How Many Acupuncture Treatments Will I Need?

Mar 4

Dr. Lauren Favreau of Rune Acupuncture in New Gloucester Maine specializing in Acupuncture for Emotional Wellness, Chronic Pain, Digestive Health, and Women's Wellness

Transparency, trust, and clear communication are three (of many) things I prioritize establishing in the relationships I build with my patients.

Making sure they know what to expect before agreeing to a treatment plan is something I take seriously because I want each person I care for to not only feel confident about working together—but be clear about what that entails since Acupuncture works as a progressive process rather than a 1 or 2 visit fix.

In fact, understanding the number/frequency of visits realistically needed for the most successful outcomes is so important that I make it a point to disclose these aspects of care on our website’s FAQ page, in my Informed Consent paperwork, as well as in-person during your Initial Consult.

So if you are a new patient scheduled to meet with me soon, or are thinking about trying Acupuncture eventually, now you can gain even more insight into these logistics here too. I hope you find this explanation useful to consider if Acupuncture would be right for you.

So! Here’s the first thing to keep in mind…

How Acupuncture Works: It’s No Secret

In order to answer “How many treatments will I need?” it’s essential to understand the intention of Acupuncture which is: to treat the underlying root causes to symptoms by restoring balance to the body’s organs and nervous system.

It does this by activating their healing responses, regulating the sympathetic stress response, plus mobilizing circulation.

Treating the root cause not only helps to keep your symptoms away, but preventatively strengthens your body so they are less likely to come back altogether or full-force in the future. This is how Acupuncture creates an elevated foundation for your health so you can experience lasting shifts to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

That is why, if there is one thing to keep in mind when considering whether you should “try” it or not, it’s this:

Acupuncture works cumulatively.

Cumulatively, as in, your treatments and their effects need to build on one another to become long-lasting shifts to your health.

Just like learning a new skill or working towards any goal, consistency is key.

Since Acupuncture, at it’s core, is changing the way your nervous system communicates with your body (by shifting it from a reactive - stressed - inflamed fight-or-flight state to one that is more inclined to calmly respond - rest - digest - and regulate itself ) treatments that are scheduled at a regular interval and more closely together at the beginning gives the nervous system the reliable messaging it needs to remind your body how to heal itself on its own.

The longer you have had __________(insert diagnosis/symptoms here) the more treatments it will take for this shift to happen.

This aspect of Acupuncture is no secret, it’s universal.

In my professional opinion, any seasoned clinician should explain this on your first visit, so whether you get Acupuncture with me or someone else, the same expectation applies.

Choose Your Adventure

When creating a treatment plan, my intention is to help you get effective, lasting relief in the most efficient time frame possible.

To achieve this, it’s not just the number of treatments that matters, but the frequency that you come in to receive them.

Put it this way, would you rather get Acupuncture 2x/week for a month and be able to live your life with a major reduction (and potential resolution) in symptoms?

Or would you rather come in once a week for several months and prolong the relief you want?

I say this because the beginning of your care is the most important phase for accumulating progress.

The longer the time span between your initial visits, the less likely it is that your body will respond well to care, ie. adapt to the messaging Acupuncture is trying to provide it with. I know this from experience…

When I was just starting out in practice, I admit I was too nervous to tell patients what to expect. I wouldn’t ask them to come in to more frequent sessions because I figured they would find it too much of an inconvenience. My early-day efforts to “save” them time and resources by coming in just once a week ended up costing them in more in dissatisfaction because they did not get the results they were hoping for. Let’s just say I learned that lesson quickly! I learned to step into my role as a clinician which meant letting patients know what to expect so that I could confidently guide them through each phase of their healing process—like I do today.

Moral of that story: “Trying” Acupuncture by dabbling in occasional or erratically scheduled visits does not set you up for drastic results.

This is why I rarely ever work with people on a once-a-week basis any more. It’s the slow and drawn-out route where you can feel good for 1-3 days after your first session, but then by the time I see you the following week (5-7 days later) you & your symptoms are right back to square one.

There’s no momentum, just a see-saw of momentary relief reverting back to baseline imbalances.

That scenario ends up being a waste of your time and resources. You don’t want that & neither do I.

Instead, here is the treatment frequency that most Acupuncturists require (including me) to build sustainable progress:

2x/week for 2-3 weeks for chronic but straightforward conditions
2x/week for 3-4 weeks for chronic/complicated conditions
2x/week for 1-2 weeks for an acute issues

The first week is a jump-start. I imagine your internal dialogue being like, “Hmm, is this really worth getting into…let’s see.”

By the second week, most people (with a chronic condition, let’s say) are pleasantly surprised. This is when you’ll be thinking: “Is it just me, or is my ______ not as bad? I guess I’ll keep going.”

The third week, most patients can experience a significant improvement in their symptoms.
These sessions are to make sure your body can hold onto the progress we’ve accumulated before spacing things out.

That is why I encourage you to choose your adventure wisely.

Do you want the condensed/efficient route or the prolonged and potentially frustrating one?

My hope is you pick the former—the one that will set you up for success.

General Guidelines

If you are looking to “try” Acupuncture, as you read, it takes more than 1-2 treatments to start noticing lasting results.

You can notice short-term benefits even after the first or second session (reduced tension - improved sleep - smoother digestion - lighter mood being the most common) but again, in order for those changes to become more significant and long-term, the above frequency is needed.

As for how many treatments you’ll need, in *general* here is what you can anticipate:

For more acute conditions:

it takes about of 4-6 sessions to accumulate lasting progress before receiving treatments on a maintenance basis.

For more chronic and complicated conditions:

at least 8-10 treatments is when most patients start noticing long-term changes before transitioning to a maintenance basis.

For women’s health conditions related to regulating/improving your period:

it takes about 3 months (cycles) of care to effect lasting shifts, however some women still notice significant changes after 1 month.

Maintenance: Passing the Torch

Once the initial accumulation of treatments is done and you are at a place (what I call the “tipping point”) when your symptoms are much better than when you began (and they’re staying) we will start to taper/space treatments out. This marks the start of your maintenance phase.

Maintenance can look like 1x/week for 2-3 weeks then 1x/month, 1x/season, but it’s different for each person.

It’s when the torch is officially passed, putting more of the emphasis on you to “run with” (as I call it) the suggestions I offer to compliment your in-office treatments so your progress stays. By this point in their care, the majority of my patients are able to manage and prevent their symptoms.

Final Thoughts

As you read, Acupuncture is undeniably a commitment that requires trust in the process—and I don’t take either of those things lightly.

Here at Rune, I emphasize offering at-home care to compliment and nurture your healing process beyond our time together. Acupuncture is a potent blend of physical and energetic medicine but that doesn’t mean it should become a long-term crutch for what’s bothering you. In my opinion, I wouldn’t be doing my job very well if that was the case. My goal is to give you the most effective care in the most efficient time frame.

So if you are looking for personalized, holistic guidance to create a foundation for well-being that goes beyond treating the surface of your symptoms, I look forward to collaborating.

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