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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
Published on: February 3, 2026
'Forbidden points' in pregnancy: do they exist?
André V Guerreiro da Silva1, Mary Uchiyama Nakamura, João Bosco Guerreiro da Silva
1Department of Obstetrics, Federal University of São Paulo and Department of Medicine II, Service of Acupuncture, Rio Preto Medical College, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract:
Acupuncture has been used in numerous diseases and for many types of symptoms. It has been also used for obstetric complaints, such as nausea and vomiting, insomnia and low back and girdle pain. There has long been concern that some points--called forbidden--might harm pregnancy owing to a potential abortifacient effect, but it is difficult to confirm this proposition. The small number of available publications on this topic seems to show that this is not correct. Animal research examining possible harmful effects and a systematic review would be welcome to throw some light on this question.
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