Moxibustion For Breech Pregnancy
Up to 25% of babies at some point in a pregnancy are in a breech position, but by 34 weeks most fetuses turn into a head-down, or vertex, position on their own. This is the normal and safest fetal position for birth. Delivering a baby in a breech position involves several risks to the infant. Most obstetricians in todays world therefore will opt to perform a caesarean section if the fetus has not turned on its own.
Moxibustion, the burning of the herb mugwort over an acupuncture point, in this case Bl-67 on the little toe, has been shown to be very effective to turn the fetus. Here is an excellent video where Dr. Lorne Brown, an acupuncturist from Vancouver Canada, demonstrates the procedure. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Brown at a seminar in Toronto last year where Jane Lyttleton lectured on Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of infertility.
