In hypertextual We have said it countless times: something is not healthier or safer because it is natural. The examples are many and now to the list is added a study that shows that the pregnant who undergo treatment Chinese traditional medicine are more likely to abort or have children with malformations.
The issue of pregnant women is complex. On certain occasions, they may prefer traditional medicine, whether Chinese or otherwise, to avoid chemical substances that could harm your baby. But there is something that is not taken into account in these cases. On the one hand, that everything natural is chemical. And, on the other, that in modern medicine clinical trials to know which compounds can pose a danger during pregnancy, while this does not happen with traditional medicine.
For this reason, and since there are natural substances that can cause abortion or cause mutations in the fetus, the most sensible thing to do is to resort to modern medicine. This study, which just posted on Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavicais a good example of this.
Traditional Chinese medicine is not safe for pregnant women
To carry out this study, its authors studied the case of 16,751 women pregnant women treated in Chinese hospitals. All of them had to answer a survey about their relationship with traditional medicine. before and during pregnancywhose results were compared with the health of newborns.
Was 273 congenital malformations, of which a higher proportion was associated with women who used to undergo traditional medicine. In fact, according to the researchers’ calculations“fetuses exposed to TCM had 2.1 times more likely of developing congenital malformations compared to those without exposure.
Above all, these effects were noted in those who resorted to two or more traditional medicine products and those who underwent them in early stages of pregnancy.
What are these effects due to?
traditional medicine is highly appreciated in china. So much so that we must not forget that the first effective cure against malaria was obtained after a chemist from this country dedicated herself to conscientiously studying a large number of ancient treatises.
Now, what she did was look for active compounds that could have a therapeutic effect. Afterwards, she analyzed the effects of it, including those that could be adverse health. For this reason, the authors of this research maintain that, for traditional Chinese medicine to be used in pregnant women, an in-depth study of the substances that are used. At the moment it is not known what they are, but it seems that some may have teratogenic effects. That is, they are capable of causing malformations in fetuses.
In modern medicine there have also been cases. It is impossible to forget the case of thalidomide, which was used to treat nausea in pregnant women. But, precisely because it was about modern medicine, the problem was located, withdrawn and the measures were tightened so that it did not happen again. If you want to resort to traditional medicine, you should treat it in the same way. As long as it is not done, it is a lottery, which can go well, but also very badly.
Some even say that it can help improve fertility. But, generally, no more than healthy lifestyle habits. That is the first step to follow. Later, once the pregnancy has been reached, consult everything with a doctor before resorting to any traditional remedy. That it is natural is not a guarantee of anything.
