Use of complementary and alternative medicine across the childbirth spectrum in China

Complementary alternative medicine use among postpartum mothers in a primary care setting: a cross-sectional study in Malaysia

“…Next is biological-based therapy, which comprises mainly herbal medicine and whole medical systems including acupuncture, Ayurveda and homeopathy. Our findings are consistent with a study in China, where Chinese mothers in the postpartum period predominantly utilized manipulative therapy, most often opting for acupressure and massage, followed by herbal medicine [14].…”

“…Additionally, our study has shown no association between maternal parity and CAM use. Although most studies previously have reported comparable findings [14,22,27], a local study done by Teoh et al has shown that multiparous mothers have used significantly more CAM than primiparous mothers [13]. Further investigation would be required to better examine any associations between these factors and CAM usage.…”

“…Studies have shown that manipulative body-based practices are the most commonly practised method of CAM among postpartum mothers. This explains why those who delivered via caesarean section did not prefer to use CAM, because this therapy requires bodily movements that might be difficult and painful for mothers post caesarian section [10,11,14,22,37].…”

“…They are also commonly used by postpartum mothers to reduce pain and postpartum blood loss by promoting wound healing and improving uterine recovery, along with increasing the production of breast milk. Further, studies have shown that, by using CAM, postpartum mothers' general well-being can be enhanced by reducing weight, relieving constipation and improving symptoms of insomnia [9][10][11][12][13][14]. Some of them also believe that naturopathy using abdominal hot stone application or massage post-delivery can improve uterine involution and abdominal muscle tone [15].…”

The prevalence, perceptions and behaviors associated with traditional/complementary medicine use by breastfeeding women living in Macau: a cross-sectional survey study

“…While traditional evidence is a 'time honored' system of handing down knowledge and practices, there remains a need to further evaluate this knowledge and experience within a scientific paradigm to establish both efficacy and safety data [6]. In an era where there is a high prevalence of T/CM use across the world, access to such information is particularly important for special populations including women who are lactating [7][8][9]. In particular, although there were case reports about adverse effects of T/CM consumed by the mothers on their breastfed infants such as lethargy, hyponia and emesis [10], literature describing and evaluating these effects is scarce [11].…”