Helping Haemorrhoids During Pregnancy

What are Haemorrhoids?

They are veins of the rectum that have become enlarged and congested. They maybe internal or external. It is reasonably common to suffer these at some stage throughout your pregnancy, usually towards the end as well as after the birth of your child. From a Chinese medical perspective they are referred to as Qi or energy that is dropping and not staying in its place.

Why do you get Haemorrhoids?

Women get them because they already have a weakness in that area which is made worse when their growing baby places more pressure on their bowel. They may also be suffering from constipation which doesn’t help the situation either as it can cause physical trauma to the area which brings on haemorrhoids. From a Chinese medical perspective it is usually the result of weak Spleen Qi (Qi meaning energy). The Spleen is responsible for “holding organs/blood/vessels in their place” in the body and when this doesn’t happen, something like haemorrhoids can occur.

I’m sure it sounds completely whacky that your Spleen has something to do with your haemorrhoids. From a Chinese medical point of view however it makes perfect sense! Let me explain…Your organs are linked with seasons of the year, with emotions, with directions of energy and with Yin and Yang. They are multi-dimensional in nature and have certain properties that make their energies behave in certain ways. So you already know about the Spleen’s “holding” function. The Spleen is also responsible for ensuring energy reaches the four sides of your body, so if you suffer from cold hands and feet, this is also a Spleen issue. The Spleen ensures the food and drink you consume is transformed and transported properly, so if you suffer from diarrhea or low energy, chances are this is also a Spleen issue. The emotion of worry is linked with the Spleen as is sitting down, so if you do either of these too often, you will weaken it. The Spleen is a Yin organ and the Stomach is a Yang organ. They both belong to the element of the earth and are closely connected with your digestive function.

You may be wondering why it isn’t mainly a Large Intestine issue? Well, it is certainly involved but Chinese medical theory focuses on the Yin organs and their functions and so when working within this paradigm, one must think in Yin-Yang terms to come up with a treatment that is effective. The Large Intestine is a Yang organ and so isn’t as important. Yes it will be involved in the treatment as more of a “branch” issue, but it isn’t the “root” cause of the problem in most cases. 

Haemorrhoids can be treated with Acupuncture

Typically they are treated by strengthening your Spleen energy as well as alleviating the symptoms. For the symptoms needles are often placed in centre of your calf, as this is on the Bladder meridian which links to the anus and helps alleviate any discomfort there. One may be placed at the end of your coccyx on the Governor Vessel meridian as this is close to the anus and has a reducing effect on the haemorrhoids. One may also be placed on the top of your head, again on the Governor Vessel meridian to “pull up” the energy. I had a client who could feel the sensation of them pulling up as she was on the table. She said, "In my third trimester I developed a painful prolapsed haemorrhoid which was debilitating. I found it difficult to sit, walk and sleep. After treatment with Rebecca, the haemorrhoid shrunk and all pain ceased which was a great relief to me.”

Written by Rebecca Mar Young, Springday Chinese Medicine Expert

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