How Often Should You Get Acupuncture?
Treatment frequency is often an under discussed topic in many areas of healthcare, including acupuncture. A common misconception is that acupuncture is “magic” and can cure an ailment with just one treatment. As amazing as this sounds, it is unlikely your concerns will be gone with just one treatment. Acupuncture is cumulative, similar to working out at the gym. Going once is great, but being consistent is how you get results. So how many treatments will you need?
Every Body Responds Differently to Traditional Chinese Medicine
The number of treatments someone needs entirely depends on the individual. How long have you had the issue? What have you tried? Was there an injury? Do you have a diagnosis? What helps? What makes it worse? How old are you? Are you willing to be consistent with at home care? Will you consider herbal medicine and supplementation if needed?
All of these questions will shift the length of time it will take to feel better. That being said, there are a few guidelines I use to give you an idea of the commitment required by Traditional Chinese medicine.
Chronic Issues and Treatment Frequency
If your health concern has been around for over 6 months, this is considered a chronic issue. Chronic concerns take longer to resolve. This is why it’s crucial not to wait to seek care. If an issue has taken years to develop, we cannot expect a couple of treatments will immediately resolve your complaint.
I generally recommend starting with 6-8 weekly treatments. At that point, we will re-evaluate our treatment plan and see how you’ve progressed. If you have noticed a significant change in symptoms, we then will spread out treatments to every 2 weeks. Here we will continue to work on reducing symptoms, while also working on the root cause of your concerns so the issue does not return. Can your issues resolve prior to 6-8 treatments? Yes! Every body is different. Can your issues take longer than 6-8 treatments to feel relief? Yes. Every body is different! Chronic issues can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months depending on what you are working on. Folks with a chronic disease diagnosis such as endometriosis or degenerative disc disease will benefit from long term care to improve quality of life.
Once your symptoms have resolved or have reached a manageable place, I then recommend once a month “maintenance” treatments. Once a month treatments are highly recommended not only to keep your concern from returning, but to support your overall vitality. Folks who are consistent with their maintenance visits notice that new issues resolve much faster than if they took a break from treatment for 6+ months. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is also preventative medicine. Taking an hour a month to reduce stress, boost energy, and address any new issues that have come up is an incredible way to prevent chronic disease and pain. Your future self will thank you.
Acute Issues and Treatment Frequency
What if your issue is new? If you’ve had a health concern for less than 6 months, this is an acute issue. For acute concerns, I generally recommend 1 month of treatment, 1-2 times per week. At that point if there has been improvement, we will space out the treatments every 2 weeks until the issue has resolved or has become manageable. Then once a month maintenance visits are also recommended to prevent the problem from returning and support vitality.
Healthcare is Forever
Understanding the commitment required when receiving Traditional Chinese medicine treatment can help shift our expectations and perspective on what it means to receive healthcare. I operate my practice in a collaborative way that requires your participation. I may only see you for one hour once a week, so this means that the other 167 hours of your week is time for you to practice life style habits that support your health. I create detailed treatment plans with our goals and care you can do at home. Healthcare shouldn’t be miserable and fleeting. I’m here to guide you and provide tools that help make it a supportive and nourishing part of your daily life.
With care,
Kecia Fox, MSOM, LAc