Acupuncture is a conventional Chinese treatment that helps with symptoms like pain and other health issues. An acupuncturist inserts very thin steel needles into the patient’s skin at multiple “acupoints.” The needles rebalance the body’s energy, or qi, and prompt the body to release natural chemicals to fight the illness or symptom.
The signs that acupuncture is working are simple: you feel better! But occasionally you might be lost or unsure of what to look for. Here are the most typical indications that your acupuncture treatment is having an impact.
The Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture
In order to stimulate certain body points, acupuncture uses very tiny steel needles that are inserted into the skin. The objective is to alleviate a medical condition or symptom, like pain. The technique is derived from conventional Chinese medicine. Its effectiveness for some conditions has been supported by scientific studies.
Numerous conditions can be treated with acupuncture. Most often, people use it to relieve chronic (long-term) pain, such as:
- Arthritis.
- pain in the neck, back, or muscles.
- both headaches and migraines.
- Knee pain.
- Menstrual cramps.
- Sports injuries.
Other conditions acupuncture may help include:
- the negative effects of cancer treatment.
- Face aches and other nerve aches.
- issues with the immune system.
- Infertility.
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- hot flashes and menopause.
- It hurts to be pregnant.
- Overuse syndrome and repetitive strain injuries.
How Do You Know If Acupuncture is Working?
Relieve Pain
If you were in the acupuncture clinic for acute pain or sports injury, you may notice the pain relief almost instantly from the first treatment.
For chronic pain, it might take up to two or three sessions before you start to feel relief. Because the secondary pain site will draw attention when the primary pain site is calmer, you may occasionally notice that your pain has spread to other parts of your body.
Acupuncture is probably not going to work for you if you’ve tried it for longer than two weeks (4-6 sessions) and there haven’t been any discernible improvements.
Be aware that acupuncture frequently results in pain relief that progresses three steps forward before moving back two steps. To maintain momentum for a consistent pain relief treatment, frequent acupuncture sessions are necessary. As a general rule, acupuncture treatments should only be used for severe pain or injuries. A long-lasting pain relief for chronic pain would begin with alternating day sessions for 2-3 weeks.
Many people are astounded by how effective acupuncture can treat their pain as they are by the physical, emotional, and psychological changes that follow.
Emotional Positive
When patients start to respond to the treatment, it is the second most frequent sign I have seen. The usual stress doesn’t get on your nerve as before, or you can let go much easier. In fact, many parents mentioned their kids are far less annoying or focusing on their job easier in the workplace…
The feeling of well-being and experiencing peace only lasts a short time in the beginning, perhaps a few minutes or hours. Then, it gets longer as it continues with a consistent acupuncture energy reset.
Better Appetite
It’s possible that you’ll start to feel more peckish and have better food enjoyment. While this is happening, you might experience the satisfaction of eating a regular meal without having a sweet tooth or feeling bloated afterwards. However, it is best if you don’t overeat as the reason your stomach is not within the capacity to take too much food.
Improve the Quality of Sleep
The most frequent comment I heard from patients was that they slept better after their first acupuncture treatment, went to bed earlier because they were tired, and felt more rested when they woke up. After 8+ hours of deep sleep, it is possible that you might still feel exhausted. That’s because your body would enter a supercharging mode, which is akin to quickly charging your battery while it’s off.
Good Circulation
Less clammy and chilly sensations begin to spread to your hands and feet. Somehow your body’s thermometer is better regulated which is less overheated with hot weather and tolerates the cold much easier. It might start out so subtly that you wouldn’t even notice the change on a daily basis. But you’ll see those differences when you reflect back in a few weeks.
You’ll notice that you forget to breathe more often if you used to sigh a lot or get out of breath easily. the softening and deepening of breathing patterns. Abdominal breathing is additionally simpler if you focus on it.
Elimination Properly
That covers two things. To start, you must poop at least once per day until it resembles a banana, at which point you will feel relieved. For those who suffer from digestive conditions like diverticulosis, IBS, constipation, Cohn’s disease, or IBS-C, this is especially crucial. Tell your acupuncturist right away if you noticed these changes, as they indicate that your gut is once again functioning normally.
Second, you notice that you are urinating more frequently and with more satisfying pressure for a strong urine stream. It gives you a sense of being in control once more if you’ve previously had frequent accidents and leaks.
Summary
The human body is a marvel, and with the right tools (diet, exercise, etc.), it can do amazing things.) it is able to function at its best. Acupuncture merely assists in enhancing many of the body’s control systems so that the body can heal itself naturally without the need for any changes to the way it functions.
FAQs
What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?
Each needle may cause a minor prick to your skin. When compared to getting a shot or having blood drawn, it hurts less. Medical needles are much thicker than acupuncture needles, which are solid rather than hollow.
Muscle sensations like a tingling or dull ache could be brought on by the needles. When you experience a heavy feeling or numbness in your body, your practitioner will ask you to report it. Those feelings are typically signs that the medicine is working.
How Often Should I Get Treatments?
Your condition’s severity and how your body reacts will determine how many treatments you will need. Most patients only have weekly appointments. Some people receive treatment more or less frequently, depending on how long the effects last. The best schedule for you will be suggested by your acupuncturist.
On the first or second visit, you might not experience all of acupuncture’s advantages. If you decide to try acupuncture, you should give it at least five treatments.
