Frequently asked questions
I have gathered here questions I have heard and answered many times. If you don´t find your question from the list below, don´t hesitate to contact me and I will try my very best to give you a clarifying answer.
Does acupuncture work?
Shortly put: yes, acupuncture works.
Longer answer is, acupuncture works, except in two situations:
1. There is constant aggravation. For example, your hobby is jogging and you have sprained your ankle. To let the ankle heal, you need to pause the jogging until the ankle is fine again. After the first treatment you might not have so much pain anymore, but if you go jogging at this point, the healing process will go backwards, the pain will come back and we need to start from the beginning. Once the ankle is healed, you can go jogging again normally.
2. There is an “anatomical abnormality”. For example, in case of a knee pain you have had an operation where they have inserted a screw that is now touching a nerve. In this kind of situation the acupuncture can give a momentary alleviation, but it is not realistic to think the pain would come down to 0 as long as the screw is irritating the nerve.
I treat a lot of back pain caused by a discal hernia. The pain starts to come down right away, and the acupuncture is treating the hernia itself, but it will take time before the hernia stops irritating the nerves and pain will go to 0.
How many treatments do I need?
The frequency and times of treatments depend on your individual situation. This will be evaluated during your first visit, and re-evaluations will be done along the way.
As a generic rule, people need 3-7 treatments, frequency once or twice a week to get lasting results.
The longer you have had the issue, and the worse it is, more frequent and more treatments you will need. Factors like underlying conditions, age, life habits and overall health play a big part in the healing process.
I have had clients who have very chronic, quite serious issues. They have been happy to spend in the process a few months – and get better quality of life – for something that has been restricting their lives for example for 20 years.
So… what if I just want to try acupuncture, is it useless to go only once?
Active aches and pains or not, an acupuncture session can be a deeply relaxing and unwinding experience. So, of course you are welcome to acupuncture just once.
If you have an existing pain or other discomfort, you will most probably get some relief already from one treatment. But, the results might not be long lasting.
Many of my clients come to me as their last resort, after years of pain, gallons of pills, and all possible treatments from a light massage to surgeries and hyperbaric chambers.
I find few things as frustrating as seeing someone with chronic issue coming to try acupuncture once, and because afterwards they are not healed, saying “it didn´t work”.
If you would go to physiotherapy, you would most likely go more than once. If you take medication, it´s usually a period of time you take it, not just one pill one day.
You are welcome to try acupuncture just once to have the experience, but if you have real issues, to really heal it takes more commitment.
How do I need to prepare for an acupuncture session?
Come as you are, preferably in clothing that makes it easy to reveal arms from elbows to fingers and legs from knees to toes. If you don´t have this kind of clothing, don´t worry, I have towles and blanquets to keep you warm and comfortable.
If possible, avoid heavy meals 2 hours prior to the appointment. Digestion uses a lot of energy, and during the treatment we want to have all energy available for what we are treating. And maybe it goes without saying: no alcohol before a treatment.
Do I need to “believe” in acupuncture in order it to be efficient?
No, you don´t need to believe in acupuncture for it to work. When I hear this question, I often say you need to believe in it as much you believe in a pain killer that you take for pain.
Acupuncture is a systemized approach to stimulate the body to do what it needs to do to get better. This system is not well known in Western world, and that is why it can seem “unbelievable”. When one starts to study Chinese medicine and acupuncture, the system becomes so logic it is hard to believe it is not more commonly used in healthcare.
Does acupuncture hurt?
One of the primary fears surrounding acupuncture is that inserting the needles would hurt. However, acupuncture needles are incredibly thin, around 0.2 millimeters in diameter—just about two times the thickness of a human hair. To put it into perspective, you could fit about 20-30 acupuncture needles into the hollow of a typical injection needle. These needles are designed to be minimally invasive. Made from stainless steel, these needles are both durable and sterile. After a single use, they are disposed of, ensuring hygiene and peace of mind.
Contrary to the expected sharp pain, the sensation experienced during acupuncture is often described as a unique feeling known as “De-Qi”. It is characterised by a very mild ache, tingling, or warmth around the needle insertion site. This sensation is indicative of the therapeutic effect taking place, signaling that the body’s energy, or Qi, is being influenced in a beneficial way.
