It is estimated that 3 to 4 percent of babies are in a breech position when the mother goes into labor. In a breech presentation, the baby is in a feet-first position (or sometimes buttocks-first) and the head emerges last. These may not sound like high numbers, but a breech birth can cause serious complications for the delivery and birth of the baby. If a woman enters labor with the baby in breech position, she is almost always delivered by cesarean section.
Studies indicate that acupuncture may be an effective form of treatment in the correction of breech presentation. In an article published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association), 130 mothers with breech presentation were treated with moxabustion and an equal number in a control group received nothing. Moxabustion, or moxa for short, is the burning of an herb called mugwort; moxa is a common herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine used to stimulate acupuncture points. In the group treated with moxabustion, 75 percent of the babies were effectively turned compared to 48 percent in the control group. In the treatment of breech presentation, this herb is burned above a point located below the nail of the small toe for 15 minutes on both feet. Other studies in China have varying success rates ranging from 81 percent to 90.3 percent. Most research shows that the 34th week of gestation may be the most successful in turning the baby with moxabustion, but can also be very effective anywhere between the 32nd and 36th week of gestation.
Theories suggest that moxabustion at this targeted site triggers the release of hormones that help to turn the baby. The Cooperative Research Group on Moxabustion Version of Jiangxi Province postulates that the moxabustion stimulates corticoadrenal secretion, which increases placental hormone levels, thereby leading to more sensitivity and contractility in the smooth muscles of the uterus, also increasing fetal heart rate and fetal activity. All of these changes contribute to the turning of the baby.
– Christina Morris is the founder of Element Natural Healing Arts, acupuncturist, herbalist, Maya abdominal practitioner, and reflexologist. “The blog posts that I write are to educate and provide a further understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine can aid in the treatment of a variety of health conditions and work well in complimenting other medical approaches.”