How many acupuncture treatments will I need?
How to get result from acupuncture
Many acupuncture patients are concerned with length and cost of therapy. Patients want to know, "When am I going to get better?", "How much is this going to cost?" Knowing how the acupuncture process works can help patients answer those questions for themselves and take control of their acupuncture healing process.
When can I expect to see results with acupuncture?
It is fairly impossible to predict how quickly any one person's body will respone to acupuncture, but in my experience in treating thousands of patients I can offer the following insights. The greater majority of patients start feeling results after 1 to 3 acupuncture therapy sessions. This does not mean their symptoms are gone, only that those symptoms such as pain are less severe, more managable, they can sleep more restfully, their outlook is brighter, they are having more "good days" than before. These patients have a good response to acupuncture which suggests that as they continue acupuncture therapy they will continue to get better and better results.
If you don't start feeling results after 1 to 3 acupuncture therapy sessions don't worry. Be patient, sometimes you'll just need more acupuncture therapy sessions in order to accurately target your problem. Just like people are not all the same, pain, stress, and other symptoms can vary and it may just take more attempts to start getting noticeable relief.
Patients in outstanding health with simple, acute problems can sometimes only require only 2 to 3 acupuncture therapy sessions to resolve a problem. Typically most patients require longer courses of acupuncture therapy divided into 3 stages - the 3 stages of acupuncture care.
The 3 Stages of Acupuncture Care (the healing process)
The first thing to take into account, when learning about your acupuncture healing process is getting to know the 3 Stages of Acupuncture Care.
- Relief Stage
- Healing Stage
- Maintenance Stage
All patients start at the Relief Stage. As the name implies, at this stage in the acupuncture healing process your acupuncture therapy provides you relief from your primary symptoms such as pain or discomfort, stress, tension, anxiety, depression, low energy or poor sleep. At the Relief Stage, patients receive acupuncture therapy 3 to 5 times a week in order to get symptoms under control so that patients have more "good days" then they did before.
As patients respond to acupuncture and are getting consistant relief of symptoms with better sleep and mood, they transition naturally from the Relief Stage to the Healing Stage. Again as the name implies, at this stage in the acupuncture healing process your acupuncture therapy sessions provide your body the framework to make self-corrections, adjustments, or repairs to the root cause of your symptoms. Patients receive acupuncture therapy 2 times per week during the Healing Stage.
Once patients are fairly symptom free they enter the Maintenance Stage. At this stage patients receive acupuncture therapy once a week or once every other week if they are pretty much symptom-free. These treatments allow the body to maintain good health, keep symptoms from comming back or catch them and quickly correct them if they do. These treatments further help patients manage stress, maintain productive sleep and keep a brighter outlook on life.
So how many acupuncture therapy sessions am I going to need?
The number of acupuncture therapy sessions at each stage or the length of time spent at each stage depends on a number of factors.
- The length of time you have had the problem
- Whether or not you can avoid aggrevating the problem
- Your overall level of health (The number of other health problems you have)
- Your stress level, workload, responsibilities, and home environment
- How well you respond to acupuncture
You will make quicker progress if you stick to and follow your acupuncture therapy plan, keeping your appointments and keeping an open mind. Keeping an open mind allows you to know when acupuncture is working. Also, do your best to avoid doing whatever aggrevates the problem.
How I approach the acupuncture healing process
I am interested in getting you better as quickly as possible so that you can cut back on the frequency of your acupuncture treatments. I want you to get so much better that you can discountinue acupuncture treatment as quickly as possible. Any acupuncture therapy plan I make for you is my suggestion. After a few acupuncture treatments, it is my hope that you can figure out what acupuncture therapy plan or frequency of acupuncture therapy will work best for you.
Finally, please understand there are some problems that may require ongoing acupuncture therapy to provide you relief. These problems typically are those with structural changes to the body. Acupuncture often cannot correct these changes but can provide some relief. If your problem falls within this catagory I will be up front with you and let you know how much acupuncture therapy can help you and the course of acupuncture therapy that can provide you relief.
I suffer from still dieseas, will l benefit from having acupuncture
If you are wondering weather or not acupuncture can help your condition the best advise I give patients is find an acupuncturist, make an appointment, get evaluated and follow through with the treatment program.
The wonderful thing about acupuncture is that many people find it provides benefit. The other wonderful thing about acupuncture is that the worst that can happen is nothing at all. But you must give acupuncture a chance to work so follow your acupuncturists treatment program and see how acupuncture helps you.
@Susan Machona: My best medical advise is to give acupuncture a try. See my comment below. Best wishes for better health!
HAD A COURSE OF THREE ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT TWO WEEKS AGO AND GOT ALOT OF RELIEF FROM IT HAVE ARTHRITIS IN MY KNEES ALSO TAKING HERBAL TABLETS THE CONSULTANT ADVISED I SHOULD TAKE, SHE ALSO GAVE ME A DIET SHEET OF THE FOOD I SHOULD EAT IT FOR BREAKFAST NO DAIRY NO MILK, YOGURT,BUTTER CHEESE, NO FRUIT- JUST FRUIT FOR LUNCH AND EVENING MEAL NO SALAD (RAW FOOD) NO FRUIT ONLY EAT FRUIT BETWEEN MEALS AS A SNACK. FINDING THIS DIET HARD TO KEEP TO WHAT DO YOU THINK .
Mostly I don't give strict dietary guidelines to my patients. If patients eat out frequently then I advise them to cook at home more frequently. If patient have an over consumption of sugar (sugary drinks, pastries, ice cream) I ask them to cut down and limit this consumption. I tell patients a diet that is low in fat or low in carbohydrates is adequate to maintain good health. Either choice means there is a larger focus on vegetables or both fruits and vegetables.
Keeping a diet simple with a few fresh ingredients is a great way to live.
@MAUREEN: Limiting dairy can be beneficial for many people. Eating cooked vegetables instead of salads can also be beneficial for many people. Many people find this changes can help improve their health. If you find it challenging to stick to this diet please consult with your practitioner to find out what modifications can be made so that it is easier to adhere to the diet changes.
hello i have very painful neuropathy i have now had five treatments with no relief should i continue and for how long
@gordon hayes: This is my approach to healing very painful neuropathy. If the pain level is so severe that the patient has never felt that level of pain before I treat them everyday until the pain level stabilizes at a lower level. Then I continue treatment at three times a week for two to three weeks. If at that time the pain level has diminished significantly I continue treatment at once weekly until the problem is resolved. Then the patient returns for two to three more treatments over the the next 30 days to strengthen the body and make sure the neuropathy stays away.
Thank you for talking about the different things to look for when deciding how long you'll need acupuncture treatment. I have been having a lot of pain for the last two weeks. I will find a great place for acupuncture nearby. https://holisticacupuncture.net/pain/
@Dawn Kitai: Please feel free to visit the Academy of Acupuncture Practitioner locator https://theacademyofacupuncture.com/acupuncturist-locations/
Or search for a Balance Method Acupuncture practitioner near you.
How interesting that there are different stages of acupuncture. I have been having a lot of pain in my legs this month. I will find an excellent place for acupuncture nearby for this. https://www.northbalwynchiropractic.com.au/services