How long does it take for acupuncture to work?

This year has brought many more new patients trying acupuncture to get better and stay better. In one month alone there were 65 patients that started using acupuncure at Downtown Community Acupuncture. Some of these patients had health problems that had been ongoing for years. Others had severe pain. And then some were seeking care for a recent injury and change in health. What many of them had in common was the simple question, "How long is it gonna take for this to work?"

Patients deserve to know when to expect results from any type of treatment. I've been injured and had health problems and want to know from my health care provider when I'm going to start feeling better. I got better stuff to do besides being in pain and discomfort.

So, "How long does it take for acupuncture to work?"

Will acupuncture help me? How soon will I see results?

These two simple questions deserve a straightforward answer. Every patient would like to hear, "Yes, acupuncture will help you and you will see results within 3 treatments, possibly sooner, maybe even immediately." While I have treated hundreds upon hundreds of patients where the above statement rang true for them, there are patients that have not experienced such results.

Why not?

How soon will I know if acupuncture is working?

There are patients that feel immediate results during their first acupuncture treatment. There are also patients that feel results after 2 to 3 treatments of acupuncture. And some patients notice results after many more acupuncture treatments.

Besides having their main issue begin to improve, many patients also notice other areas of their health improve. Mainly, improvement with quality or duration of sleep, a better mood, an ability to handle stress better, and an uptick in energy level.

Sometimes patients notice an improvement in those areas before an improvment in their main issue. People's bodies respond differently to acupuncutre in this way. I tell patients that if they notice any improvement or change in their health then continuing with acupuncture is more than likely going to help them.

I tried acupuncture and it didn't work

I tell patients, if the acupuncture your recieve from me doesn't work, it doesn't necessarily mean that acupuncture doesn't work, it simply means that I failed to get you the results you need. So, I recommend to give someone else a try.

Many patients tell me they get better results from me than any other acupuncturist. And I have also heard the opposite.

Why is that?

Well, for one, there are hundreds of methods of acupuncture. And there are thousands of acupuncturists with varying degrees of experience using these methods. I have not heard of one acupuncturists that resolves all ailments 100% of the time. Nor have I found one method of acupuncture that is superior than another.

But, I have found a method of acupuncture helps the vast majority of patients that I treat and so I continue to practice this method of acupuncture. In so doing, I have been able to help countless patients but there have also been those that I have not.

So, if you are not getting the results you want, I recomend bringing this up with your acupuncturist and possibly trying another acupuncturist to see if you get better results. Again, acupuncture has not failed, perhaps only the acupuncturist.

So wait a second. How long does it take for acupuncture to work?

Ok, this is what I tell each new patient.

"Patients respond differently to acupuncture. Some patients respond quickly and start feeling better amost immediately during their first treatment. Others can take a few treatments, 1, 2, or 3 before they start noticing results. And then there are others that take longer to feel a result. The vast majority of patients I treat get results that improve their condition and quality of life. So, my best advise is to give acupuncture a chance and get several treatments in the next week or two. If you respond quickly, great! If you respond slowly then you know it will take a bit more commitment to get the results you need."