It depends! How many treatments, their frequency, and the length of time it will take to feel better is highly variable from person to person and from condition to condition. Many patients feel some benefits immediately after treatment (i.e. reduced pain level, improved mobility, feeling of well-being or relaxation). For some patients and conditions, it can take 24-48 hours to feel the maximum benefit of an acupuncture treatment.
The effects of acupuncture are cumulative over time, with each treatment building on the effects and benefits of the previous one. In practice, what this means is that consistency and commitment to the treatment plan are key to achieving the best possible treatment outcomes.
At Mind + Body Acupuncture & Wellness, we first work to determine the root cause of why your body is not able to heal itself and to what degree acupuncture and herbal medicine can help you. This may take a few visits as we need to establish how quickly your body will respond to treatment, which requires that we observe the effects of 1-3 treatments. Based on this information, we will then develop a personalized treatment plan for you. We offer substantial discounts through treatment packages that include multiple sessions in order to support you in making a meaningful commitment to your healing journey.
A great deal of the benefit of Chinese medicine comes from adjustment of lifestyle, which happens outside of the clinic, in your everyday life. Following your acupuncturist’s recommendations with respect to lifestyle adjustments such as getting adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition as well as stress reduction, supplements and herbs makes a massive difference in how quickly and completely you are able to heal, recover, and thrive.
How Long Will My Appointment Take?
New patient appointments take 75-90 minutes, a little longer than repeat visits. This includes filling out paperwork, a thorough intake interview, review of medical history, labs and other medical records, taking of vital signs (blood pressure, blood oxygen level, heart rate), and Chinese medicine diagnostics (pulse taking, tongue and face reading) as well as a complete acupuncture and/or tuina treatment. Other modalities such as cupping, moxibustion and gua sha may also be included at the discretion of your practitioner.
Repeat acupuncture and tuina patient appointments take an average of 60-75 minutes, depending on individual needs. Personalized recommendations for lifestyle modifications, targeted supplementation, herbal medicine and ongoing treatment plans will be presented to you once we have established how responsive your body is to treatment (see previous question). Frequency of treatment also varies. The highest frequency of treatment we will recommend is 2-3 sessions per week, but on average sessions are recommended 1-2 times per week for most patients. As the treatments take effect, frequency of treatment typically decreases over time (going from once a week to once every two weeks to once a month, etc.).
Pediatric visits are shorter, since children under age 12 require fewer needles and much shorter needle retention time. These visits may need to be scheduled more frequently than adult acupuncture visits as children’s physiology changes much more rapidly as compared to adults.
In order to avoid delays in your appointment, we request that you arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment start time in order to fill out intake paperwork.