The medical community is starting to recognize that alternative healthcare
for pregnant women can be a wonderful adjunct to traditional treatments.
Three of the most popular treatments are pregnancy massage, chiropractic,
and acupuncture.
It is no secret that as pregnancy progresses, the mother’s center of gravity shifts forward. The natural curves of the spine, especially in the lower back, can become exaggerated leading to more back pain. Hormones that are meant to help relax the pelvis and hips may become too soft and allow the pelvis and pubic bones to “slip” into the wrong place. As the breasts enlarge, one may experience more spasms in the upper back; and when hormones change during pregnancy, one may develop more headaches or muscle aches. Finding a therapist who is certified in pregnancy massage can greatly help cope with these changes. But if the massages do not seem to last for very long, it may be time to consider other forms of alternative care such as chiropractic and acupuncture.
A chiropractor with certification in treating pregnant and pediatric patients can provide mothers with immense relief throughout one’s pregnancy. Gentle techniques exist to help with these biomechanical changes, and several studies have shown that regular chiropractic care during pregnancy can shorten labor time from 24% - 39%1.
Many pregnant women have found chiropractic relieves their headaches, muscle tension, sciatica, symphysis pubis dysfunction, and even helps breech babies turn safely using a chiropractic method known as the Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique2. The nerves that can become strained in the lower back are the same ones that innervate the uterus. The theory behind the Webster technique is that if these nerves are pinched, the bottom of the uterus may not be able to fully expand. Therefore, the baby remains head-up or breech. With the Webster Technique, the chiropractor delivers an adjustment to the lower back as well as works on relaxing the uterine ligaments just under the abdomen. There is an 82% success rate of the baby turning when this adjustment is done correctly.
Acupuncture and its related disciplines, acupressure and moxibustion, help to either tonify or stimulate energy meridians. Blockage of these ancient pathways may cause a mother to feel pain, fatigue, nausea, or other discomfort. That is why acupuncture is becoming more accepted as a therapy for morning sickness or even to help naturally induce labor for a baby that is overdue. In China, they even use acupuncture needles to calm the nervous system down, in lieu of traditional anesthesia medications, before someone has surgery. It is hard to believe that these small thin needles can be so powerful, and yet their efficacy is well documented.
Pregnancy is such a magical time in a woman’s life, and everyone will want to give you advice. Confronted with so many choices to make, even the most intelligent woman can doubt her own abilities to decide what’s best for herself and her baby. It is important that you trust your own instincts and discover what treatments will work best for your body. But armed with the understanding of how alternative medicines work, you can have a smoother, easier pregnancy.