The wonders of acupuncture

When this babyvibe momma was expecting a baby last year, I needed things to go as smoothly as possible. Between the responsibilities of work and a busy family, I couldn't afford to be held back by the typical discomforts and complications that often go along with pregnancy. As well, it was important to me to have a natural delivery if at all possible. Fortunately, most of my pregnancy was great, but as I entered the middle of my third trimester, I started experiencing bad indigestion and heartburn, insomnia, swollen feet and ankles, and headaches. When I was unable to effectively treat these discomforts with the usual home treatments, I decided to take the recommendation of friends and try something new: acupuncture.

I was referred to Dr. Eran Even, who is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Registered Acupuncturist, and has post-graduate training in Chinese Medicine Obstetrics. After learning about Dr. Even's qualifications, reputation, and experience, I knew I would be in good hands!

Acupuncture 101

Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine disposable needles in specific points on the body's surface in order to promote biochemical balance and influence physiological functioning of the body. A more in-depth discussion of how acupuncture works can be found online.

How acupuncture helps during pregnancy

Acupuncture offers pregnant women a drug-free way to balance hormones and treat a wide range of ailments and complications, including anxiety, edema, insomnia, fatigue, and heartburn.

In the final weeks of pregnancy, pre-birth acupuncture can effectively prepare a woman's body for efficient labour by working to ripen the cervix, and helping to position the baby in the best presentation for labour. To give you an idea of how successful pre-birth acupuncture can be, more than 95 per cent of Dr. Even's pre-birth patients end up having vaginal births, and do not require unnecessary medical interventions.

Why we like acupuncture

The more I learned about acupuncture from Dr. Even, the more I understood that it was a safe, effective, and natural way to treat my pregnancy discomforts and concerns. I appreciated that Dr. Even took the time to explain the process to me, and answered all my questions honestly and in a way I could understand.

In all, I had a total of six weekly sessions, and from the first sessoin, I felt immediate benefits. It was clear from the first needle that something big, yet gentle, was happening to my body. I felt immediately relaxed. For the first time in weeks, I was able to sleep soundly, and my heartburn and swelling were greatly eased. As well, I had no more headaches, and my mounting stress was alleviated. In addition, the pre-birth acupuncture I received helped insure that baby Ruby did indeed arrive naturally.

Where to find it

If you live near the Tri-Cities, we recommend visiting Dr. Even at Rocky Point Acupuncture in Port Moody. For more information, visit www.rockypointacupuncture.com or www.eraneven.com.

A list of practitioners registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia can be found at www.ctcma.bc.ca.

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