Acupuncturist Questions Acupuncture

How long do the benefits of an acupuncture session last for?

I am a 25 year old female. I will have an acupuncture treatment for my headaches. How long do the benefits of an acupuncture session last for?

26 Answers

Depending on your history of problem 4 treatments per year of problem.
Depending on your condition, the effect will last a day to one week. That means you should get another treatment before the last treatment effect is gone.
One of the easier and most effective treatments with acupuncture is headaches. Normally patients who come in with a headache leave without it or at a minimum 90% relieved.

Obviously this is for the general population and I don't know your case fully.

Any response regarding how long a treatment lasts is very closely connected to lifestyle and the individual so this is a very difficult question to ask.

Please call the office if you would like to discuss your case and I can provide better information. 201.509.4174
It varies for each person. Typically for chronic headaches I use acupuncture and herbs. Results are seen very quickly.
Hello,

Acupuncture can be very helpful with headache relief and management. Depending on the past medical history and current causes of the headaches, the effects of an acupuncture treatment in managing the headache may vary.

Blessings,

Covyn Montemayor
It lasts long or for good if you are serious about your treatment!
Hi,

Thank you for your inquiry. In my office, the first visit can last up to 1.5 hours, and follow-ups anywhere between 45-60 minutes.

Warm regards,

AWPB
Good afternoon,

Initial 2-3 treatments the benefit should last 4-6 hours. After the initial treatment period, the patient is either cured, or the relief lasts for 3 days to a week.

David
The length of the benefits can last a very long time depending on your lifestyle or the opposite
Yes real individual, most person can get benefit after first treatment
Unfortunately that is hard to answer honestly. Some times you can be a one and done and feel better. Other times it could take many treatments to get rid of problem, then monthly visits to keep problem away. Every body is unique in response.
The lasting effects of acupuncture involve multiple factors....the skill and experience of the practitioner, how detailed of a health history they get to ensure that a correct diagnosis is found.....what YOU do to combat your headaches is really key.
Certain foods are known culprits, such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods, gluten, and so on. Isolating which foods, if any, are responsible requires research on your part. Has your home or work environment been tested for chemicals? If there is construction going on, that can kick up allergies, headaches and the like.
Are you getting enough quality sleep and is there ample oxygen flowing? A stuffy bedroom can cause problems for some. You may need a chiropractic adjustment, as I've heard many cases of patients getting chiropractic care and their headaches disappearing. Fresh air and exercise may help as well.
All that being said, the speed in which acupuncture yields results can vary drastically from person to person. There is no magic pill or fast cure. A lot of the success will depend on what YOU are doing to ensure your best health. I would suggest to start with a food log. Note the frequency of headaches and what food is ingested beforehand. See your primary care to see if you are allergic to any foods or environmental allergens. Drink plenty of water and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eliminate stress as much as humanly possible. Take part in some sort of internal exercise....yoga, tai chi, meditation, etc. All of these things may do the trick (over time) so that acupuncture very well may not be necessary. We only have one body. Pay attention..if you are hungry, eat....but eat healthfully. If you are tired, allow yourself some restorative sleep....leave those annoying tasks that absolutely need to get done until after you have gotten proper rest. If you are thirsty, drink water or lemon water instead of soda or caffeine products. Good luck and better health!!!
It depends on the situation. One treatment could stop headaches cause by PMS.


On the average, the benefits of a first Acupuncture Treatment will last about 2 days. For some patients, it's shorter and for some it's longer. If it's shorter, then it might indicate that your problem is more deep seated. If it lasts longer, that's a good sign. That might indicate that the course of treatment might be shorter.
It is difficult to speculate on how long your headache relief from acupuncture treatment will last. That depends on the type of headache that you have for example frontal headache, migraine, etc. The cause of the headache is also a consideration, for example car accident, high blood pressure, toothache, head injury, etc. In general, I usually see at least a 50% reduction in pain symptoms that last for around 3-5 days depending on contributing factors for example sleeping under a ceiling fan, with an open window draft or an AC vent pointing down on you at work, excessive driving or stress in traffic, lack of sleep, over exercising, lack of proper food or water intake, etc can all cause the headache condition to return. What is causing the headache? If the acupuncture alleviates the headache, are the stressors that contributed to you getting the headache gone or are they still there in which case the headache may come back again. Depending on the severity and how long you've had the headache your results may vary. I had a 27 year old female patient who had migraines everyday since she was 17 that were so bad that she got a cranial nerve in her brain cauterized but, she still had the migraines. In just one treatment her pain went completely away but, your results may vary.
It all depends on your body. Acupuncture treatments build on each other.

Yours in Health,

Angie
We balance your Qi. If you keep it well balanced, you will have no problems.

Hello & thank you for your question! The extent of time the benefits of acupuncture last varies from person to person based on frequency and severity of symptoms, how chronic the symptoms are, diet, lifestyle, etc. It is recommended that you receive regular treatments, as acupuncture has a cumulative effect. For more chronic cases (3+ months), I suggest a treatment once a week for us to 8-12 treatments. Your practitioner will likely give you their recommendation after the first treatment.
It depends on the what types and what reasons cause the headache. It might last for days or weeks even months but some cases it might not helpful at all.
According to research studies, the effect can last from 2 hours to 5 days after each session. Meanwhile, acupuncture has accumulative effects.
Hello! Typically for up to 72 hours. Follow up visits are recommended for the body to natural heal itself, and will prove to have long-term effects throughout your lifetime.
There is no single answer to this question. Sometimes one treatment results last forever, sometimes weeks, sometimes an hour. You will need to discuss your particular situation with your practitioner. So keep them apprised of your results and always be honest because we are there to help.
Most of my patients having headaches were cured in a couple treatments.
That primarily depends on your compliance with your practitioner's treatment protocols (taking herbs, applying acupressure, dietary changes, etc), but acupuncture has a cumulative effect. The more consistent you are with treatments and the longer you receive them, the longer the relief will last. In my practice, I find my patients generally start with weekly treatments. Once they feel relief lasting a full week, we decrease treatment frequency to once every 2 weeks. Then when their relief lasts for 2 weeks, we decrease frequency to every 3 weeks, and so on until they no longer need my services.
Some last for forever. I treated a patient with headaches, and after 2 sessions, his headaches are still not back (this happened three months ago).
It's hard to say how long the effects of one treatment might persist. It depends on a variety of factors which are not easy to predict.

In general, acupuncture has a dose dependency. The easiest way to think about this is through an analogy with conventional medicine. When you have an infection and the doctor puts you on an antibiotic, it's usually not just one pill. There's a week or two of therapy which is required to clear up the infection. If a patient stops the antibiotic too early, the infection can return and might become resistant to the first antibiotic used. This is why patients are almost always instructed to take the antibiotic until it's completely gone no matter how much better they're feeling.

A single acupuncture treatment is a lot like taking just one dose of antibiotic.

There's a course of therapy required in order to receive the full benefit of the treatment. According to some of the better studies we have, in pain management, that number tends to be in the neighborhood of 8 treatments. Some acupuncturists might be able to get results in fewer and some might take more.

Is it possible to hit the nail on the head and have a one-and-done acupuncture treatment? Yes, I've had it happen a few times - it's not the norm though.

For headaches, I typically tell people that after 3 treatments, spaced one week apart, they should start noticing a change in headache frequency, severity or both.