I get asked this question a lot: “Does acupuncture work?” Based on my experiences and observations of patients receiving acupuncture, as well as many positive research studies, I say, “yes.”
Does it always work, every time, for everything? No. I used to feel bad about this. Then I shadowed physicians on the job. This was fascinating and eye opening. I got to observe each patient interaction and treatment. The treatments didn’t always work.
The patients had the common things: headaches, neck aches, backaches, and body aches. Some had cancer pain.
The most common treatment for these patients was some sort of drug therapy. Do the drug therapies work? Yes. No. Sometimes.
My point is, nothing works all the time for everybody.
Acupuncture, or traditional Chinese medicine, is the longest continuous form of medicine. It started about 3,000 years ago and remains relevant today.
“Can acupuncture fix me in one treatment?” Sometimes. But don’t expect it. It takes more than one dose of a drug to work. One physical therapy session doesn’t usually resolve all issues. Counseling sessions typically involve a number of appointments.
It depends on the issue, but I recommend trying at least five, to possibly ten treatments. I usually see a patient once a week. If a situation is really intense, for example, terrible headaches, twice a week is better.