acupuncture how often

Patients often ask how often they should have acupuncture treatments; this can vary greatly depending on your overall health and the condition being treated. Acupuncturists love it when patients have a quick cure, but this is not often the case. Healing is a process, and it is going to take as long as it is going to take. We make community acupuncture affordable so that you can get all of the treatments you truly need. These estimations are for acupuncture and herbal therapies used together to maximize results.

1st-Acupuncture is rarely a one treatment cure. While you may experience relief in one treatment, it is important to follow your acupuncturists advice on how often and how many treatments they recommend in order to experience true healing. Your licensed acupuncturist has a great deal of clinical experience to draw off of, so follow their advice.

2nd-If you have a couple of acupuncture treatments and find pain relief, don't just stop acupuncture. Many patients find quick relief and then want to "see how things go", acting against, or without their acupuncturist's advice. The problem here is that you lose the momentum built by the first couple of treatments and are basically starting all over when the pain returns.

3rd-While we will let you know when we feel that you have finished a course of treatment, it is still okay to come and have an acupuncture treatment to relieve stress or just relax. Acupuncture can be used as preventative care treatment to keep the body in balance and healthy; you do not have to be sick or injured to enjoy the benefits of acupuncture!

Trauma or acute pain-

If you have recently suffered from any sort of trauma including a fall, a strained muscle, a sprain, or other incidents that have just occurred, you will likely need acupuncture for 5-10 consecutive days. This will likely be enough treatment and you will be sent on your way if you do not need to address any other health care issues.

If you have been involved in a major car accident with multiple and serious injuries, you will likely start out with 3 or 4 treatments per week for a month, and then cut back as you heal. In this situation, you will likely rely on acupuncture to speed your healing process over a few months time.

Chronic pain-

If you have been suffering with a pain syndrome for 6 months or more, you will likely start off with 3 treatments a week for a couple of weeks, and then cut back to 2 treatments per week until the condition has been resolved. If the pain has been a part of your life for many years, it is going to take many months to resolve.

Cold or flu-

These are considered acute conditions, and are quickly resolved with acupuncture and herbs, but we ask community acupuncture patients to stay at home out of respect to the other community patients when they have a fever or cough. It is better to purchase herbs ahead of time at the clinic to fend off acute viral infections and have them in your cabinet for the early stages of the infection.

Chronic colds, bronchitis, or fungal infections-

When a patient's immune system has been weakened, they often suffer with chronic viral, fungal, or bacterial infections. This is well understood in Chinese medicine, as these conditions become opportunistic and rely on imbalances in the body in order to thrive. In Chines medicine, someone with a strong constitution, or Wei Qi, will stay well, even when exposed to pathogens. Strengthening the immune system and bringing the body into balance takes time, and patients who have degraded to this point can expect to spend a few months having weekly or biweekly treatments to restore true health.

Chronic internal diseases-

Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, asthma, kidney disease, hypothyroidism, gout, arthritis, and other chronic diseases can be treated using acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy, but it takes time to resolve these issues. Even if you have only been diagnosed with one of these conditions recently, it has likely taken many years for imbalances in the body to manifest themselves as full blown diseases. Expect biweekly treatments for 6 months or more in treating chronic diseases.

Stress, anxiety, depression-

Mental and emotional conditions can be well treated with acupuncture and herbs, but again, the severity will determine the number of treatments and length of therapy required. Many enjoy a treatment from time to time just to reduce minor stress and as part of a wellness agenda. Those with anxiety and depression who are dependant on medications can expect to require several months of bi-weekly treatments to find lasting relief and the ability to rid themselves of pharmaceutical medications.

CA patients have a responsibility

We are providing affordable acupuncture so that you can receive enough acupuncture in close intervals to have great results. It is your responsiblity to come to community acupuncture often enough to have a good outcome.

The community setting requires some flexibility from you. For instance, many patients have a favorite recliner. When we are busy, someone may be sitting in yours. Similarly, we have a few patients who snore. Other patients who dislike snoring bring earplugs to their treatments. We are grateful for this! Some of our patients even bring favorite pillows or blankets from home with them, because they prefer theirs to ours. That's fine with us. Basically, we need you to participate in making yourself comfortable in the community room before we arrive to treat you.

Community-Mindedness

The soothing atmosphere in our clinic exists because all of our patients create it by relaxing together. We appreciate everyone's presence! This kind of collective stillness is a rare and precious thing in our rushed and busy society. Maintaining this reservoir of calm requires that no one talk very much in the clinic space. If you have questions about acupuncture and how it works -- please read Acupuncture is Like Noodles. You can read our clinic copy. Unfortunately, we can't explain what every point does, or how acupuncture works, while we are treating you -- these are very large topics! This is why we provide a monthly class where we can answer all of your questions.

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