My skin and I have had a long journey together. In my teens and early twenties, I experienced severe acne that left me self-conscious, uncomfortable, and seeking solutions in years of antibiotics, harsh topical treatments, and various skin cleansing systems. The results were temporary, the expense was great, and the side effects were pretty gnarly. Eventually, I gave that approach up, and figured I was destined to a life of irritable skin.
Treating back pain: an acupuncturist's approach
Back pain is one of the most common reasons that people seek out complementary therapies like acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic. Thankfully, acupuncture can help big time! Research shows that acupuncture helps relieve many types of pain, especially back pain. Acupuncture may even be more effective for acute low back pain than NSAID medications like Ibuprofen.
But how does acupuncture work for back pain? Or, more accurately, how does Chinese medicine work?
How often should you come in for acupuncture treatments?
A common question I hear from patients at their first appointment is: How often do I need to come in for treatments?
Well, of course there's no one-size-fits all answer to anything when it comes to health - and each patient gets a treatment plant for their exact needs - but I can give you a general overview of what I've seen work best for my patients.
There are three common levels of care in acupuncture - each with their own treatment frequency. Your acupuncturist will first figure out where you are on this spectrum, and then come up with a treatment plan customized specifically for you.
What happens during an acupuncture treatment?
"Am I going to look like the guy from Hellraiser?"
"I don’t know about acupuncture - What if I’m afraid of needles?!"
"Do I have to lie as still as a board when the needles are in?"
These are just some of the common questions people ask me when they’re in my office for their first acupuncture treatment.
Yeah, acupuncture is getting more and more commonplace nowadays (even my Grandpa had acupuncture for a painful hip almost 10 years ago), but it’s still a pretty bizarre thing for many, many people.
Today I’m going to demystify an acupuncture treatment for all y’all. Help you to see what my devoted patients see. Understand why I can have a new patient going from being a nervous wreck about the thought of needles in their body one second, to blissfully snoozing away on the table 30 minutes later.
