It seems as if when more technology finds its way into obstetrical care, so does alternative healing. Traditional Chinese medicine, for example, uses moxibustion to promote version of fetuses in breech presentation. The success of this process was reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 1998; 280:1580-1584).

Moxibustion is the process whereby moxa - a dried herb, usually the species mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) - is burned either directly on the skin or indirectly above the skin, over specific acupuncture points or areas on the body. When lit, moxa burns slowly and provides a penetrating heat that can enter the channels to influence the Qi and blood flow, therefore releasing therapeutic properties. Moxibustion has been used in combination with acupuncture for centuries.

A very common form of indirect moxibustion uses moxa sticks that are lit and held about an inch above the point or area to be treated. Another method is the use of the moxa box, which allows heat from the moxa to be distributed to a larger area. Applying moxa cones to the skin is a form of direct moxibustion. Treatment can be applied for a variety of conditions for a few minutes to a longer period of time.

Francesco Cardini, M.D., a private practice physician in Verona, Italy, and Huang Weixin, M.D., of the Jiangxi Women's Hospital in Nanchang, China, found that 75 % of fetuses in the group treated with moxibustion changed their position to the correct "head-first" position compared to 48 %of the fetuses in the control group. The researchers found that there was more fetal activity on average for fetuses in the treatment group.

All 260 study participants from the outpatient department of Women's Hospital of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, and Jiujiang Women's and Children's Hospital in the People's Republic of China, were primigravidas in the 33rd week of gestation with normal pregnancy and an ultrasound diagnosis of breech presentation.

The 130 subjects randomized to the intervention group received stimulation of acupoint BL 67 by moxa rolls for 7 days, with treatment for an additional 7 days if the fetus persisted in the breech presentation. The 130 subjects randomized to the control group received routine care but no interventions for breech presentation. Subjects with persistent breech presentation after 2 weeks of treatment could undergo external cephalic version anytime between 35 weeks' gestation and delivery.

During the 35th week of gestation, 98 (75.4%) of 130 fetuses in the intervention group were cephalic vs 62 (47.7%) of 130 fetuses in the control group. Despite the fact that 24 subjects in the control group and 1 subject in the intervention group underwent external cephalic version, 98 (75.4%) of the 130 fetuses in the intervention group were cephalic at birth vs 81 (62.3%) of the 130 fetuses in the control group.

The researchers concluded that among primigravidas with breech presentation during the 33rd week of gestation, moxibustion for 1 to 2 weeks increased fetal activity during the treatment period and cephalic presentation after the treatment period and at delivery.