Acupuncture / Traditional Chinese Medicine & Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a very exciting time, and it is also a time during which a woman needs to pay special attention to her health. This is true not only during pregnancy, but also in the initial week’s post-partum. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with its many thousands of years of history, offers safe, natural, and gentle ways to support a woman during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and after delivery of her baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes acupuncture and TCM to be effective treatment for many commonly encountered conditions of pregnancy. In fact, the WHO endorses that the following list of conditions have been proven, through controlled clinical trials, to be effectively treated with acupuncture:

  • Induction of labour
  • Low back pain
  • Malposition of fetus (“Breech Presentation”)
  • Morning sickness
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sciatica

In addition, the WHO recognizes a number of conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed. This includes:

  • Female infertility
  • Labour pain
  • Insufficient lactation
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS; Stein-Leventhal syndrome)

 

Dr. Brad Matthews has been practicing Chinese medicine for over 13 years. He is well-experienced in the treatment of many of the above “complications” of pregnancy. In addition to acupuncture, he often uses Chinese herbal medicines and diet therapy to fully support a woman throughout her pregnancy.