I get asked the question, “How often should I get treated?” every single week. I , more often than not, answer the question with getting treated in the range of once per week to once per month or “as needed”. But, it depends. I think anything in that range is beneficial to keep the body healthy and produce effective results for my patients, but every person is different and responds differently to acupuncture. You certainly don’t have to have an issue or be in pain to benefit from regular acupuncture. It is valuable to receive acupuncture as a regular wellness treatment. Wellness, to be clear, is not just living, but thriving physically, mentally/emotionally, and socially.
People who’ve never experienced acupuncture treatment may not be familiar with how it works and when it is most effective. I certainly can and do treat people who come to me with specific health concerns after they have arisen, such as back pain. Some people also try acupuncture after failing to get relief from other forms of medicine/treatments. If I treat a patient with an issue, and he or she feels fantastic, then that’s great! It’s perfectly fine to use acupuncture as a means of a maintenance session for whatever issue you may have. That could looks like “as needed treatments”, meaning a patient has an issue pop up and needs some acupuncture to get it healed up. Once the issue is resolved or improved, then the patient goes on with their day-to-day life and sees me when the issue starts to come back. However, acupuncture works best as a preventative form of treatment and is intended to keep the body from falling out of balance or becoming vulnerable to an illness or injury. For that reason, it can be worthwhile to consider regular acupuncture treatments, so that you can get the greatest benefits that acupuncture has to offer.
Regular acupuncture treatment can deliver a range of health and wellness benefits. First and foremost, acupuncture can help regulate the body’s immune system, which allows the body to be stronger overall. This means that the patient will be far less likely to fall ill with a cold or flu. Regular acupuncture can also alleviate chronic pain that, left untreated, may profoundly compromise one’s quality of life. At the same time, acupuncture can also increase one’s energy levels, reduce stress, and induce a sense of calm and emotional stability. My patients usually report enjoying better sleep and digestion as a result of their treatment, as well.
There seems to be a misconception about acupuncture, however. Acupuncture is not a cure-all. I often hear from people that they expect acupuncture to cure everything in one visit. This is very rare, and it’s the reason for this blog post. I have had numerous patients who have responded tremendously well to a single treatment, and the results lasted a long time. Normally, it takes a couple of treatments to dial down the issue that’s impacting a patient’s health. Everyone is different in how they respond to acupuncture. If you choose to get regular acupuncture treatments to enhance you quality of life, it will be time well spent!