How to help Morning Sickness with Acupuncture

Morning sickness or Hyperemesis gravidarum, as it is know medically, manifests generally during the first trimester of pregnancy.

It can come in varying forms and degrees but it is one of the most common symptoms of early pregnancy and most women will experience it to some degree.

It can manifest as just nausea or as nausea and vomiting. Some women will get very strong symptoms with frequent bouts of nausea while others can experience relatively mild nausea symptoms.

In my experience most of the symptoms tend to cease around week 12-14, for some women they will remain until around week 17 and for few women they may hang around until week 21. For a very small group it can actually persist thought the whole pregnancy.

I see this condition, as well as other symptoms of the early stages of pregnancy, as your body trying to adjust to the huge demands placed upon it at this time. The demand for energy during the early stages are coupled with large hormonal changes. It would be strange to expect your body not to react.

Acupuncture treatment
Acupuncture is a very gentle treatment that can be used safely from the very beginning of your pregnancy. So it does not matter when your symptoms start, acupuncture will always be an option.

Acupuncture has a long, well documented history for treating nausea and sickness. The travel sickness bands that are sold in pharmacies around the world, mainly for travel sickness, utilise some of the same pressure points that can be used to treat morning sickness. Because of this, these bands can be a good place to start.

when looking for ways to reduce your symptoms during pregnancy.

When you come for an acupuncture treatment, other acupuncture points on your arms and legs will be selected. A treatment might not just focus on the nausea but may also utilise points to help with other early pregnancy symptoms you may be experiencing such as disturbed sleep, anxiety, low energy levels and constipation.

The quicker your whole body can re-find it’s natural state, the sooner all of these symptoms will fall away leaving you to fully enjoy this wonderful time.

If you would like to find out more about how acupuncture can help you during your pregnancy or to book an appointment with Alex, please  contact him on 07813 184180 or visit www.alexowenacupuncture.com

Your practitioner
Alex Owen – BSc (Hons) TCM, BM (China), MATCM

Alex has been practicing for over 17 years and holds qualifications from both the UK and China. In 2006 he helped setup the UK’s first, full time, maternity acupuncture service on the NHS, at Whittington Hospital in London. This service still runs today providing around 150 treatments each month. Alex worked on the service for four years, gaining a huge amount of experience in using acupuncture specifically for women during pregnancy and even during labour.