A course of treatments may be anywhere between 4 to 12 sessions. During the first treatment I will discuss with you the outcomes you wish to gain and let you know how many treatments that will likely take. Depending upon the condition, I can give you an idea of when you will begin to experience changes and as these occur, how many more sessions may be needed.
Acute conditions can respond quickly to acupuncture and I may ask you to come twice a week. Chronic conditions will take a longer time and may begin with a twice weekly appointment for two or three weeks then move to weekly, and then monthly treatments. A general rule of thumb for chronic conditions is 3 months of treatment for each year you have lived with your condition.
I am happy to work alongside Western medical treatments, and many other complementary therapies are fine to use in conjunction with acupuncture. If you are seeing another health practitioner alongside your acupuncture treatments, let them know. As you begin to experience results or benefits from treatment you may want to decrease your medication. This is something you will need to discuss and monitor with your doctor. For some conditions Chinese medicine may not be your best option and if we do not see satisfactory results I will refer to you another suitable practitioner.
