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Acupuncture used as anaesthesia in childbirth
A recent survey has found that acupuncture may be an extremely safe and effective form of anaesthesia to be used in childbirth. A survey between 1981 and 1987, analysed 16649 cases of acupuncture treatment used as anaesthesia in caesarian sections conducted throughout 5 provinces in China. The researchers not only found an extremely high success rate, but there was also no evidence of any of the complications associated with conventional forms of anaesthesia.
The success rate of the acupuncture anaesthesia was found to be a remarkable 98.9%. Blood pressure, pulse rate and respiration were all stable during operations, and blood loss was found to be less than in caesarian operations using epidural or local anesthesia. Furthermore, no complications or anaesthetic accidents occurred during any of the operations under acupuncture anesthesia.
The report concluded that the use of acupuncture anesthesia for cesarean section was very safe not only for the mother but also for her fetus with none of the side effects associated with conventional anaesthetics.
Diet in pregnancy
The dangers of coffee, tea, chocolate and cola during pregnancy
A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that caffeine may be a cause of spontaneous abortions. Researchers evaluated the risk factors in over 300 women who had had sponetaneous abortions and compared their findings with the same risk factors in over 1,000 women who had had normal pregnancies and delivered healthy babies. The one factor which stood out from all others was... caffeine. The researchers established that for each 100mg of caffeine consumed, the risk of a sponetaneous abortion rose by 22 per cent.
Perineal discomfort
Essential Oil of Lavender and Perineal discomfort following childbirth
Lavender oil is traditionally used by aromatherapists for its antiseptic and healing properties, and it is also commonly recommended to be used as a bath additive to help reduce perineal discomfort following childbirth. Researchers at the Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, undertook a blind randomized clinical trial using a total of 635 postnatal women to test these claims.
The women were divided into 3 groups; the first group were given pure lavender oil, the second group being given a synthetic lavender oil and the third group were given an inert substance as bath additives to be used daily for 10 days following normal childbirth.
Analysis of the total daily discomfort scores revealed no statistically significant difference between the three groups. However, on closer inspection, the results did show that those women using lavender oil recorded lower mean discomfort scores on the 3rd and 5th days than the two control groups which is a time when the mother usually finds herself discharged home and perineal discomfort is high.
Whilst it cannot be concluded from these results that the use of essential oil of lavender in the bath (at the quality and dilution levels used in the study) reduces postnatal perineal discomfort, there is evidence to suggest that lavender oil used in the bath may help alleviate discomfort at certain times. No doubt more research will follow, but in the meantime, as no side effects were found, it seems that lavender oil may be a useful additional remedy to complement other forms of treatment helping postnatal mothers suffering from perineal discomfort.
Nausea & vomiting
Acupressure for the prevention of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief
There have been numerous studies demonstrating the efficacy of acupressure on the P-6 (Neiguan) acupoint in preventing and alleviating nausea . However, researchers at the Department of Anesthesiology, Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan have recently demonstrated that this treatment has applications in childbirth.
Nausea arid vomiting are common side effects following administration of epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief. The researchers therefore sought to evaluate the antiemetic effect of P-6 acupressure in women who were given epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief.
In a randomised, double-blind and controlled trial, sixty women receiving epidural morphine for post-Cesarean section pain relief were allocated to receive either the acupressure bands on the P-6 acupoint on both arms, or placebo bands, before the administration of spinal anaesthesia and the women were monitored over the following 48 hours.
The data revealed that the incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly decreased from 43% and 27% in the control group, and from to 3% and 0% in the acupressure group. These results demonstrate that prophylactic use of acupressure bands bilaterally on the P-6 acupoint can significantly reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting after epidural morphine for post-Cesarean
section pain relief.
Nausea & vomiting in pregnancy - Ginger, Vitamin C
A review of available evidence about the effectiveness of alternative therapies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
A search of 14 additional US and international data bases between 1996-1997 for papers that described use of alternative medicine in the treatment of pregnancy and pregnancy complications, specifically those addressing nausea, vomiting, and hyperemesis. Bibliographies of retrieved papers were reviewed to identify additional sources.
All relevant English language clinical research papers were reviewed. Randomized clinical trials addressing specifically the use of nonpharmaceutical and nondietary interventions were chosen for detailed review.
Ten randomized trials studying the effects of acupressure, ginger, and pyridoxine on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy were reviewed. Evidence of beneficial effects was found for these three interventions, although the data on acupressure are equivocal. Insufficient evidence was found for the benefits of hypnosis. Other interventions have not been studied.
The report concluded that there is a dearth of research to support or to refute the efficacy of a number of common remedies for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. The best-studied alternative remedy is acupressure, which may afford relief to many women; ginger and vitamin B6 also may be beneficial.
Acupressure, Intravenous metoclopramide & nausea and vomiting during spinal anesthesia for cesarean section.
Nausea and vomiting occur frequently during cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Metoclopramide reduces intraoperative nausea and vomiting, but not without potential side effects. Acupressure, a noninvasive variation of acupuncture that involves constant pressure on the wrist, has been suggested as an alternative method to prevent nausea and vomiting. The aim of this study was to compare acupressure and intravenous (IV) metoclopramide for the prevention of nausea and vomiting during elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Seventy-five patients were studied in a randomized, prospective, double-blind comparative trial. Group I patients received acupressure bands + 2 mLIV saline, Group II patients received placebo wrist bands + 10 mg IV metoclopramide, and Group III patients received placebo wrist bands + 2 mL IV saline.
Patients who received either acupressure or metoclopramide prior to initiation of spinal anesthesia for cesarean section had much less nausea than patients in the placebo group. Acupressure is an effective, non-pharmacologic method to reduce intraoperative nausea during elective cesarean section in the awake patient. | 
