How many sessions will I need?

This is one of the main questions that most people considering acupuncture have. We are all busy and money doesn’t grow on trees. It is natural to feel impatient and to hope for a dramatic and rapid results from a new treatment.

The short answer to this question is that an “average” initial course of treatment consists of 8-10 sessions, with most noticing a clear benefit within 3-4 sessions. Usually during the initial course of treatment sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis, although in severe cases more frequent treatments are necessary.

Many chronic problems (for example back pain of several years’ duration, lifelong seasonal allergies, or persistent insomnia) require multiple courses of treatment before it is possible to transition to maintenance care.

It is important to remember — you likely didn’t develop your current condition overnight, so it is only logical to assume that you may not heal overnight either. Acupuncture is like eating well or exercising you can’t do it just once and expect it to have a significant and lasting impact on your health. I am results-oriented and my goal is to get you to the point that you can stop treatment or transition to maintenance care as quickly as possible. On the other hand, without exception my patients who have had the best results and who have gone on to truly “graduate” from their pain and health problems are those who have patiently committed to consistent treatment.

I’m a Christian - is Acupuncture against my beliefs?

Acupuncture does not interfere at all with the Christian faith. Acupuncture is rooted in Taoism, which is a philosophy, not a religion. There are no “spiritual” practices involved in this medicine (although some practitioners do choose to blend things like Reiki and other “new age” modalities with Acupuncture, however this is certainly not reflective of the medicine itself) - Acupuncture’s mechanism of action can be seen through entirely scientific lens. Placing needles along nerve pathways and into tense muscles triggers the body to release endorphins and other pain-relieving hormones. This can be seen as fitting into the same realm as a Tens unit, a deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy or Dry Needling from a PT. Relief that occurs with the use of any of these alternative modalities springs from your own internal God-given wisdom to self-regulate and heal.

Moreover, Christians are called to relieve suffering.

“It should go without saying that Christians have an interest in relieving suffering – an interest that should be far more compelling than any need to remain respectable or “scientific”. Our Lord was hardly respectable during His earthly ministry, and His healings were certainly not scientific if science requires that we understand every detail of God’s “mechanism of action”. Instead, we follow a Lord who was frequently mysterious but always compassionate. Our own compassion should encourage us to explore any healing tool or technique which is both lawful and effective. If a therapy heals the sick and does not violate any ordinance of the Church or Scripture, then it may have a role to play regardless of whether or not we understand exactly how it works.”

– W. Michael Westbrook