Does Acupuncture work?
Yes. Most of the time. In my experience as both a patient and practitioner, I have found acupuncture to be highly effective on most occasions. Sometimes the pain relief is immediate, other times it takes a few days to fully feel the effects. For some cases it may take several treatments over a few months before any major positive changes are noticed. However not everyone finds acupuncture to be helpful.
Like many people who come to my clinic, I first tried acupuncture as a last resort. Over the course of my life I had several allopathic interventions to treat my chronic illness, including medication and surgery, but nothing was helping. EventualIy I googled alternative therapies for my condition, and the first thing to pop up was acupuncture. The next search led me to the local acupuncture school 1 mile from my apartment that offered treatment in the student acupuncture clinic, and I booked a session for the following day. I didn’t expect it to help, but figured I might as well give it a shot.
I went to the student acupuncture clinic and was asked all kinds of strange questions by the student practitioner. Why did he need to see my tongue? Why was he asking about my emotional state? What did whether I sweat at night have anything to do with what I was seeking treatment for?
After about ten minutes he left the room to talk to his supervisor, and I thought ‘what a waste of time.’ The student practitioner came back in with his supervisor, who also asked to see my tongue. The supervisor looked at the student, nodded, and walked out.
In short order the student acupuncturist put a few needles in my leg and belly, and told me to relax. After about twenty minutes, the young man removed the needles, thanked me for coming in, and sent me off with a small packet of herbs. I thanked him, paid the nominal fee and left.
Driving home I immediately noticed a difference. At first I thought it might just be in my head. But as I kept driving I felt a sense of relief from the pain that had been bothering me for so many years. By the time I got home I couldn’t believe how much better I felt. Within 2 hours the pain I had been feeling for most of my life was 90% gone, and would completely disappear over the next few days. For the next ten years anytime this old condition would come up roughly every other year, and I would go in for one or two acupuncture treatments, and be sorted out.
After a few years of this routine, I went in for an acupuncture treatment for something totally unrelated. And it didn’t work. At all. To be fair, the acupuncturist said sometimes treatment for that particular condition isn’t always effective.
In my clinical experience I have seen both scenarios. I have seen patients marvel that the shoulder pain they had felt for ten years was relieved with a single needle. I have had patients rush back into my office right after treatment and say “that was the first time I’ve used the toilet without pain in months!”
I’ve also had patients say after treatment “I don’t notice any change or relief.” I usually follow up with these patients a week later. Sometimes they say they feel a little better, or have notice their sleep or appetite improved a bit, but overall not much change in their main complaint. Sometimes they come back for a few more treatments and we are able to resolve their problem, or at least make some improvement.
But sometimes people have three or four treatments and see no improvement at all. Despite my best efforts, nothing seems to work. At that point I usually try to refer them to another specialist, depending on their ailment.
I suppose in many regards acupuncture is like most other modalities. It can be very helpful for some, but does not work for everyone. In my experience about 3 out of 10 patients feel immediate and substantial improvement after their first session. Another 3 out of 10 feel slightly better after treatment, and then continue to notice improvements over the next few days. Another 2 out of 10 feel little improvement in their main complaint, but notice other areas like sleep or digestion improve. 1 out of 10 feels little improvement after the first session, but notices improvement after a few more sessions. And about 1 in 10 find little or no relief even after a few sessions. Thats a lot of math to say that acupuncture helps most people. Some people it helps them a lot. Some people it helps them a little. Some not at all.
If you have never tried acupuncture before and are curious if it might be helpful for you, I encourage you to give it a chance! If budget constraints are an issue, depending on where you live, you might try looking for a local acupuncture college, or community acupuncture setting, both offer treatment for very affordable rates. If you are in New Zealand and your injury is covered by ACC, you can see any local acupuncturist who is registered with ACC.
If you are afraid of needles, check my other post about the needles and pain factor. (TLDR, the needles are very small, and the pain is minimal (when done correctly)).
Does acupuncture work? Yes. Does it work for you? If you are in Dunedin and want to find out, click the booking tab above.