Power to the patient

Pregnant woman asking about acupuncture during pregnancy

Questions about beauty products … and acupuncture … take on a new meaning when you are pregnant. Whatever the question, Andrea L. Campaigne, MD, Ob/Gyn at ARC North Austin Ob/Gyn empowers patients with the information to make the right decision for themselves.

Risk vs. reward

In a recent article about the use of acupuncture during pregnancy in VeryWellFamily.com, Dr. Campaigne made the broader point, saying, "There is widespread use of acupuncture across the general population, and the complication rate in very large studies is very low," says Dr. Andrea Campaigne, Ob/Gyn at Austin Regional Clinic. "It has a 1,000-year history of safety, including an overlap in women's health issues."

Dr. Campaigne continued, saying that patients ask her frequently about the relative safety of all kinds of things during pregnancy, such as using certain beauty products, and unless there is clear evidence contraindicating use, she prefers to empower her patients to make those decisions for themselves.

"[In many cases] these are parenting decisions and you have to weigh your own risk versus reward," she says. "Even though there aren't studies, that doesn't mean it isn't safe."

Information and comfort level

There is also something to be said, she warns, for people who are mentally resistant to the possible benefits of acupuncture or some other regimen in question.

"If I say to a patient, ‘One thing you have access to that's cost-effective is acupuncture,' and they give me a face like ‘I would never try that,' there's nothing I can do to combat that amount of anxiety or insecurity to help them be successful in that plan," she says. "If you have a [huge] mental block against acupuncture, it won't work."

Make an appointment today

Dr. Campaigne is accepting new patients. You can make an appointment today at ARCBookNow.com, or by calling ARC North Austin Ob/Gyn at 512-994-2662.

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