Clinical Challenges in Pregnancy
This class addresses eight major disorders or complications of pregnancy for which Western medicine has little recourse. For each of these conditions, acupuncture and its associated methods for patient self-care in many cases not only relieves immediate distress, but also sets the pregnancy back on a healthier course, potentially reducing interventions and improving outcomes in the third trimester and during labor.
This course at a glance
Date:
18./19. January 2020
Day/Time:
Sa./So., 9:00–17:00
Hours:
14 hours
Teacher:
Claudia Citkovitz PhD
Language:
English
Cost:
CHF 450.–

Inscription
About this course
This class addresses eight major disorders or complications of pregnancy for which Western medicine has little recourse. For each of these conditions, acupuncture and its associated methods for patient self-care in many cases not only relieves immediate distress, but also sets the pregnancy back on a healthier course, potentially reducing interventions and improving outcomes in the third trimester and during labor.
Nausea, vomiting and fatigue are not only unpleasant; when excessive they also pose immediate danger to the pregnancy, as well as signaling possible maternal immune resistance to implantation of the placenta. Poor placental implantation can increase likelihood of preeclampsia and small-for-dates babies. Chinese medical differential diagnosis and treatment identifies patients at higher and lower risk for these challenges, and provides options for treatment and self-care throughout the pregnancy that may improve perinatal outcomes. Threatened miscarriage is another commonly occurring situation for which Western medicine has little clinical care to offer, despite considerable insight into underlying mechanisms. It is well demonstrated that weekly supportive care improves outcomes, while there is some evidence that patients are both happier and healthier when that supportive care is acupuncture.
Other conditions for which acupuncture seems to offer considerable benefit when added to available Western options, are also discussed as follows:
-
Itching during pregnancy (PUPPPS rash; intrahepatic cholestasis)
-
Oligohydramnios and polyhydramnios
-
Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension
-
Intrauterine growth restriction (small-for-dates babies)
-
Premature labor onset (premature contractions; premature prelabor rupture of membranes)
-
Labor preparation, for prevention of prolonged pregnancy
Acupuncturists taking this class can expect to understand how these complicated Western pathologies relate to alterations of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang, in which they are already expert. Midwives or other obstetrical providers not licensed to perform acupuncture will find clear guidelines for home self-care and/or acupuncturist referral, as actively useful alternatives to ‘expectant management’.
About the teacher

Claudia Citkovitz PhD
Claudia Citkovitz, PhD, LAc., has led the Acupuncture Service at NYU Lutheran Medical Center since 2004, supervising 12 acupuncturists who provide inpatient care and clinical instruction in labor and delivery, pain management, and neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation. Dr. Citkovitz studied Chinese language in Beijing and acupuncture at the Pacific and Tri-State colleges in New York. An internationally known lecturer on acupuncture practice and research methodology, she is a faculty member for the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her PhD study on acupuncture during acute stroke rehabilitation was the first conducted in the United States, as was her 2006 study of acupuncture during labor and delivery. Dr. Citkovitz is a frequent peer reviewer and Editorial Board member on journals including Acupuncture in Medicine, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Explore, and Meridians.