January 16, 2008 – If the trend continues, more than 80,000 women will give birth in Quebec in 2008. In the majority of cases, analgesic drugs (epidural, opiates, nitrous oxide) will be used to relieve their pain during childbirth. Could the use of unconventional approaches in delivery rooms improve the action of these drugs, or even reduce their use?
Acupuncture, Acupressure and Hydrotherapy May Relieve Pain During Childbirth, Recent Clinical Trial Analysis Finds1. The analgesic effect of these non-drug approaches would be greater than that of a placebo, according to researchers from the obstetrics and gynecology department of Saint-Vincent de Paul Hospital at the University of Paris.
The study authors reviewed the scientific literature on the use of various complementary methods to relieve pain experienced by a woman in childbirth.
In addition to acupuncture, acupressure and hydrotherapy for which there is reasonable evidence of effectiveness, hypnotherapy, yoga, relaxation, therapeutic touch and massage may also help improve comfort in women. According to the results, these methods would also have the effect of reducing the dosages of anesthetic drugs.
Due to the growing demand for complementary care expressed by women, obstetricians should become more familiar with complementary approaches, the study authors conclude.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Tournaire M, et al. Complementary and Alternative Approaches to Pain Relief During Labor. eCAM 2007; 4 (4) 409–417. [cet article, qui n’est pas encore répertorié dans PubMed, est une mise à jour d’un chapitre d’un ouvrage américain initialement publié en 2004 : Cooper E, Yamaguchi N (eds). Complementary and Alternative Approaches to Biomedicine. Kluwer Academic/Plenum publishers, 2004, 193–206.].