In this episode we take on the question of will one session of acupuncture fix my problem?
Today’s Everyday Acupuncture Podcast question is answered by
Michael Max from Yong Kang Chinese Medicine Clinic in St. Louis, MO
I’m Michael Max from Yong Kang Chinese Medicine Clinic in St Louis, MO. And today I’m here to answer the question….
Will one session of acupuncture fix my problem?
this is common question.
And it shines a light on our magical thinking about acupuncture.
That it’s either magic or mumbo jumbo, or a wing and prayer attempt at stepping out of the box of convention and maybe getting lucky.
One of the problems with acupuncture is that there are times people indeed do get dramatic relief from a single treatment. And so acupuncture gets a reputation as being magically effective. But for the most part we have to grow into our health, the same way we grew into our illnesses….over time.
One of the curious things I noticed from practicing acupuncture that often people have a big change in how they feel after a treatment, and then the next time they come in the request is— “whatever you did last time, do that again.”
Which almost never brings a satisfiying result, because it’s impossible to do what we did last time. And the reason for that is you’re no longer the same as you were last time. Things are already different.
There’s that phrase about you can’t step in the same river twice, because the river is in constant motion and so are we.
The trick, if there is a trick, is to see what would be helpful in this moment, and our “this moment”….that’s always changing.
I suppose if we were machines then we could be fixed with a particular acupuncture protocol, like changing out the oxygen sensor or brake pads on a car. But, we are biological beings. it’s more complicated. And if you’ve got any sort of complex issue, you already know what I’m getting at here.
Things take time. Baking bread, raising children, growing orchids, developing in your career, or learning a new skill. As you likely already know, our health and wellbeing is the result of what we do over time. It helps to be realistic.
So, it’s unlikely that acupuncture will be a one and done proposition. Just like eating well for a week is not going to change how your clothes fit.
But if acupuncture is something you’ve been thinking about and want to give a try, then to give it a fair trial… plan on a series of 4-6 treatments. Within that time time, you’ll get a sense of how it might be helpful for you. As ever, judge by the results you get. To give acupuncture a try, contact your local licensed Acupuncturist.
