Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Hi, Does anyone have any info on treatment of preterm labor, acupuncture, herbal or other therapies that have shown success? Patient is 30 years old, 30 weeks pregnant. Has been having early contractions for the past 4 days. Western tx so far has not had lasting success - used Magnesium for 24 hours and followed that with nifedipine (a blood pressure med.) Both showed some success that was not lasting. Contractions are not terribly painful and there is no cervical dilation. Contractions seem to be worst in early morning and come and go throughout the day. Pt also has cramping that comes and goes separate from contractions, low back pain worsened by the contractions and helped by heat. The baby is especially active. She has been on bedrest for last 4 days but can get up to move around and use the bathroom and shower etc. Energy is OK. Other issues are insomnia throughout 3rd trimester. Hard to fall asleep with restless legs and restless mind. Wakes at night particularly between 3-5 and multiple times to urinate. Acid reflux on and off throughout pregnancy worsened in past 4 days with predominant belching and only slight acidity. Appetite has been normal and BM's are regular with daily flaxseed. She is a vegetarian and had sl. anemia which was controlled by extra iron supplementation. She is somewhat small with no major noticeable weight gain outside of the abdomen. Tongue is slightly pale with thin clear coat. Pulse is not too slippery and sl. weak. Anxiety/stress levels are moderate. Secondarily patient has a velamentous cord insertion. This means the umbilical cord attaches into the membranes a few centimeters away from the placenta and therefore travels without protection for a small area. Blood flow has not been compromised and fetal growth is in the 51st percentile. I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks so much. ~Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 I am pregnant with my second child and I was on partial bedrest from weeks 31 - 36. I had an " irritable uterus, " meaning that with little physical activity my uterus would start contracting and hold on until I laid down for a good thirty minutes. During this time I took a tincture of Viburnum (cramp bark) that also helped alleviate the cramping/contractions. Along with DU 20, I felt that this really helped. I used Wise Woman Herbals, 1 tsp twice a day mixed in water. I chose a western herbal solution over chinese herbs because it was what I had immediately and it worked. Kiné Fischler MSOM, LAc On Mar 24, 2008, at 7:01 AM, Jason Henson wrote: Hi, Does anyone have any info on treatment of preterm labor, acupuncture, herbal or other therapies that have shown success? Patient is 30 years old, 30 weeks pregnant. Has been having early contractions for the past 4 days. Western tx so far has not had lasting success - used Magnesium for 24 hours and followed that with nifedipine (a blood pressure med.) Both showed some success that was not lasting. Contractions are not terribly painful and there is no cervical dilation. Contractions seem to be worst in early morning and come and go throughout the day. Pt also has cramping that comes and goes separate from contractions, low back pain worsened by the contractions and helped by heat. The baby is especially active. She has been on bedrest for last 4 days but can get up to move around and use the bathroom and shower etc. Energy is OK. Other issues are insomnia throughout 3rd trimester. Hard to fall asleep with restless legs and restless mind. Wakes at night particularly between 3-5 and multiple times to urinate. Acid reflux on and off throughout pregnancy worsened in past 4 days with predominant belching and only slight acidity. Appetite has been normal and BM's are regular with daily flaxseed. She is a vegetarian and had sl. anemia which was controlled by extra iron supplementation. She is somewhat small with no major noticeable weight gain outside of the abdomen. Tongue is slightly pale with thin clear coat. Pulse is not too slippery and sl. weak. Anxiety/stress levels are moderate. Secondarily patient has a velamentous cord insertion. This means the umbilical cord attaches into the membranes a few centimeters away from the placenta and therefore travels without protection for a small area. Blood flow has not been compromised and fetal growth is in the 51st percentile. I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks so much. ~Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Hi Jason- I have had great success stopping my own pre-term labor (I am currently 32 weeks and started preterm labor at 27 weeks)with BZYQT + calm the fetus herbs like Du zhong, Huang qin, xu duan, tu si zi. This, of course, fits my pattern, as I have KD yang vacuity, stomach heat and SP qi sinking. I also had preterm contractions with my last pregnancy starting at 30 weeks. Was on terbutaline, Mag drip and procardia, none of which helped to stop the contractions. ALso had a + FFN and they told me that I would most likely deliver within 2 weeks. I had my acupuncturist come in and do back shu points, DU 20 and SP4-PC6 Lu7-KD6 and my contractions finally slowed enough to go home on bedrest. I made it to 37 weeks with weekly acu treatments. Therfore, both herbs and acu can be very beneficial in stopping preterm labor. Try to think in terms of preventing miscarriage along with pattern differentiation and you can probably help her a great deal. Candace , " Jason Henson " <jasonhenson wrote: > > Hi, > Does anyone have any info on treatment of preterm labor, acupuncture, > herbal or other therapies that have shown success? > > Patient is 30 years old, 30 weeks pregnant. Has been having early > contractions for the past 4 days. Western tx so far has not had > lasting success - used Magnesium for 24 hours and followed that with > nifedipine (a blood pressure med.) Both showed some success that was > not lasting. Contractions are not terribly painful and there is no > cervical dilation. Contractions seem to be worst in early morning and > come and go throughout the day. Pt also has cramping that comes and > goes separate from contractions, low back pain worsened by the > contractions and helped by heat. The baby is especially active. She > has been on bedrest for last 4 days but can get up to move around and > use the bathroom and shower etc. Energy is OK. Other issues are > insomnia throughout 3rd trimester. Hard to fall asleep with restless > legs and restless mind. Wakes at night particularly between 3-5 and > multiple times to urinate. Acid reflux on and off throughout pregnancy > worsened in past 4 days with predominant belching and only slight > acidity. Appetite has been normal and BM's are regular with daily > flaxseed. She is a vegetarian and had sl. anemia which was controlled > by extra iron supplementation. She is somewhat small with no major > noticeable weight gain outside of the abdomen. Tongue is slightly pale > with thin clear coat. Pulse is not too slippery and sl. weak. > Anxiety/stress levels are moderate. > > Secondarily patient has a velamentous cord insertion. This means the > umbilical cord attaches into the membranes a few centimeters away from > the placenta and therefore travels without protection for a small > area. Blood flow has not been compromised and fetal growth is in the > 51st percentile. > > I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks so much. > > ~Jason > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 Hi Jason, I do have some experience with preterm labor. The use of Spleen 4, as someone suggested, has been very helpful, at times miraculous. In terms of herbs, starting with diagnosis - From what you have shared there Kidney Qi deficiency and blood deficiency perhaps. In addition, the reflux she is experiencing is something called Xuan Tai, sometimes translated as suspended fetus. Fu Qing Zhu as well as my teacher talk about this as the baby rising in search of nourishment and warn against any type of down bearing of rebellion. There are specific ways of regulating the Qi for this condition that protect the pregnancy. So, she definitely needs to be nourished but the Qi stagnation combined with the deficiency is also contributing to the early labor. I would not recommend Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang because it does not calm the fetus, nourish the blood or address the reflux. If this diagnosis is correct, here is the kind of treatment my teacher would do: (in gm of bulk herbs/day) Huang Qi 15 Ren Shen 9 Bai Shao 12 E Jiao 15 Ai Ye 2 Xu Duan 12 Du Zhong 12 Shan Yao 12 Tu Si Zi 12 Sang Ji Sheng 12 Si Su Ye 12 Pi Pa Ye 12 Da Fu Pi 12 Bai Zhu 12 Hope this helps, Sharon Hi, Does anyone have any info on treatment of preterm labor, acupuncture, herbal or other therapies that have shown success? Patient is 30 years old, 30 weeks pregnant. Has been having early contractions for the past 4 days. Western tx so far has not had lasting success - used Magnesium for 24 hours and followed that with nifedipine (a blood pressure med.) Both showed some success that was not lasting. Contractions are not terribly painful and there is no cervical dilation. Contractions seem to be worst in early morning and come and go throughout the day. Pt also has cramping that comes and goes separate from contractions, low back pain worsened by the contractions and helped by heat. The baby is especially active. She has been on bedrest for last 4 days but can get up to move around and use the bathroom and shower etc. Energy is OK. Other issues are insomnia throughout 3rd trimester. Hard to fall asleep with restless legs and restless mind. Wakes at night particularly between 3-5 and multiple times to urinate. Acid reflux on and off throughout pregnancy worsened in past 4 days with predominant belching and only slight acidity. Appetite has been normal and BM's are regular with daily flaxseed. She is a vegetarian and had sl. anemia which was controlled by extra iron supplementation. She is somewhat small with no major noticeable weight gain outside of the abdomen. Tongue is slightly pale with thin clear coat. Pulse is not too slippery and sl. weak. Anxiety/stress levels are moderate. Secondarily patient has a velamentous cord insertion. This means the umbilical cord attaches into the membranes a few centimeters away from the placenta and therefore travels without protection for a small area. Blood flow has not been compromised and fetal growth is in the 51st percentile. I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks so much. ~Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Sharon, I have a memory of you mentioning that one of your teachers did not like to use xu duan in pregnancy, as they considered it to be too much of a blood stasis resolver, even though it is a calm fetus herb. Can you correct my memory, and/or do you have additional thoughts on its use? Jason, The " slight anemia " earlier in pregnancy sounds like a normal physiological decrease in hemoglobin/hematocrit values as a result of increased expansion in plasma volume. This increase in plasma volume occurs most markedly in the second trimester. If your patient's " correction " in anemia is very marked by a high hemoglobin/hematocrit (>13.5 hemoglobin at sea level), this may indicate an inadequate blood volume expansion rather than the " good " result of higher iron supplementation. Along with Sharon's sage advice, I might suggest that there needs to be some attention to adequate nutrition and hydration, especially if the resolution of anemia indicates a contracted blood volume. It would concern me greatly if one of my patients had hardly any weight gain. A 3-day diet diary with both calories and grms protein calculated as well as looking at the quality of diet would be a good idea. A normally active woman of 140 lbs pre pregnancy weight should be getting about 2600 cal a day and 75-100 grm protein daily during pregnancy. Sometimes in pre-term labor, women are encouraged to be super-hydrated, but only by drinking lots of water. You need electrolytes in order to take water into cells, so drinking a dilute broth is really a better option. The restless legs as well as the positive response to Mag sulfate may indicate that some attention to appropriate minerals as well as electrolytes would help. Now on to more TCM. Is there a measure of heat here: sl. burning with reflux, restless legs, insomina? I think given the list of symtoms it's possible, and I think heat, if present, can contribute to the uterine irritability. Since there not prominent signs of yin xu, or yin xu heat, nourishing yin a bit rather than clearing heat may be a helpful addition. Valerie Hobbs, LAc. , Sharon Weizenbaum <sweiz wrote: > > Hi Jason, > > I do have some experience with preterm labor. The use of Spleen 4, as > someone suggested, has been very helpful, at times miraculous. > > In terms of herbs, starting with diagnosis - From what you have > shared there Kidney Qi deficiency and blood deficiency perhaps. In > addition, the reflux she is experiencing is something called Xuan Tai, > sometimes translated as suspended fetus. Fu Qing Zhu as well as my > teacher talk about this as the baby rising in search of nourishment > and warn against any type of down bearing of rebellion. There are > specific ways of regulating the Qi for this condition that protect the > pregnancy. So, she definitely needs to be nourished but the Qi > stagnation combined with the deficiency is also contributing to the > early labor. I would not recommend Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang because it > does not calm the fetus, nourish the blood or address the reflux. > If this diagnosis is correct, here is the kind of treatment my teacher > would do: (in gm of bulk herbs/day) > > Huang Qi 15 > Ren Shen 9 > Bai Shao 12 > E Jiao 15 > Ai Ye 2 > Xu Duan 12 > Du Zhong 12 > Shan Yao 12 > Tu Si Zi 12 > Sang Ji Sheng 12 > Si Su Ye 12 > Pi Pa Ye 12 > Da Fu Pi 12 > Bai Zhu 12 > > > Hope this helps, > > Sharon > > > > Hi, > Does anyone have any info on treatment of preterm labor, acupuncture, > herbal or other therapies that have shown success? > > Patient is 30 years old, 30 weeks pregnant. Has been having early > contractions for the past 4 days. Western tx so far has not had > lasting success - used Magnesium for 24 hours and followed that with > nifedipine (a blood pressure med.) Both showed some success that was > not lasting. Contractions are not terribly painful and there is no > cervical dilation. Contractions seem to be worst in early morning and > come and go throughout the day. Pt also has cramping that comes and > goes separate from contractions, low back pain worsened by the > contractions and helped by heat. The baby is especially active. She > has been on bedrest for last 4 days but can get up to move around and > use the bathroom and shower etc. Energy is OK. Other issues are > insomnia throughout 3rd trimester. Hard to fall asleep with restless > legs and restless mind. Wakes at night particularly between 3-5 and > multiple times to urinate. Acid reflux on and off throughout pregnancy > worsened in past 4 days with predominant belching and only slight > acidity. Appetite has been normal and BM's are regular with daily > flaxseed. She is a vegetarian and had sl. anemia which was controlled > by extra iron supplementation. She is somewhat small with no major > noticeable weight gain outside of the abdomen. Tongue is slightly pale > with thin clear coat. Pulse is not too slippery and sl. weak. > Anxiety/stress levels are moderate. > > Secondarily patient has a velamentous cord insertion. This means the > umbilical cord attaches into the membranes a few centimeters away from > the placenta and therefore travels without protection for a small > area. Blood flow has not been compromised and fetal growth is in the > 51st percentile. > > I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks so much. > > ~Jason > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Hi Valerie, You are right. However, she only avoids it for the first trimester. She recommends it for calming the fetus after the first trimester is complete. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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