I have a 34 week pregnant client with vulval varicosities, pain wise controlled using press tacks on St 13. I have been holding off bleeding her during pregnancy, intending to do so after she has given birth. Today she sent me this picture of her right leg which is also itchy on her inner thigh, she is presenting with low iron count, tiredness & difficulty getting off to sleep. My presumption is that the blood stasis involved is causing the blood deficiency. Can anybody give me guidance in treating something like this in pregnancy?
I have had cases similar to this where I used the viscero-ptosis protocol from Kiiko, which uses the ST 13 as well… if you are already getting relief with that I suspect the pregnancy is sagging down and creating a lot of pressure on the pelvic rim and occluding the veins, leading to more back pressure below. The viscero-ptosis treatment lifts the front of the body and strengthens the dai mai to better support the area.
I had varicosities during pregnancy like that. So bad they required compression hose up to my waist. Is she wearing them? They honestly do make you feel so much better. I would treat them, for sure, but also let her know that they clear up nicely after delivery. I remember being told to try Vitamin E for vein wall integrity and Planetary Herbals Horse Chestnut Cream (I would not take Horse Chestnut internally during pregnancy). Also, infrared heat lamp therapy….Helped so much!
Your client need compression therapy. Is she wearing therapuric compression stockings?
I do light cupping at sacral area and iliac crest to promote blood flow and regulate hormones.
Can we please talk about the over arching issue of why she’s anemic in the first place? Intake issue, absorption or blood loss to the baby…maybe all if the above! I think you can bleed her as Dean said however get to the root of the cause. Those varicosities are so bad partially because she’s anemic and needs to move!
I realize this is a bloodletting group but FYI Debra Betts discusses in her book itching during pregnancy. I’ve had a patient test positive for cholestasis. The only sign was itching leg, referred to gyn. Treated her daily 2 weeks needling Dannangxue. Resolved without medication.
A frequent question is – can you do bloodletting on pregnant women?
The answer you will find almost everywhere is no, don’t bleed pregnant women. That’s the easy answer and the safe one too – don’t bloodlet pregnant women and you will never face the legal consequences of doing so. In this litigious world, that may be reason enough.
But what’s the REAL answer? What if it’s your wife, or sister, or daughter? What if the ONLY consideration is the good of the patient and child? Should you do it then? Is it safe?
One of the few authoritative discussions I can find on the subject is in the book “Japanese Acupuncture, A Clinical Guide” by Stephen Birch and Junko Ida. It contains a chapter on Japanese bloodletting as developed and practiced by Drs. Kudo and Maruyama, two physicians who have practiced bloodletting extensively and written several books about it.
“Much of the content of these books focused on studies of the nature of blood stasis and scientific experiments to explore the physiological effects of bloodletting” write Birch and Ida. “Juxtaposed with this scientific data was a considerable amount of clinical data, enough to write a book on the subject.”
So if anyone is qualified to opine on the safety of bloodletting on pregnant women, these two physicians would be it.
And here is what they say: “Usually any acupuncture technique or treatment on a pregnant woman should be more gentle and at a lower dosage than usual. Certain acupoints or areas of the body are contraindicated for needling. There are similar restrictions or precautions that need to be followed when using bloodletting techniques.
“Pregnant women tend to be very sensitive to treatment, so it is important to avoid certain areas and techniques and to carefully regulate the dose of bloodletting. Bloodletting with cupping and bloodletting of the jing points are both considered to be too strong for pregnant women, and better avoided. If bloodletting is to be used, it should be only by the squeezing method, either after piercing a vascular spider or applying small cuts to a skin area. It is better to avoid the low back area.
“Usually bloodletting is only used when varicose veins need to be addressed as a common complication of pregnancy. In such instances, small vascular spiders are selected on the legs for bloodletting and moxa cones are used afterwards.
“Provided that you avoid the use of bloodletting with cupping, that you avoid bloodletting the jing points, and that you follow the guidelines for treatment on the legs only, bloodletting on pregnant women should be safe. If the patient has other health issues, such as difficulty walking or a history of miscarriages, it is better not to use the bloodletting techniques when treating a pregnant woman.”
I would add that women with gestational diabetes prick their fingers all day long, and to the best of my knowledge, nobody suggests that it puts them at risk for miscarriage. Doctors order blood draws of pregnant women without batting an eye – again, without thought that it puts the pregnancy at risk.
So to me at least, bleeding ear apices, or taking a few drops of blood from the back of the neck (DT.03) on a woman with nausea, seems very safe. If it prevents the woman from taking a drug for her headache or nausea, then it is clear to me that the reward justifies the risk – legal considerations aside.
Pricking the upper back of a pregnant woman – DT.08 – DT.09 on a woman with sciatica for example – should be safe as well. If you would like to be extra cautious, you can skip the cupping and just squeeze out a little blood.
It is interesting that the authors specifically state that bleeding spider veins on the legs of pregnant women suffering from varicose veins is a common and safe practice in their experience.
But of course, if the patient is NOT your wife, sister or daughter, you have to keep in mind that if an unfortunate event follows your bloodletting – whether caused by the bloodletting or not – your treatment may be difficult to defend from a legal standpoint.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/chinesemedicinebloodletting/permalink/1797450650342855/
answer when am allowed.
WHAT HAPPENED TO VIT C – ingredients?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-03/mega-dose-of-vitamin-c-treats-sepsis-florey-institute-austin/12939202
