FAQ: How often do I need to get acupuncture?
One of the more common questions people ask before starting acupuncture is, “How often do I need acupuncture?” This is a great question! It’s important to know what you’re signing up for, the be able to budget your time and money for your care, and to decide if you’re ready to start this new type of treatment.
Unfortunately, the short answer to this question is often unsatisfying: it depends. There are a lot of factors that contribute to the success of a treatment plan and a lot of variables that can impact the progress! So, let's dig a bit deeper into the question, and then I will give some general recommendations towards the end of the entry.
In this entry, you’ll find info on:
Background info & context
Suggested frequency for appointments
Will I need to get acupuncture forever?
Frequency for herbs, food therapy, and other treatments
Frequency for Health & Wellness Coaching
Background & Context
As always, I like to start answering any question by giving a bit of background information to help give context to my answer.
The first important thing to understand is that the effects of acupuncture and Chinese medicine are cumulative - they aren't an instant cure! This means you will almost always need multiple appointments to have lasting effects.
Key point: the effects of acupuncture and Chinese medicine are cumulative.
People often feel a big improvement on the day of or the day after their appointment, which is great! This is always my goal. But, symptoms often (though not always!) start returning in the days after - which is normal and expected. What we pay close attention to is how soon the symptoms return and if the symptoms are the same as before or if they are different. This information is important so that we can tailor the treatment plan to you.
Lasting results will take more than one visit. Each visit reminds your body of new ways of being. Gradually, the time you feel better will last longer and longer, and your appointments will be further apart. Eventually, you will be able to come monthly, seasonally, or even only as needed.
The goal is to have your next appointment before your symptoms start returning. If we space your appointments so that your symptoms are allowed to return, we’ll likely not make progress - instead, we’ll just yo-yo between improvement and sliding back into symptoms. I like to describe to patients that having regular appointments, in the beginning, helps keep up the momentum of improvement.
Getting acupuncture is a way of retraining your body and brain, which doesn’t happen overnight.
One thing that can dramatically change how soon you notice improvement - and how long your improvement lasts! - are your self-care practices at home. After your initial visit, I send you a visit summary with your Chinese medicine diagnosis and several practices you can try at home to help continue your care. People who put at least two of these self-care techniques into practice almost always see more significant, longer-lasting improvements!
It’s helpful to think of acupuncture and Chinese medicine like other habits that are good for our health.
You aren't instantly more fit after going to the gym once - the benefits happen with consistently working out.
Eating fruits and vegetables doesn't have much of an immediate effect on our health, but including them in our diet in the long term will dramatically improve our health.
Meditating once may bring us more awareness at that moment, but regularly meditating can (literally!) change the structure of our brain.
When you're given a prescription for medication, you don't (or shouldn't!) stop taking it as soon as symptoms disappear - it is essential to continue until the course of medication is complete.
You usually won’t feel cured after your first visit to a physical therapist; you need several visits - and to do your exercises at home! - to see lasting improvements.
You get the idea! While you will notice improvement after your first visit, it will likely take several visits to have more lasting change.
Suggested frequency of appointments
To get the full benefit of acupuncture, you should plan on getting it - at a minimum! - once a week for several weeks. A general starting point for how long to expect to get acupuncture weekly:
At least 4 weeks for something acute (like a new injury)
6+ weeks for a chronic condition
2-3 full menstrual cycles (at minimum) if you're working on improving menstrual cycles or fertility
After that, we’ll reevaluate and see how things are going. Of course, everyone has different schedules and budgets, but generally, to see lasting results, your best bet is to plan on visiting regularly in the beginning!
Will I need to get acupuncture forever?
No! Hearing that you’ll need multiple visits can often feel scary - or expensive. How will you know when to stop? Will you need to visit every week forever to feel better?
My goal is always to space out appointments for you as soon as possible while maintaining your progress. As much as I enjoy seeing people, I never want people to feel like they have to see me every week forever to maintain their improvement! On the other hand, I don’t want people to sabotage their progress by not coming often enough. I will always be honest with you and offer my recommendation, and I am happy to answer your questions about the treatment plan.
But I also trust you to know your body (and schedule and budget!) best. I believe that you are the best judge of what your body needs. Spacing your appointments out further is sometimes a good way to “test” your progress and teach trust in your body, too! We will always work collaboratively to figure out your best treatment schedule.
Long-term patients will often transition to getting acupuncture monthly or seasonally. Think of these visits as “check-ins” or preventative care. This allows us to stay on top of changes you may be experiencing and catch problems early on.
What if I am taking herbs, practicing food therapy, or need help with other self-care practices?
Existing patients who are taking herbs or following food therapy plans will also typically visit monthly or every few months to make sure their recommendations are current. It is also possible to have quick (virtual or in-person) check-ins for self-care practices, with acupuncture appointments added as needed. Because your treatment plan is customized to you, there are many ways we can make it work for you, your schedule, and your budget!
How often do we meet for Health & Wellness Coaching?
When people are starting with Lifestyle & Wellness Coaching, we typically meet every 2 weeks for 4 visits, then space out visits as needed. We will continue to meet while you are working on your goals; this can sometimes be for a few months for smaller goals, or can be longer for larger goals. These visits are purposely spaced out more so that you have time to implement these practices in your day-to-day life and have time to reflect on what changes you notice. These appointments include my responses to your journal entries in the portal, where you regularly update your progress between visits.
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