Acupuncture and moxibustion to correct breech births

Moxibustion is a treatment commonly used by acupuncturists to stimulate the acu-points. The Moxa (which is the herb ‘Mugwort’) is heated and then either placed on acupuncture needles inserted on acu-points or alternatively it is held above the skin to produce a focused radiant heat. Laser acupuncture by contrast uses laser beams focussed on acu-points.
Researchers at the Hebammenlehranstalt Luisen hospital in Germany monitored 55 pregnant women with breech presentation who were given moxibustion to the Zhiyin acupuncture point during pregnancy to promote conversion to a cephalic presentation. Results at different gestational weeks were recorded and then compared with a similar observation series of 615 other pregnant women with breech presentation which converted spontaneously and with a Chinese laser-acupuncture study.
The results revealed that although Chinese laser-acupuncture studies have shown a significant increase in breech corrections, moxibustion produced a significant lower rate of conversion. Sonographic results revealed no significant differences between the converted and the non-converted groups treated with moxibustion and two patients developed early uterine contractions. The researchers therefore concluded that moxibustion should be indicated only under medical care