Chinese medicine can be used in a variety of ways to promote fetal and maternal health during both the pregnancy and postpartum periods. Research has shown that acupuncture, for example, can be a safe, effective, drug-free treatment option during pregnancy for a broad range of conditions (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11843784). It can prevent nausea, morning sickness and dry retching in early pregnancy, as well as anxiety throughout the entire process by calming our instinctive, “fight-or-flight” response. Acupuncture can also stave off sciatica and musculoskeletal pain in the back, ribs and pubic bone, relaxing muscles and decreasing inflammation, pain and tension.
PCOM on Traditional Chinese Medicine Applied to Birthing
