As an acupuncturist I get asked this a lot.
The answer is a difficult and involved one. In actual fact, to answer the question of whether acupuncture works really rests on another question: does acupuncture work for your issue?
The answer, if I’m to be truthful, is maybe. Many people find acupuncture effective for them for a wide range of issues and disorders. A number of people find that acupuncture does not work for them, and their health issue does not improve from acupuncture treatments. An acupuncturist who does not admit to his or her failures isn’t one who I’d be inclined to refer to, personally. As an acupuncturist it is important to know when acupuncture is not working for your patient, and when to refer them to another practitioner or modality.
In my practice, eight treatments constitutes a course of treatments, but usually by four treatments both I and the patient can tell whether acupuncture is for them. Often it is, and we continue until the desired results are obtained. However, if the condition hasn’t improved after four treatments, I give the patient the option to continue and see what happens, or we can explore other options.
So the answer to the question of whether acupuncture works can only be answered by really giving acupuncture a good try, which is what any health professional would suggest, medical doctors included. You are always welcome to send me an email for a free consultation.
