When should you get acupuncture, and how many treatments do you need?
The first question, when to get acupuncture, is easy: ANYTIME!*
*Exception: if it is a medical emergency, go to your local emergency room, not your acupuncturist.
Really, anytime you aren’t faced with a medical emergency is a good time for acupuncture.
It is a good idea to get acupuncture if something hurts or doesn’t feel right – the sooner, the better. Typically a treatment soon after a new injury or ailment (i.e., symptoms that started just days or a few weeks ago) will resolve much more quickly than something that has been nagging you for many months or years. So come in and take care of it right away. You might only need one treatment, or you might need a few. Just depends on how your body responds to treatment.
If something has been bothering you for a long time (several months or years) then it’s also a REALLY GOOD IDEA to get acupuncture so that you finally get some relief. The progress may be a bit slow depending on your condition, and it will likely take a series of treatments – 8-12 is a good starting point. If the problem is chronic it will likely require some long-term maintenance beyond that initial 8-12 treatments. Start with a handful of treatments and see how you respond, and then continue as needed, adjusting the treatment frequency based on your response.
Feeling good? You can still get a treatment as a preventative health measure so that you continue feeling good. We’re especially happy to treat any underlying tendencies or weak spots in order to prevent those issues from occurring, even if they’re currently not bothering you.
How many treatments you need depends on your particular health condition and on how you are responding to treatments.
We provide a treatment plan on your first visit or when you come in for a new condition and we haven’t seen you in a while. The treatment plan is a suggestion of the frequency of the number of treatments and the total number of treatments at that frequency. As you continue with acupuncture we will adjust the plan based on your response to the treatments. As you feel better, you can space your treatments further apart and discontinue when you feel sufficient relief. Ultimately the treatment plan is a suggestion based on what we think
would be most beneficial for you to make good progress, but if you don’t follow it perfectly that’s okay. You are in charge of your body and you get to decide when you want and need acupuncture, and when you feel done or ready for a break. We’re here to help, so feel free to make an appointment anytime you’re in need.