How long does acupuncture take to work?
One of the questions I get asked a lot by new patients and people who call me to find out more about the benefits of what I do is how long it takes for acupuncture treatment to work.
It probably won’t come as a surprise to find that the very short and simple answer to that question is: it depends. I know, not helpful, right? Especially if you’re struggling with a condition or problem that’s having a negative impact on your life.
So, let’s delve into that answer just a little bit deeper, because when you’re considering paying for treatment that isn’t available via the NHS you need to have at least a rough idea of the investment you’ll need to make to resolve the problem or problems you’re experiencing.
When I talk about investment, I’m not just talking about the financial implications, either. Getting the benefit from any form of health treatment also requires an investment of time and of effort.
As it happens, it’s those non-financial investments that are part of the answer to the original question of how long it will take for your acupuncture treatment to work.
So, let’s deal with those things first.
Time
Here are a couple of relatively simple rules of thumb that are broadly true for most people:
- The more chronic the condition, the longer it will take to resolve
- The younger you are, the faster you heal – mentally and physically
To state the obvious, what that means in practice is that if you’re a relatively young and otherwise healthy person with a mild condition, it’s likely to be resolved more quickly than if you’re older and relatively healthy with the same condition.
And if you’re young but have a chronic problem, it may take longer to resolve or heal than if you’re older with a less chronic issue.
There are, of course, exceptions – as there are to most rules. But these are basic principles that are true for most of us.
Obviously, the more serious or complex the issue the more acupuncture sessions you’re going to need, but we can all help to speed up our own healing or rehabilitation processes by investing time in our wider health.
Eating well, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, giving up smoking and taking regular exercise all help to reinforce our immune systems, which in turn helps our bodies to recover faster from illness and injury.
Benefits
So, when will you start to feel the benefits of acupuncture if you decide to take a complementary approach to your health?
Many people experience an immediate benefit, others need more than one session to begin to feel better. But just as a pair of shoes need regular polishing to look their best or your stamina improves with regular exercise, so people need regular treatment to improve mental or physical health.
This isn’t just the case for acupuncture, but for all types of medical care. Regular physiotherapy or chiropractic therapy can lead to exponential improvement in musculoskeletal health … and regular acupuncture sessions can lead to better and more sustainable long-term general health, as well as an improvement in specific conditions or issues.
And because acupuncture is an holistic approach to care, it doesn’t just address the health issues you’re aware of, it also helps to heal or improve conditions you don’t know you have.
In fact, there’s so much evidence to show acupuncture can deliver recovery and healing benefit that many private health insurance policies will now cover it – and we all know how insurance companies generally take every opportunity to exclude treatments.
What is a ‘normal’ programme of acupuncture care?
Again, it’s important to stress that every individual patient and every case is different. But let’s use rule of thumb again.
If your condition is acute and is having a significant negative impact on your daily life – for example, you’re in constant debilitating pain – we’d expect to see you daily until we see a measurable improvement in your situation.
If, your condition is chronic and has a significant negative impact on your daily life, then we may recommend you come in for treatment 2 to 3 times a week.
Negative impact on your life with a pain or discomfort score of 5 out of 10 (where 10 is excruciating) may require 1-2 sessions per week, whilst conditions scoring 4 or lower may well be treated effectively once a week.
Mild but chronic issues – e.g. stress and anxiety – may need weekly treatments for a couple of months and then an evaluation review.
Again, it’s important to say your situation may require a different care plan to this, and until we see you for an assessment we won’t ever really know the best approach. But just as you would expect to pay several visits to a clinical health professional for certain issues, the same is true for acupuncture.
The best way to find out how often you need treatment and how long your recovery might be expected to take is to contact us for an informal no-obligation chat. We’re always happy to give advice and guidance where we can.