Moxibustion for Breech Babies
What is Moxibustion?
Cigar or pole moxa stick
Moxibustion is a method used commonly in Chinese and other Asian medicine systems which involves the burning of mugwort. It has the ability to improve blood and qi flow which improves tissue healing. This is why it is historically paired with acupuncture and used to treat digestive, menstrual and pain conditions. Moxibustion is superior to other heat therapies because it has the ability to warm deep and superficial tissues of the body. Many people who have experienced moxibustion will note that the warmth from this therapy is retained better than other types of heat treatments. Additionally when moxibustion is burning it is giving off far and near infrared radiation (heat). Infrared light is known to improve the immune response in damaged tissues. Oftentimes, in Western cultures, smoke therapies are not commonplace, therefore the use of moxibustion is overlooked because some view the presence of smoke as an annoyance. Some practitioners are limited in their use of moxibustion due to building and lease restrictions around fire safety and smoke. It became popular to replace real moxibustion with charcoal and other substitutes, however, they do not contain the same healing properties that burning moxibustion does. The active ingredients in moxibustion are increased during the burning process. After moxibustion is administered, there is also a residue or resin left behind which is an important component of its healing properties.
The medical use of moxibustion has been traced back to 581 B.C. from texts found in the Mawangdui tomb. A survey of papers published in China from 1954-2007 showed that the most common conditions moxibustion was used to treat in order of popularity for were: malposition(breech baby), diarrhea, and colitis; urinary incontinence and dysmenorrhea; knee osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint disturbance syndrome (TMJD), soft tissue injury, heel pain, asthma, urinary retention, and herpes zoster. Moxibustion is also commonly used to treat weakness, fatigue, and aging related problems. (Deng & Shen 2013)
Moxibustion is well-known as a treatment for a breech baby
During pregnancy, a baby is considered breech when they are positioned feet or bottom first in the uterus. A breech baby position does not affect the pregnancy or health of the baby but it can be considered a complication when it comes to labor and delivery. If the breech position continues towards the delivery date it will affect birth plans and increases the likely hood of a cesarean birth.
The use of moxibustion encourages the release of hormones in order to encourage movement of the baby.
Elies & Olah’s 2002 descriptive review on the use of moxibustion for breech babies reported success rate of 84.6% after 34 weeks gestation.
Another review that looked at eight trials, (Coyle 2012, et al.) involving 1346 women, showing that moxibustion led to a decrease in the use of oxytocin before or during labor for women who had vaginal deliveries compared to no treatment. It [moxibustion] was found to result in fewer non-cephalic presentations at birth when compared to acupuncture alone. Combining moxibustion with acupuncture also resulted in fewer non-cephalic presentations at birth and a reduced rate of caesarean section births, when compared to no treatment. Also, when moxibustion was combined with a postural technique, it showed a significant reduction in non-cephalic presentations at birth compared to the postural technique alone.
There are certain cases where attempting to reposition a breech baby might not be safe, such as: a pregnancy of multiples, placenta previa, bleeding, low amniotic fluid, issues with fetal heart rate. Please be sure to consult with your OB/GYN before seeking this type of treatment. It is recommended to begin treatment for a breech baby with moxibustion at or before 34 weeks, 1-3x per week. This allows ample time and space for the baby to re-position themself. This is not medical advice. In my clinical experience, most babies will turn after 1-3 treatments as long as you begin before the 38 weeks mark. As the pregnancy progresses there is less space in the womb for the baby to move and reposition.
Written by Dr. Emily Siy, DACM on 9/18/23
You might also be interested in reading: All About Moxibustion, What is a Pelvic Smoke Bath?, Acupuncture During Pregnancy
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Sources:
Cleveland Clinic (online), Breech Baby. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21848-breech-baby
Coyle ME, Smith CA, Peat B. (2012) Cephalic version by moxibustion for breech presentation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. May 16;(5):CD003928
Deng H, Shen X. (2013) The mechanism of moxibustion: ancient theory and modern research. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:379291.
Ewies A, Olah K. (2002) Moxibustion in breech version--a descriptive review. Acupuncture Medicine Mar;20(1):26-9