How Long Do The Benefits of Acupuncture Last For?

As a healthcare professional, who offers acupuncture,  you’ll be aware of the benefits that acupuncture can provide for your patients, but do you know how long those benefits last for? Or, perhaps your patients are concerned about how many sessions they’d need to see the benefits? In this article, we go over how long the benefits of acupuncture should last, as well as how often individuals should have acupuncture to maximise their outcomes. 

Read on to learn more about how long the benefits of acupuncture last. 

Does Acupuncture Have Long-Term Benefits? 

Various studies have concluded that acupuncture offers long-term benefits for a variety of conditions, including chronic pain. Some will experience mid-to-long-term benefits of a few months, whilst others experience benefits lasting up to a year. In some cases, acupuncture may have permanent benefits which don’t require further treatment.  

In most cases, acupuncture is used in conjunction with other therapies, and acupuncture may offer a “way in”, relieving pain and other symptoms and allowing patients to participate more fully in their rehabilitation. However, some conditions may require ongoing treatment to maintain the benefits. How often is a very individual question, and the therapist and client need to work together to work out the optimum frequency of treatment to give maximum benefit.  

Does Acupuncture Work Permanently? 

Acupuncture can, in some cases, offer permanent benefits, although this is more likely to occur in cases with milder symptoms. Some industry experts debate the possibility of acupuncture offering permanent results, whilst others simply state that it works differently for everyone, just as regular Western medicine can have differing effects. 

How Often Do You Need Acupuncture For it to Work? 

Whilst the effects of acupuncture differ from person to person, many people will begin to experience benefits after 1-2 sessions. In some cases, this can take longer, to which some acupuncture professionals recommend giving it at least 4 sessions before deciding that it doesn’t work. Acupuncture is not a panacea and for some individuals it does not give the desired effects. Careful re-assessment after each treatment will determine if the client is gaining benefit from treatment and these effects may not initially be related to the primary problem they have consulted you for. They may report changes to sleep, mood, digestion and general well being in the first instance and then as treatment continues, they may gain benefit in terms of pain relief and resolution of  symptoms. 

Is Acupuncture Once a Month Enough? 

As an acupuncture professional, you’ll need to make recommendations on how often to schedule appointments, based on an initial assessment and consultation. This will vary from patient to patient, however, once the symptoms begin to reduce, and your patient starts to feel the benefits of acupuncture, reducing appointments to once every 1-2 months may be enough to maintain the benefits. 

Can You Have Acupuncture Too Often? 

There is no consensus in the Acupuncture literature about the optimum number of treatments, and in many studies carried out in China, acupuncture will be given on a daily basis. The risks and side effects are minimal therefore patients shouldn’t come to harm from regular appointments.  

However, there is an ethical consideration here; just because there are minimal risks associated with regular acupuncture appointments doesn’t mean that practitioners should abuse this and schedule unnecessary appointments.