Acupuncture for Nauseau

I had severe vomiting and nausea in both of my pregnancies, and tried a lot of things to help it. The only relief that I got was from a drug my doctor prescribed me called Zofran. From everything i have read it is the only drug that helps. It was like a miracle for me...

Hi C. - I'm a huge fan of acupuncture. I went to NESA (New England School of Acupuncture) in Watertown, it's half the price of a regular doctor. Student interns are doing the work, but they are guided during every appointment by on-site acupuncturists, which you see briefly. I was not nauseous during my pregnancy BUT it helped with the overall pregnancy issues. Acupuncture is a phenomenal way to get your body naturally flowing and can help nurture your pregnancy. They treat pregnant women differently, and every treatment is custom to what is going on that day/week with you. I would highly recommend going, and if you go to NESA it will not hurt the wallet as much. Once you get past the needle thing in the beginning, the treatment becomes as relaxing as a massage, and offers you a much needed one hour rest period.

I don't know about acupuncture, but I do know of a medication that helped me with my hyperemesis. I used zofran with all 4 pregnancies and it was a godsend for me really. Phenergan wasn't quite enough with the all day nausea. I really hope you feel better soon with whatever treatment works best for you.

Acupuncture may help. Chiropractic care also often helps. I treated a mother with hyperemesis which means that she couldn't even keep down water and within a visit or two she was able to eat normally.

Dr. E

Absolutely. I did accupuncture throughout my pregnancy to help with nausea and allergies. It was great! If nothing else, it's extremely relaxing. Good Luck!

I think nausea is such an individual thing, but I believe that acupuncture can be effective for many people for many conditions. Same thing with chiropractic although I don't know if it helps with nausea. You could find out if your insurance plan covers any of those services and which practitioners are within your network. Then call a couple of them to see what types of treatments they might recommend. Since you are losing weight, a doctor's referral might be in order. You could try ginger too - it's very soothing for an upset stomach. I've heard that you should use real ginger (from the produce department or the spice aisle) but not just ginger flavoring that may be artificial. There's something in real ginger that helps. You could also consider a nutritional supplement that is readily absorbed - I have a lot of friends who have used a particular one. One friend was pretty sick during her pregnancy and always worried if she had actually absorbed her prenatal vitamins before she threw up. With her doctor's blessing, she used a particular supplement - if you can keep it down for 20 minutes, it will be absorbed. She also used a great hydrator that kept her from losing fluids. And boy did she have a healthy baby! One thing you could discuss with your doctor, or research, is hyperemesis during pregnancy - the constant lowering of your blood sugar levels through vomiting actually causes more nausea. And if you're not keeping down the stuff he prescribed for you, it's not going to work! If you want to talk to my friend, let me know and I'll connect you! I'd love to help you - you sound so tired!

Hi C.,

My sister was very sick with her second child and someone told her about "Sea Bands".
They are tight wristbands that sit on the pressure points in your wrists and stop you from feeling nauseous. She got them at CVS. As long as she wore them, she did not feel sick. I believe they are originally for motion sickness, but they worked for morning sickness.

I hope this helps!
~K.

I am both an Acupuncturist (not currently practicing...SAHM to 3yr old & 13 mo old) & used it for nausea during both my pregnancies & it worked for me. It sounds like you have a pretty bad case of it. Acupuncture is definitely worth trying (I'm prejudice though). I have to say the student clinic through New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) in Watertown, MA is wonderful and offers appointments at a discount (I am a graduate from the NESA program). NESA's website is www.nesa.edu If you'd like some recommendations in your area, I'd be happy to help.

I don't know about acupuncture for nausea, but I know some moms have found a visit to a chiropractor during pregnancy helps them out.
good luck.

I took that w/ my second too and it didn't help just made me tired. I don't know about acupuncture but I found that going to the chiropractor helped.

I agree with one of the above replies; nausea is experienced differently be everyone and everyone is different! Acupuncture can be a very effective method for reducing nausea. People respond differently to acupuncture. Some have one treatment and never have to return others it takes 3-5, others longer. It never hurts to try and as one poster put it you will definitely benefit from the relaxation effects if nothing else!

She also mentioned using ginger which I have done many times. Buy fresh ginger (it's in the produce section) at the grocery store. Wash it, slice it and put some slices in a sauce pain. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Pour it into a mug and add honey if you want to sweeten it. You can also just add it as a spice to whatever you're cooking. I like to saute garlic, onions & ginger together and then add whatever vegetables I'm going to cook.

I used acupuncture for other things with good success. I have a friend who used it with chemotherapy & said it made a huge difference.

I used homeopathy when I was nauseous during my 2nd pregnancy. It was not as severe as you have but I am sure there is remedy you can use as well. I took only one dose of sepia and my nausea was gone.

I have a great homeopath in Newton if you cannot find one let me know & I will give you his info.

blessings on your new babies.

I had nausea and vomitting all 9 months with my first 2 pregnancies, and tried acupuncture with the third, which worked very well. It didn't make the sensitive stomach go away completely, but I was able to eat more or less normally, with only the occasional dash to the bathroom. I had to go a bunch of times, but I started feeling better after the first treatment. I went to Nashua Acupuncture. Even if your insurance doesn't cover it, places will often give a discount depending on your insurance company.

Other things that can help are mint, ginger, and the juice of half a lime in a full glass of water. That was suggested to me in a midwifery class that I took -- it sometimes helps depending on why you're feeling nauseaus. There is also a book called Managing Morning Sickness which I found very helpful.

Hi C.,

First of all, congratulations! I can relate because during my first pregnancy, I had hyperemesis and spent most of my time(the first 5 months in the ER getting hydrated). Currently, I'm pregnant with my second child and 12 weeks along. At 7 weeks, the vomiting became severe just like you, I couldn't eat or drink anything. When I called the doctor she was going to prescribe just the phenergan. I was told her very strongly on the phone that it didn't work in my first pregnancy and she prescribed zofran along with the phenergan. So far, this has helped tremendously with the nausea and vomiting. I have still had to make two trips to the ER for hydration, but haven't lost any weight as in the first pregnancy. Mornings are still tough, but most of the day I have energy to play with my son.

Also, I never tried acupuncture, but have heard good things about it and was going to give it a whirl with this pregnancy. Another thing I tried that helped a little was a vitamin B-6 supplement (once I was on the Zofran). You may want to ask your physician about this. Eating little bits at a time helps also (about every two hours).

Good luck and I hope this information helps you! I can sympathize with how miserable this is and will help you in any way I can. Feel free to write back.

I tried acupuncture with my second pregnancy because I couldn't even keep water down. It helped me, but only for 24-48 hours at a time. It didn't go away completely, it just improved it. I'm not one to take medidccation, so for me it was worth it for just some relief. I also have been told that just getting some IV fluids should help. With a toldler at home, I never toook the time, but you may want to give it a try. Good luck to you