Christina Wolf Acupuncture

Congratulations on your pregnancy!  What’s that?  You’re too nauseated to celebrate?  Unfortunately, this is the reality for many women in their first trimester (and sometimes in the second and third as well).  Nausea, dry heaves, vomiting and heartburn can all eclipse the joy of knowing you’ll soon be a mother.  Luckily, there are tried and true ways to combat “morning sickness” (in quotes here because it isn’t just confined to the morning):

• Try to eat frequent, small meals.  For some women, keeping their stomachs full will considerably reduce nausea, even though it seems counterintuitive to eat while you’re feeling queasy.
• Ginger is a wonderful, readily-available herbal remedy that’s been prescribed for thousands of years by Chinese physicians.  Put a raw slice of ginger under your tongue, chew on a piece of crystallized ginger, drink ginger tea or take ginger capsules frequently throughout the day.
• Trust your cravings!  Avoid the foods/smells that seem to make your stomach lurch and eat the foods you are craving, sometimes those foods will stave off nausea for a few hours.
• Acupuncture can be very helpful for reducing the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.  Pericardium 6, an acupuncture point located about two inches above your wrist crease, on the inside of your forearm, between the two big tendons there is well known for treating any kind of nausea and vomiting.  Some pharmacies sell wrist bands that apply pressure to this point and can be worn all day long.

Still sick after following these suggestions?  Get some help!  Your acupuncturist has other Chinese herbal remedies that may help you, the ND can offer homeopathy and other supplements, your chiropractor can make any necessary adjustments, etc.  Of course if you are seriously ill and cannot keep even water down, you may become dehydrated, so it’s important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Remember that this too will pass and the rewards of parenthood will far outweigh the discomforts of pregnancy.  Hang in there mamas-to-be!

To make an appointment for acupuncture with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here.

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Moxibustion, or moxa for short, is a technique used by acupuncturists to warm an acupuncture point, needle or an area of the body by burning an herb called mugwort (artemisia vulgaris) over or on the skin.

Indirect moxa describes the use of a moxa pole that looks like a cigar and, when lit, glows like a piece of charcoal.  The lit moxa pole is held about 1″ away from the patient’s skin and moved in small circles for a few minutes until the patient says it feels too hot or the skin under it gets pink.  Direct moxa describes the use of a tiny, sesame-seed-sized piece of moxa wool (dried, processed mugwort leaves that has a wooly, spongy quality) placed on the skin over a layer of protective ointment.  The piece of moxa is lit, burning itself out within seconds, creating the sensation of a hot pinprick or just heat at an acupuncture point.

As crazy or foreign as these techniques may sound, they are extremely effective and widely used by acupuncturists all over the world.  Some common uses of moxa include:

• Reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis, especially when the arthritic joint feels worse in cold, damp weather
• Relax tense, knotted muscle tissue by warming the muscle and bringing blood flow to the area
• Reduce the pain of endometriosis, ovarian cysts or garden-variety menstrual cramps by warming, relaxing the uterus and promoting better circulation
• Encourage a baby in the breech position (feet down rather than head down) to turn by warming a point on the smallest toe with a moxa pole, once per day for 10 days - usually this treatment works best when performed around 34 weeks of pregnancy
• Direct moxa works extremely well in the treatment of plantar fasciitis and heel spurs, as it can stimulate acupuncture points in eares where it may be too painful to insert a needle

Do you want to learn more about Chinese medicine?  Click here to return to scroll through our blog topics.  To book an appointment online with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here.

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