Sue Booth

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ACUPUNCTURE IN PREGNANCY

Acupuncture is effective, safe and drug free and can be used prior to conception and throughout your pregnancy to relieve symptoms and prepare yourself and your baby for labour in a gentle, non-invasive way that research shows to be clinically effective.

RESEARCH……

In a 2006 study in New Zealand it was found that by having Pre-birth Acupuncture there was:

35% reduction in number of inductions
31% reduction in epidural rate
32% reduction in emergency Caesarians

A 1998 study in Italy showed that 75% of breech babies turn using Acupuncture between 33 and 36 weeks.

PRE CONCEPTION: To prepare your body for the forthcoming events, replenishing your energy and blood and detoxifying your system.

MORNING SICKNESS: Nausea in early pregnancy is common, unpleasant and definitely NOT untreatable. There are several different patterns that result in this condition that once identified can be treated with acupuncture.

HEADACHES: Many people suffer headaches or migraines during pregnancy and find there are very few and sometimes ineffective drugs available to them. Acupuncture is very widely used in the successful treatment of headaches.

COLDS AND FLU: Similarly to headaches there are few medications available to the pregnant woman to relieve the symptoms of colds and flu.

BACK PAIN: Pregnancy may exacerbate a pre-existing back condition or simply occur late in pregnancy, acupuncture is excellent for relief of this pain.

SWELLING: Oedema is very common and very uncomfortable especially in the hotter month, and can lead to other symptoms such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Acupuncture is effective in reducing swelling.

BREECH: If your baby is in the breech position at 33 weeks then acupuncture has been proven in clinical trials to increase the chance of the baby turning if used between 33 and 36 weeks.

LATE PREGNANCY: Preparing your body for the labour is very important. Acupuncture can increase your energy tone the uterus and relieve anxiety in the weeks prior to delivery.

INDUCTION: If your baby is overdue then acupuncture can help to get you into labour by ripening the cervix and focusing your body’s energy on the uterus.

POSTPARTUM: Insufficient milk supply, mastitis, and the fatigue , anaemia that follow the birth. Also for anxiety and insomnia that can sometimes make the new mother feel like she is struggling acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be of enormous benefit.

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IVF AND ACUPUNCTURE

If you are wanting preconception advice, contemplating or on IVF acupuncture can vastly improve your chances of achieving your much wanted pregnancy.

Sue has treated many women and their partners along this sometimes difficult path. Combining the science of western medicine and the wisdom of Chinese medicine to improve pregnancy outcomes has been well documented in recent research papers.

PRE CONCEPTION TREATMENTS: the most important factor to consider when undergoing any sort of fertility treament is your overall health. If you have been experiencing difficulties falling pregnant then it is of paramount importance to address these issues prior to undergoing an IVF treatment. These may be only simple changes to your diet, lifestyle, regulating your cycle or for men improving sperm mobility and morphology. IVF treatments are given regardless of any underlying imbalances in your system that are impeding your ability to get pregnant. This is where acupuncture has an advantage and where combining both technologies gives results!!

ACUPUNCTURE DURING IVF TREAMENT

IVF seeks to override the system using hormones to - produce maximum numbers of follicles, these are harvested, then fertilized, grown to produce blastocysts and then the best are reimplanted into the woman's system. It is truly amazing technology! Acupuncture can help every step of the way by maximising your body's potential - regulating your cycle, improving the quality and vitality of your eggs, improving the endometrium (where the embryo is placed), improving your body's ability to maintain the pregnancy, andmost importantly keeping you calm and sane through the whole process.

PRE AND POST EMBRYO TRANSFER TREATMENTS

Recent studies have shown that by having an acupuncture treatment before and after embryo transfer pregancy rates have dramatically improved.

ANXIETY, INSOMNIA and STRESS

The stressful lives we lead to day can have a detrimental effect on our health. It is hard to escape the pressure of deadlines, responsibilities and find some balance in our hectic schedules. We all know we should eat well, exercise, meditate, take time out but this is not always possible and the result is stress, anxiety, for some poor sleeping and generally a dissatisfaction with life.
Acupuncture is very effective in reducing these symptoms and allowing you to return to your full potential, to enjoy your life.