Acupuncture for water retention

In the course of pregnancy it is part of the process of the body’s water retention. Especially after sitting, standing or on warm days many pregnant women get swollen legs in the evening. In extreme cases, oedema forms, which is visible water retention, mostly on ankles and lower legs, hands and face.

To stimulate the lymphatic system to remove the excess water, acupuncture can be a good treatment option. The patient is given four acupuncture needles in a semi-seated or lying position, placed on specific points on the energy lines of the legs. These then remain in the skin for 20-30 minutes.

During this time and also afterwards, side effects of the treatment such as dizziness may occur. The needles are intended to stimulate the disturbed energy flow again and thus activate the body’s self-healing powers. This then leads to a reduction in water retention.

In some cases, the costs for the treatment of water retention are covered by health insurance. Otherwise the price of a treatment is between 10-50€. It is best to discuss this in advance with the treating doctor and your health insurance company.

Nausea

Nausea is often widespread during pregnancy. The typical morning sickness plagues many women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, the nausea is not limited to the morning.

Many women feel bad throughout the day, so the term morning sickness is somewhat misleading. The exact cause of morning sickness is not known. It is assumed that it is related to the pregnancy hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), as this is released in increased quantities during the first trimester of pregnancy.

For expectant mothers, the constant nausea can become a torture, so there are various approaches that provide relief. Acupuncture treatment is also one of these possibilities. One of the acupuncture points that provides relief to many women when stimulated is the pericardium 6, which is located on the wrist and is also stimulated when treating travel sickness.

According to an Australian study, the effect of acupuncture against nausea in pregnancy has been proven. Most pregnant women experience a significant improvement after the first session. Within a week, most of them had reduced their symptoms to such an extent that there were hardly any complaints left. However, the costs of acupuncture treatment usually have to be borne by the pregnant women themselves, as nausea is usually a concomitant symptom of pregnancy.