Are complementary therapies safe during pregnancy?
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
In general, you should avoid taking any unnecessary medicines or treatments when you’re pregnant. There are very few high-quality studies into the effectiveness of complementary or ‘alternative’ treatments, and anything you take into your body can affect your unborn baby.
What are complementary therapies?
Complementary medicines and treatments include a wide range of treatments that are not usually used by most doctors in the UK. These treatments are sometimes described as alternative medicine. However, ‘complementary’ is a better description, as they should be used alongside, but never replace, the treatment offered by your doctor.
Few complementary or alternative medicines are known to be safe during pregnancy. And some herbal remedies, such as blue cohosh, can actually be harmful for the baby.
But there is some evidence to support the use of:
- massage and aromatherapy for treating anxiety
- acupressure and ginger for morning sickness.
There are still times during pregnancy when th...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
