sickness.
Acupuncture: the scientific evidence
The evidence: There is more evidence available to show that acupuncture works for nausea than for any other medical condition.
Morning sickness is nausea that occurs during pregnancy. Morning sickness is a misnomer, however, since it can strike at any time of the day or night.
The Blue Heron Galway Fertility Clinic uses Acupuncture to treat Pregnancy Symptoms such as Morning Sickness and Nausea
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