How often do I need acupuncture? And for how long will I need acupuncture? Well, it depends.
The short answer:
Like all modalities of healing, having the right dosage is key. We can’t expect to get strong with one weight training session or flexible with one yoga class. Medications are often taken daily to constantly give our body what it needs. Generally, acute conditions need fewer treatments than conditions that have lingered for months, years or even decades. Here at Wild Blossom Acupuncture in Madison, WI, like many other acupuncture clinics, we typically start with having treatments weekly. Sometimes we hear of miraculous improvements from just one treatment. Although those are wonderful, it is not typical. For lasting improvement, expect about 5-10 treatments to start off followed by some form of maintenance.
The Long Answer:
Here is what to know about the acupuncture treatments to better understand how we determine how frequently to recommend treatment. On the day of treatment, the session will continue to settle into your body even after you leave. You might feel an immediate effect on how you're feeling. Often you'll notice a positive change in the next day or two. Some people need a few sessions to build up to start noticing a change in their condition. Either way, if too much time lapses between these initial treatments, your body has a tendency to go back to what it is used to as the effects of the treatment starts to wear off.
The treatments will build upon each other and last longer and longer. If they are too far apart in the beginning, a seesaw effect is created and the benefits are not able to build up to provide even more relief. This is why in the beginning we often recommend coming in once a week for 4-6 weeks. Sometimes we recommend stacking the first 3 appointments in a span of 7-10 days.
Healing is not linear so there will still be some ups and downs, but we want to see the trend of your condition getting better. You should expect to have more good days or moments and less bad days / moments. The good days will start to get better and the bad ones, not as bad. It is important to remember that what will stand out are those bad moments. During those times, ask yourself, when was the last time I felt this way? And was it this intense or even more so?
After a course of 4-6 treatments, we re-evaluate where you're at with respect to your goal. Often the next course of action is to move the treatments apart to every other week, then when timing is right to every 3 or 4 weeks. At this point, many clients choose to "graduate" from acupuncture because they are happy with where they are at healthwise.
Other factors in your life will also play into how long the acupuncture treatments last. It is incredibly beneficial to combine acupuncture with massage, physical therapy, chiropractic care, mental health therapy, good sleep, proper hydration and diet. On the flip side, if you’re feeling great after your treatment and go push yourself, that’ll slow down the process. This mistake actually happens often! We can feel really good after an acupuncture treatment and want to dive back into doing what we haven’t been able to for a bit.
Personally, my goal is to have acupuncture once a month. I recognize that I am biased. I use acupuncture to treat everything: my chronic back pain, my often recurring acute neck pain, irritability and sadness around my cycle, and even deeper soul level healing. Going 4 weeks between treatments feels good to me. When I go too long between treatments, any of my health concerns start to flare and I need more frequent acupuncture.
Many of our clients take a pause from acupuncture and then return later if something new arises. How you want to move forward is always totally up to you.
To recap, how long and how frequently you need acupuncture depends on a lot of factors. A good starting point is weekly for 4-6 weeks. This will give you a good idea of what acupuncture can do for you. And if you’re here in Madison, Wisconsin and are ready to give acupuncture a try, feel free to reach out!