Case Study - High Risk Pregnancy

OBSERVATIONS

A 37 years old 20 weeks pregnant women walked into my office with the main problem of severe pain in the low abdomen which increase at night. The combination of the pain and the baby’s rapid movement at night time caused anxiety attacks for her. These anxiety attacks were characterized by a fast heart beat and chest pain. She also experience throbbing headaches. Her other concern is her daily nausea, vomiting and watery diarrhea that didn’t stopped since the beginning of the pregnancy. She is now eating only white rice and chicken.

DIAGNOSIS: Kidney Yang Deficiency and Qi and Blood Deficiency
(Restless Fetus or Threatened Miscarriage)

“Threatened Miscarriage” is the western medical term for my patient’s condition. In Chinese Medicine, it has three corresponding conditions, Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy (Tai Lou), Restless Fetus (Tai Dong Bu An), and Miscarriage (Duo Tai, Xiao Chan/Ban Chan, or Hua Tai). These reflect different stages of the same process.

The Chinese term Restless Fetus literally means the fetus is not at peace because it doesn’t get the nourishment it needs to grow properly and miscarriage can result. Some movement of the baby is normal but excessive movement or a change from quiet baby to rapid movement is pathology. 

The blood vessels that supply the uterus fall under the Directing (Ren Mai) and Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai) and a weakness there is associated with a deficiency of the Kidneys.

TREATMENT

Treatment included acupuncture, soft tissue manipulation and Chinese herbs. 

Acupuncture was prescribed twice a week to tonify the Kidneys, strengthen the Governing (Du Mai), Directing and Penetrating Vessels and calm the fetus. The points that were used:

• Du 20 to raise Qi to counteract the downward movement of the fetus.
• UB20 and St36 to tonify the Spleen and raise Qi.
• UB23 and KI3 to tonify the Kidneys.
• Qimen with Moxa to strengthen the uterus and prevent miscarriage.
• UB17 with Moxa to tonify Blood.
• LIV8 to nourish liver blood.
• PC6 to relieve nausea and anxiety.

Moxa was used in combination with other points as well.

The patient was instructed to breathe into her low abdomen allowing the pain and contraction to ease and to reduce her anxiety. Chinese herbal supplements were prescribed.

OUTCOME

The patient was under my care for the rest of her pregnancy. With treatment, she could get through the night’s contractions with more ease. The intensity reduced and her headache and diarrhea were alleviated. She was able to introduce different food into her diet, which helped nourish her and the baby. The baby’s rapid moments also reduced.

At 41 weeks, she gave birth to a healthy boy.

GOING FORWARD

I recommended continued care while nursing because her kidneys still need the support. Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency is a chronic condition characterized by diarrhea and a weak digestive system and can worsen during pregnancy (as seen with this patient). While nursing, she is still trying to produce enough nourishment for herself and the baby which further weakens the mother. 

It is highly recommended that she continue regular acupuncture treatments and take Chinese herbs. There are Chinese Herbal formulas that help with normalization of the uterus. Safe to take while nursing, they are given for four to six weeks following childbirth or even twelve weeks in cases of hard or prolonged labor. These formulas treat combinations of Qi/Blood Deficiency and Blood Stasis. This patient needs a postpartum formula combined with a Kidney Tonic to replenish Jing lost during labor.

“Postpartum fatigue is a common presentation after childbirth. For many women, it may be the underlying cause of Qi and Blood Deficiency that lasts throughout the rest of their life.”

Pregnancy creates powerful changes in the body. How you balance and support your body during the pregnancy and afterward can lay the foundation for your baby’s and your health going forward.

Wellness is an active commitment to live a fulfilled life. I am happy I could alleviate my patient’s anxiety and pain so she could deliver a full-term, healthy baby.

Upset Stomach and Turkey Comas

Are you planning a fun and festive Thanksgiving? Gathering friends and/or family for turkey (or tofurky) and the big game? Celebration is fun, but sometimes the turkey isn’t the only one that gets “stuffed.” Add jet lag (Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year) and maybe a drink or two and this is a good time to stock up on the Chinese remedy called “Curing Formula”.

Curing Formula is a traditional herbal remedy for indigestion. It works well for post-celebratory discomfort because, it has herbs for upset stomach, dehydration, fatigue, bloating, body aches and classic post-meal lethargy a.k.a “Turkey coma”.

The unpleasant physiological effects of eating too much or eating new/different foods (nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, bloating, thirst, difficulty concentrating, irritability, diarrhea) can last days but are reduced by taking Curing Formula both BEFORE AND AFTER the celebration.

Gentle but effective Curing Formula is used as a remedy for many acute digestive disorders (food poisoning, stomach flu, jet lag, food allergies, etc.) and works as an excellent hangover remedy, so it is a great addition to your medicine cabinet and travel kit.

Have a Safe, Healthy, and Happy Holiday season!

What's your gut feeling?

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends. Having good food and connecting with people can give us energy, a sense of purpose, and fill us with happiness.

“Eating, feeding, being fed, and all of the concomitant sensations of sound, touch, smell, warmth and closeness quickly merge with the internal urges of appetite, the enjoyment of satiety, and the innately pleasurable process of ingestion, digestion, assimilation, and elimination.”[1]

One down side of that celebration is overeating. Instead of coming back uplifted, you can feel bloated, heartburn, sluggish, become constipated or have diarrhea, and/or gain extra weight. TCM defines this condition as “Qi Stagnation and Food Accumulation.” The lingering symptoms produced are hunger and uneasiness after eating, distention and aching of the abdomen, belching and flatulence, heartburn, irregular bowel movement and a loss of the ability to discriminate between unreasonable cravings and true hunger.

The main herb in the formula to reduce the food accumulation is Chinese Hawthorn Fruit which has enzymatic effects on protein (especially meat), fat and carbohydrates. Poria, Pinellia and Tangerine peel counter the Dampness and Phlegm that are generated by excessive amounts of food in the stomach and small intestine. Radish seeds and Rhubarb encourage the normal peristalsis and relieve constipation or diarrhea. Restoring normal digestive function makes you feel better and is the key to preventing illness.

The benefits of balancing your body with Acupuncture are great. The gut in TCM is under the governance of the stomach and spleen. The source of indigestion lies in the disruption of the Spleen Network: it is responsible for the processing of food and nutrients and distributes these constituents, upward and downward through the abdominal region, and outwardly to the four limbs. When these essential activities are impeded by over consumption of food, enzyme secretion and vigorous rhythmic peristalsis becomes disrupted leading to inefficient transformation and absorption causing gas and accumulated undigested food.

Qi Stagnation and Food Accumulation are very simple to correct and prevent, even at holiday parties. Some strategies you can use during the holidays to reduce digestion maladies (bad breath, irregular bowel movement, food allergies, food poisoning, hangover) and the results of other holiday overindulgences include:

• Have One Meal. Sit down to eat: one plate, small portion (no seconds).

• Don’t Graze. Survey what is offered and create your own menu. It’s o.k. to pass on some items. You don’t have to try everything.

• Take some time to enjoy your beverage. It is healthier to avoid sugary drinks (including some alcohols) but what ever you drink—sip, do not gulp. Alcohol dehydrates, have water in addition to other drinks.

• Get back to your regular schedule as quickly as possible. After a big party, avoid meat, reduce dairy and sugar intake. Eat light, easy to digest foods, small portions, and take an herbal supplement to restore your body.

Other illnesses occur when the body cannot absorb nutrients or eliminate waste properly. Please call Point - A Place of Wellness to schedule an acupuncture treatment and herbal consultation to restore your digestion system to prime function.
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[1]“Chinese Medicine Works Clinical Handbook” H. Beinfield, L.Ac; E. Korngold, L.Ac., O.M.D., Revised Edition 2007