Many people have one question when seeking an acupuncture treatment: How many treatments will I need?

The number of acupuncture sessions that you need is dependent on what you are being treated for and how long it has been a health concern for you.

Acute conditions such as a sprain or back pain, as a result of recent trauma, might only take one to three sessions until you see improvements. Chronic or internal health issues, such as long-term indigestion or insomnia, cannot be fixed in one session. Acupuncture is not a miracle fix; it is a form of therapy and may take many sessions. You will feel the effects of acupuncture progressively, bettering with each session. To get a better prediction of how many sessions you might need, you can participate in several sessions in order to determine how you’re responding to the therapy.

Patients should know that to cure most conditions, ranging from joint or muscle pain to stress or lack of sleep, you’ll need to attend more than just one acupuncture session. Acupuncture is similar to physical therapy: you have to attend several appointments with your doctor before you feel improvements.

So how do you know how many sessions you’ll need to schedule? Each person is different, and in most cases, how many sessions you need will depend on who you are. Acupuncture is also about using your judgement: if you find that one session wasn’t satisfactory for you, schedule another appointment to see if more frequent treatments address your problem.

Acupuncture patients report that the effects of their acupuncture sessions are often cumulative, which means you’ll likely feel better and better with each treatment. Frequency can be the key to success and acupuncture sessions are often encouraged as side-by-side treatments for chronic issues with your doctor.

Some patients respond very well to acupuncture and see great results in just a few sessions. However, others might have a strong pattern of disharmony in their bodies and show resistance to treatment, therefore needing more sessions to break through the energetic blockage.

The first step towards your healing is scheduling the first appointment. Call WellStream Acupuncture today at 323-620-4934 to get started.