Pharmacologic and Biological Treatments
Herbal Supplements. Herbal supplements were used
by 36% of pregnant women in a study by Forster, Denning,
Wills, Bolger, and McCarthy (2006). Half of the subjects had
not informed their practitioner of their herbal use.
Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses the essential oils of
plants to increase the body’s own sedative, stimulant, and
relaxing substances. The oils may be inhaled with steam
infusion or a burner and also may be massaged into the
skin. There have not been many studies done, and the ones
that were found have not provided enough evidence that
psychological or physiological changes have occurred (Smith
et al., 2010).
Audio-analgesia. Audio-analgesia is the use of sound
for labor pain. A trial in England included 25 randomized
women who received “sea noise,” but no difference was
found between groups (Smith et al., 2010). Currently there
is not sufficient evidence about the effectiveness of audioanalgesia
on labor pain management.