NATURAL
INDUCTION USING ACUPUNCTURE- MY RESEARCH
by
Andrew Orr
(Adv
Dip Health Sc(Acup & Ch Herbs),Ac China(Guangxi),Dip Rem Ther)
A study that has
taken me two years to complete, and is still going.
Most of
the women that have come for natural induction technique using acupuncture
have been from the birthing centre (Royal Brisbane Hospital). They
accounted for 85% of the group with others coming from referrals
from other hospitals or word of mouth.
I started my own
research to see how effective acupuncture could be in inducing labour
in overdue mothers to be. The stipulations were as follows.
1. Had to be 40 weeks and over
2. Had to have a Midwife's or doctors approval
3. All patients had to fill in a research questionnaire after the sessions
4. Patients were told that two sessions maybe needed One hundred
and twenty women came to see me in the two years duration. Out of
the group of 110 went into labour after having the acupuncture.
Of the group of 110, only 20 had to have the second treatment of
acupuncture, which meant that 90 of the women went in to labour
after their first treatment.
15 failed to go
into labour and needed medical intervention. Out of the 15 that failed
to go into labour, 10 had to be medically induced with prior babies.
This meant that using acupuncture to stimulate labour in overdue mothers
to be had a success rate of 88%.
This showed that acupuncture can still be effective today as it has
been for over thousands of years.
While I was working
in the Hospitals in China, induction using acupuncture was given for
3-hour intervals with the needles being attached to an electro-muscle
stimulator at 3 Hz. This was done everyday till onset of labour and
that acupuncture was used to help speed up the labour process and relieve
pain.
With my research,
needles were only inserted for 1.5-hour period and were stimulated via
electro muscle stimulator at roughly 1.5 Hz. Even at this shorter rate
of time the same results were produced.
The time lapsing
from having treatment and labour commencing was in a time frame of 2.5
hours (being the quickest) to 26 hours being the longest. This would
roughly be in range of having a membrane sweep, but not anywhere as
invasive or painful.
The points that
were used were (Colon 4), (Spleen 6), (Gallbladder 21), and (Kidney
6). Each point was used bi-laterally and firstly stimulated by hand
then attached to electro-stimulation for 1.5 hours.
These results showed
that acupuncture could not only be very effective in overdue mothers,
but, also less invasive and not as confronting. It only starts the natural
process of labour form the very beginning.
Medical processes
such as the use of cyntosin are very effective but at the same time
tend to put the woman into tertiary stage of labour and pain can be
very sudden and severe. Many women say that they feel very out of control
with this style of process and most of them tend to be overdue with
subsequent pregnancies, most probably due to psychological fear of the
first process.
With the use of
acupuncture for induction, it may not be as effective as some western
medical methods but it is less invasive and far less confronting for
the mothers to be. All mothers to be who have had medical induction
before, comment on how less confronting and how more gradual the whole
Acupuncture induction process are. With this in mind, the acupuncture
maybe more effective for mothers to be in the fact that it doesn't produce
the same intensity for labour or the same psychological trauma.
In saying this, the acupuncture process is not 100% effective, but neither
is the medical induction process. Also one application of Prostaglandin
gel cost the hospital around $90. Eight acupuncture needles cost around
$1.
With that in mind,
acupuncture holds many benefits. Cost effective, non- invasive, more
than average success rate and less emotionally traumatic. This could
be used very effectively within our hospitals here just like it is used
in China. It could be used as first choice of treatment and if this
process fails, western medical treatment can then take place. Either
way, this process save the hospital system much needed money. Not only
is it cost effective but also research shows that women who do regularly
have acupuncture prior to labour have less medical intervention than
those who don't use it do. Intervention costs money. (This is backed
up by a study commissioned by the Victorian Dept Human Health services,
NSW Dept health and Qld Dept of Health)
Read
another article by Andrew Orr
discussing the use of acupuncture and traditional chinese
medicine in pregnancy and birth Andrew
Orr is a fully Qualified Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine
and is a member of the Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Association LTD (Membership No.1283). Andrew has just returned from
Guangxi, China, where he has been working extensively in two major
hospitals. Andrew also specialises in care for pregnant women and
writes an article for the Natural Birthing Centre, at the Royal
Women's Hospital (Brisbane), every two months. Andrew has great
success in treating the many common ailments caused by pregnancy.
Andrew has had great success using Acupuncture during childbirth
and has even used Acupuncture to turn babies in breech. All care
is done while keeping close contact with the patients family Doctor
or Midwife.
Andrew has an excellent knowledge of traditional Chinese Medicine and
is involved in research both here and in China.
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