Moxibustion and Acupuncture Points for Turning Breech Babies
What is moxibustion?
Moxibustion is one of the many traditional therapies practitioners of Chinese medicine use to treat a whole variety of conditions. The therapy involves lighting or setting fire to an herb called Artemisia argyi, more commonly known as ‘mugwort’ in the west, or Ai Ye in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Moxa is compressed and rolled into long cigar-shaped sticks. The moxa sticks are used by lighting an end and creating a smoldering red tip. The radiant heat from the tip of the stick has the effect of warming and stimulating meridians and acupuncture points.
Some practitioners will use ‘smokeless moxa’, an alternative, charcoaled preparation of the herb which, as the name suggests, produces much less smoke, making it more suitable for use in the clinic and at home.
How is moxibustion used to turn breech babies?
During a TCM consultation to turn a breech baby the practitioner will take a comprehensive case history, make a diagnosis, and apply the appropriate acupuncture treatment. They will assess if moxibustion might be a helpful addition to the acupuncture treatment protocol.
The acupuncture point UB 67 on the Urinary Bladder channel is the point used to turn a breech baby. This is because it is the most dynamic point to activate the uterus. In fact, we traditionally call UB 67 an “empirical point” because it has been used for centuries for this turn breech babies into head down position. We locate this point on the tip of the pinky toe, near the lower outside corner of the toenail.
According to TCM theory, moxa has a tonifying and warming effect which promotes movement and activity. The nature of heat is also rising. This warming and raising effect is utilised to encourage the baby to become more active and lift its bottom up in order to gain adequate momentum to summersault into the head down position.
Moxa on acupoint UB 67 is extremely successful in rotating breech babies. In fact, a landmark study published in JAMA in 1998 demonstrated that moxibustion on UB 67 rotated breech babies to normal cephalic position by birth in 75% of the cases.
This technique can also be used to reposition transverse presentation, a situation where the baby’s has its shoulder or back pointing down, or is lying sideways across the abdomen.
Basic instructions for at home use
To do moxibustion of UB 67 at home, the pregnant woman should sit in a comfortable, reclined position. A friend or partner should begin by lighting a moxa stick. I always recommend getting the smokeless moxa stick version to avoid creating a smokey environment for the patient. Check with your local acupuncturist or Asian herbal medicine pharmacy to purchase the moxa sticks. To light the stick, it’s best to use a candle or a gas stove because it may take a few minutes for it to catch fire, especially if the stick is smokeless (charred). Once lit and with a red ember tip, hold the lit end over UB 67 about 1-2 inches away from the skin, close enough to feel pleasantly warm, but not enough to feel uncomfortable or burn the skin. Moxibustion should be applied for a total of 15 minutes daily for 10 consecutive days. If the baby has not turned within this time then the situation should be reassessed by your acupuncturist and follow up advised.
It is not uncommon for women to experience increased fetal movement once the moxa is applied and for the hours following.
An obstetrician or midwife will confirm if the baby has turned, however most women report having a strong body sensation of the baby moving and somersaulting at the time it occurs.
Moxa should stop as soon as the woman knows for sure that her baby has turned.
