Acupuncture for Nausea of Pregnancy (Morning Sickness)
Pregnancy is something worth celebrating! But the hard work of growing another little human being can bring with it a multitude of pregnancy symptoms. No matter how wondrous a time, pregnancy symptoms can leave some folks feeling unpleasant.
Around 50-80% of people report nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Some can even experience severe vomiting, a condition often called hyperemesis gravidarum. However, no matter how severe, feeling nausea throughout your day can put a damper on things: your work life, your personal life, and the activities you enjoy could be negatively impacted by feeling unwell.
Acupuncture can be a safe, natural, and gentle approach to reducing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. As a treatment for morning sickness, acupuncture has gained attention in Western medicine for its efficacy in combatting nausea of pregnancy.
As Healthline points out, “More and more people are turning to acupuncture to help ease their nausea and other pregnancy symptoms, and there’s reserach to back up this alternative therapy.”
Indeed, the body of research supporting acupuncture’s efficacy in addressing morning sickness in particular is growing in Western medicine, even while East Asian medicine practitioners have been using acupuncture as a therapy for this and other pregnancy symptoms for much, much longer than Western medicine researchers have been studying it.
One article from Professor João Bosco Guerreiro da Silva in 2015 begins by informing us, “Acupuncture is an excellent tool for the treatment of various conditions during pregnancy. As a non-pharmacological method, it is ideally suited to this delicate time period in a woman’s life. Indeed one of its main advantages is arguably the avoidance of unnecessary medication…”
Many studies, such as a large study conducted in 2002, found consistent evidence that acupuncture is effective in treating pregnancy-related nausea and dry retching. Another sought to test the efficacy of acupuncture on treating hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe vomiting during pregnancy, and found that when acupuncture treatments were performed, participants found that their nausea and vomiting were significantly reduced after treatment.
For those who want to stay away from nausea medications and other such treatments for vomiting and nausea during pregnancy, acupuncture can offer an effective and safe alternative.
Our providers greatly enjoy helping folks through every stage of pregnancy, from addressing fertility concerns, to helping with pregnancy-related symptoms such as nausea and back pain, to finally cooing over photos of babies with new parents.
If you would like to learn more about acupuncture for nausea of pregnancy or would like to schedule an appointment, we would encourage you to reach out via email to info@loveacu.net or call our offices at (503) 343 9851 to learn more.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911. Do not wait for an appointment with us. We are happy to work with you on chronic or ongoing health conditions; however, we are not equipped for or specialized in urgent or emergent care.
For Further Reading:
“Acupuncture in Pregnancy,” Sage Journals; Professor João Bosco Guerreiro da Silva, 2015.
“Should You Try Acupuncture for Morning Sickness?” Healthline; Ashley Marcin, 2021.