Our bodies are able to heal themselves; however, sometimes we just need a little help and support. Acupuncture is an amazing and natural way to help support our bodies! If you decide to receive acupuncture, please allow multiple treatments to take full advantage of all the benefits. Just like if you decide to sign up for a race, chances are you’re not just going out and running that day (and for those of you who do that… just imagine how much smoother the race/ run would go if you did actually train!). Training is an important part of race day because it strengthens muscles, increases cardiac and respiratory output, and reduces risk of injuries. Acupuncture is similar in that multiple sessions may be needed to help train your body to heal itself.

Generally people will receive 1-2 acupuncture appointments the first couple weeks, then 1/week for a couple more weeks, then 1 every other week, then 1 every 3 weeks, etc. The goal of acupuncture is to get on a maintenance schedule of 1 treatment every month or so. This helps keep the meridians open and flowing, your pain reduced, and you feeling more alert and calm. Acute conditions will most likely get to the maintenance stage quicker than chronic conditions but each and every person responds differently. So I always encourage my patients to have grace with themselves in the healing process. Our bodies go through so much every day, and that’s not even talking about the injuries, traumas, and severe illnesses we undergo as well.

According to the awesome acupuncture newspaper, Acupuncture Today, “In an official report, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the following symptoms, diseases and conditions that have been shown through controlled trials to be treated effectively by acupuncture:”

• low back pain
• neck pain
• sciatica
• tennis elbow
• knee pain
• periarthritis of the shoulder
• sprains
• facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
• headache
• dental pain
• tempromandibular (TMJ) dysfunction
• rheumatoid arthritis
• induction of labor
• correction of malposition of fetus (breech presentation)
• morning sickness
• nausea and vomiting
• postoperative pain
• stroke
• essential hypertension
• primary hypotension
• renal colic
• leucopenia
• adverse reactions to radiation or chemotherapy
• allergic rhinitis, including hay fever
• biliary colic
• depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
• acute bacillary dysentery
• primary dysmenorrhea
• acute epigastralgia
• peptic ulcer
• acute and chronic gastritis

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Phew, what a list! If you have any of these conditions or know someone who does, I highly encourage you to check out your local acupuncturist. Or at least have a conversation with them and see what they think of your condition and possible treatment plan. And I’ll say, I know acupuncture to have great success with so many more conditions not listed.

Acupuncture can do amazing things for you, but you have to give it a chance.