Acupuncture lowers pregnancy-related indigestion
The Chinese swear by it. Soon, the rest of the world might, too. For, a Brazilian study has found that acupuncture can help alleviate indigestion and heartburn, collectively called dyspepsia, experienced during pregnancy. Between 45 and 80 per cent of expecting mothers suffer from these problems due to hormonal changes.
Researchers from Rio Preto Medical College and Sao Paulo Federal University divided 42 pregnant women, aged 15 to 39 years, into two groups. Between 15 and 30 weeks pregnant, the subjects had no history of indigestion before conceiving. None of the subjects had tried acupuncture, a therapy that involves inserting fine needles into certain spots in the body, before the study.
Both the groups were given conventional treatments such as nutrition counselling and antacids. One group, however, was also given 25-minute acupuncture sessions using 12 needles, once or twice a week.
Over a period of eight weeks, researchers tracked the progress of the subjects, 6 of which opted out during the course of the study. An analysis of the results after this period showed that the 20 women left in the acupuncture group posted much better results and needed fewer pills than did their 16 counterparts in the other group.On an average, the intensity of heartburn was halved in 75 per cent of the women in the acupuncture group, against 44 per cent in the one without. “In our cohort, acupuncture proved to exert a great influence in minimising the heartburn in pregnancy during treatment,” the researchers said.
Besides, of the 7 women in each group that popped antacid pills, the ones receiving acupuncture took 6.3 doses less, against the 4.4 doses more in the other group. More than 70 per cent women in the needle therapy group also reported better sleep and diets at the end of the study, compared with less than 30 per cent in the other group.
Dr Joao Bosco Guerreiro da Silva, the lead author of the study, said, “Although small, this study suggests that acupuncture can relieve symptoms of indigestion that are pretty common in pregnancy and may provoke loss of quality of life in the final days, disturbing not only eating but also sleeping. Medication is always a concern. Acupuncture can be effective. It is safe and simple to apply and every pregnant woman can be treated.”
The findings been published in Acupuncture in Medicine.
