How Many Visits Will I Need?

This is an excellent question that is extremely difficult to answer. 

We all want results yesterday, and when we try something new that is often unfamiliar, like acupuncture, if we don't see immediate results, we start to wonder if it's worth our time and money. At the same time, most of us understand that if we want to lose weight, build strength, or change the shape of our bodies, we don't expect these things to happen after just one trip to the gym. 

(If you're not getting the results you want, you may want to check out this blog post "Why Acupuncture Doesn't Work".)

Then, sometimes, the opposite happens. We get an acupuncture treatment, immediately feel better, and then, in the next day or two, we're basically back to feeling the way we did. 

Even though I'm a doctor, I'm also a patient of acupuncture, and I've had the experience of getting treatments that didn't make me feel immediately better.  However, I have the advantage of understanding the medicine, so I don't doubt that my condition will improve; I just know that for my most serious concerns (complex migraines), it simply takes time.

Below are three reasons we may not get results the way we expect.

1. Sometimes, we are lacking in resources.

Many of us have been conditioned to “suck it up” or just be “tough”. A common mentality amongst Americans is that they can sleep when they’re dead and that more is always better. This is having untold effects on our collective health in the way of depleted resources.

In this blog post, I explain how we find ourselves with chronic disease by depleting our mediumship. While sometimes, we can be born with deficient mediumship, it’s more common that we deplete it through our western diets and go-go lifestyle.

Despite that I believe that it is possible that people can heal with one treatment, in more cases than not, patients need help rebuilding what has worn down over time before treatments for the main complaint can be effective. Until our bodies have the mediumship that it needs to function—which comes from acupuncture, herbs, rest, and dietary changes—we’re not likely to see a change in our condition.

2. Acupuncture is like training a dog.

A very young puppy can be trained to sit in a day, no problem. But if you don't practice sitting with your puppy for a week or two and then ask the pup to sit, he's not likely to know what you're asking. The idea is that just like in the case of the puppy, your body needs "practice".

Acupuncture is sending a message that, as we are building resources, our bodies have the tools it need to heal itself. It just needs to be reminded (practice).

3. Lifestyle factors.

I've seen patients who are just not ready to change their lifestyle, and that's okay. We all come to things in our own time, and I believe it's my responsibility to keep planting those seeds, even if patients aren't there yet. But that will often affect the outcome of the treatments. (See #1 above and “How Fitspiration Is Killing Our Health”).

Very often, Chinese medicine recommendations are not "on trend". Green juice, raw or vegan diets, daily HIIT workouts, hot yoga, and living on coffee and protein shakes are all very popular these days, but they're very depleting and really not great for most people's health.

Are there people that can do these things and be ok for awhile? Absolutely. That's what we call a strong constitution, and lucky them! But there are a good number of complaints that stem from following those trends, including infertility, high blood pressure and digestive and skin problems, just to name a few.

Some acupuncturists choose not to make lifestyle recommendations, especially when it comes to food, but eating is something that we do multiple times a day, and I subscribe to the belief that what we do consistently is more important than what we do occasionally and so diet is the perfect way to do that! Building better resources will absolutely help acupuncture treatments be more effective, as well as help the results last longer.