Non-Drug Treatment for Heartburn during Pregnancy

Another Brazilian study offers a non-drug approach for heartburn in pregnant women. This is a common complication of pregnancy, but doctors try not to prescribe medications for pregnant women unless absolutely necessary. The investigators compared acupuncture to standard treatment in a group of 42 pregnant women. The women receiving acupuncture treatment reduced their use of antacids and three-fourths of them reported at least a 50 percent reduction of heartburn symptoms. Nearly that many reported at least 50 percent improvement in sleep. Fewer than a third of the women receiving standard treatment reported that much improvement, and they were using more antacids, on average, at the end of the study. The scientists urge others to replicate the research, which could ease the need for medication in a vulnerable population.

[Acupuncture in Medicine, online June 2009]