Yin Yang House | Acupuncture for Morning Sickness - Treatment Protocols General Approaches

Acupuncture For Morning Sickness - Treatment Protocols

Acupuncture treatment protocols are generally directed towards the deeper root of a persons set of health issues, not at each individual issue. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, treatment is generally directed towards the individuals diagnostic pattern(s) and their primary issue is only a part of the information required to approach the correct patterns to treat (see "treating the cause vs. the symptoms" for an introduction to this process.).

In designing an acupuncture protocol for morning sickness, one might find one or a combination of the following patterns: spleen qi deficiency, stomach dampness, stomach qi deficiency among many other possibilities and possible combinations.

Below you will find some of the more common tcm diagnoses and acupuncture treatment protocols for morning sickness. There are many ways to approach the treatment of this condition within TCM. Our presentation describes foundational approaches that would need to be further tailored in most cases to be effective for a given individual.

Etiology:
- With the cessation of menstruation the Qi in the Chong Mai rebels and sends this energy to the ST resulting in rebellious Qi (nausea, vomiting, etc.).
- The rebellious Qi may combine with a pre-existing condition of phlegm-damp in the middle warmer leading to more substantive vomiting and stronger effects on the upper warmer (SOB, palpitations, etc.).
Differentiation:
- ST Qi Deficiency
- Phlegm/Damp Accumulation
ST Qi Deficiency
- Signs & Symptoms:
  - Epigastric distention a/or bloating, nausea, vomiting possibly of clear fluid, fatigue
  - Tongue: Pale w/white coat
  - Pulse: Slippery, weak
- Treatment Points:
  - Valaskatagis Point Selection:
  - ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
  - CV 12 - ST Mu, descend ST Qi
  - CV 13 - descend ST Qi
  - SP 4 w/PC 6 - yin wei chong mai, regulate chong mai
  - If strong LV involvement - LV 3 a/or GB 34
Phlegm/Damp Accumulation
- Signs & Symptoms:
  - Vomiting of sputum a/or sticky mucus, chest oppression, palpitation, SOB, poor appetite, lack of taste
  - Tongue: White greasy coat
  - Pulse: Slippery
- Treatment Points:
  - Valaskatagis Point Selection:
  - SP 9 - resolve damp
  - ST 40 - resolve phlegm
  - ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
  - CV 12 - ST Mu, tonify ST/SP, descend ST Qi
  - CV 17 - clear upper heater, descend Qi
  - SP 4 w/PC 6 - yin wei chong mai, regulate chong mai

The information on our site is drawn from our own lecture notes and clinical experience. The following lecture notes were consulted within this section:

St. John, Meredith: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes
Valaskatgis, Peter: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes

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