Pregnancy is a very critical period in a women’s life. Two or more lives are at risk throughout the pregnancy and anything may happen at any time.
We must be careful and try to avoid all kinds of harmful medications, drugs, therapies, etc. Also, we must avoid certain foods and drinks.
Acupuncture is an excellent therapy for pregnant women. But there are certain acupoints that must be avoided in that time since they may cause unexpected issues.
Let us discuss those acupoints to avoid and what happens if those points are stimulated.
What Acupuncture Points are Contraindicated in Pregnancy?
Acupuncture works on the principle that stimulating certain elemental energy points in the body will ensure natural healing. This doesn’t do any harm.
But sometimes, for pregnant women, it can lead to contractions when performed before 38 weeks.
Not all acupoints are suspected to behave in such a manner. Rather only the following acupoints must be avoided before 38 weeks of your pregnancy:
SP6
SP represents the spleen channel which is responsible for maintaining the abdominal area including the lower abdomen.
SP6 is located on the inside of the lower leg above the ankle bone at about a hand’s width. This point must not be stimulated before 38 weeks of pregnancy.
This point is widely used to stimulate contractions in women and also promotes blood circulation in the uterus.
Many practitioners advise avoiding this particular point for treating pregnant women.
Especially if the pregnant women are weak or if she has a weak uterus, it must be avoided.
BL60
BL represents the bladder channel which is responsible for maintaining all reproductive organs. BL 60 is an elemental point that connects water and fire elements in the body.
This point is located outside the ankle between the ankle tendon and the ankle joint exactly at the middle.
Stimulating this point will increase the blood circulation to the lower back area and help in widening the pelvic part.
Due to this risk, it is forbidden to use this point for the treatment of pregnant women before 38 weeks.
Sometimes it can strengthen the lower back too, but if the pregnant woman is weak, then it might lead to early contractions easily.
LI4
LI represents the large intestine channel which is responsible for the maintenance of air elemental energy in the body.
LI4 is usually prescribed for treating digestion problems and diarrhea. Basically, this acupoint helps in moving things out of the body.
So, treating pregnant women at this point might give early contractions and lead to premature birth.
This point is located on the muscle between the thumb and index finger. Sometimes just pressing the point might also give the same effect as needling.
Therefore, pregnant women must be careful regarding this point and try to avoid putting pressure or stimulating the acupoint.
GB21
GB represents the gall bladder channel which is responsible for maintaining the wood elemental energy in the body.
The gall bladder along with the liver regulates and maintains the nerves and muscles all over the body.
So, when this point is stimulated in pregnant women, the uterus muscles might start contracting and result in early birth.
GB21 is present on the shoulders where the neck starts. Usually, people perform massage in this area. But doing massage will not do any harm or stimulate the point.
During the last weeks of pregnancy, there isn’t any risk in the stimulation of the point. But in the earlier weeks, it is better to avoid the area completely.
CV Channel Points
CV represents the Conception Vessel which is responsible to maintain the body’s internal energy and reproductive health.
The CV channel is present exactly in the middle of the body on the front side. It is better to avoid all the points during early pregnancy.
Even though this channel doesn’t do much harm to the body, pregnant women with weak reproductive organs might face early contractions.
Especially the points CV4, CV5, CV6, and CV7 must be avoided. Because these points are present exactly at the center of the lower abdomen.
Apart from stimulation of the points, sometimes needling can affect the baby physically if it is performed little deep.
Also read this too:
- How to do Acupuncture for Back Pain
- 4 Acupuncture Points for High Uric Acid
- 5 Ear Acupuncture Points for Anxiety
- How to Get an Acupuncture License
What are the Risks of doing Acupuncture during Pregnancy?
In fact, there aren’t any risks associated with acupuncture during pregnancy. Acupuncture is focused on strengthening the organs by channeling the energy properly.
So, usually, there is no risk in performing acupuncture on pregnant women. But if the women are naturally weak or they possess a special condition where the uterus is weak, then performing acupuncture might lead to trouble.
When a weak woman performs acupuncture in the forbidden points, the body regulates the energy through the meridian to the respective organ. Since the organ is weak, it will try to strengthen itself with this energy.
But this strengthening is not entirely possible with a growing baby inside the uterus. Therefore, the uterus starts to initiate contractions so that the baby might be released.
This is how the body works when acupuncture is performed. This is actually good for normal women. But for pregnant women the risk of premature birth is imminent.
Therefore, there is no risk in performing acupuncture on pregnant women after 38 weeks.
The baby would have fully grown and there isn’t any danger if the baby is born after that time.
But before 38 weeks and during the early conception period, it is better to avoid the forbidden points.
What do Doctors Say about Acupuncture in Pregnancy?
Actually, doctors prescribe acupuncture to pregnant women to get complete relief from headaches, body pain, lower back pain, and nausea.
Acupuncture effectively cures fatigue and vomiting during the early pregnancy period. It also strengthens the body more than any other therapy.
So, many doctors recommend acupuncture to pregnant women and warn them to keep away from the forbidden points to avoid risking the fetus’s life.
Conclusion
Acupuncture is an excellent alternative therapy that focuses on the complete and immediate cure for many ailments.
Pregnant women can have more benefits from getting treated with acupuncture. But there are certain points with risks that must be avoided by weak women.
Even though there isn’t any conclusive evidence to support them, it is widely practiced by therapists to avoid risks.
