There are many factors that play into the answer to this question, including whether the issue we are working on is acute or chronic, and what other conditions may be contributing to your symptoms. At your first treatment, we will make a recommendation about how long and how often we think you will need to be seen until you reach your goals for feeling better. The effects of acupuncture are cumulative, and lasting change can take some time. That said, many people start to notice improvements relatively quickly, with progress continuing incrementally over the course of treatment. Acute issues are likely to resolve more quickly than symptoms that have developed over a longer period of time. We will check in with you frequently about your goals and symptoms. As a general guideline, we might recommend weekly or biweekly treatments for a period of time, and once you are pleased with your progress, decreasing to monthly, seasonal, or as-needed appointments. For a more acute issue, we may recommend more frequent visits for a shorter period of time.

The needles we use are incredibly thin - about 10-20x thinner than a standard hypodermic needle. Having an acupuncture needle inserted is a completely different experience than getting a shot or having blood drawn. You may not even feel the needles being inserted, and we utilize special techniques to minimize the chance that a needle will be painful when it is inserted. Some people feel a dull ache, a warm sensation, or a slight tingling as the needle is adjusted, but it should not feel painful. Believe it or not, many people actually enjoy the sensation and find it very relaxing!

Acupuncture is a form of healthcare that has been practiced in southeast Asia for thousands of years. Historically, acupuncture was developed using observational research methods. In recent decades, scientists have begun to investigate the mechanisms of how acupuncture works using the scientific method. This is an area of emerging research, and as with any form of medicine, our understanding deepens with each groundbreaking study.

Scientists have found that acupuncture has many different mechanisms of action - i.e. it can impact the body in a variety of ways. These impacts include:

• Acupuncture needles can influence the nervous system by sending signals to the brain and spinal cord. One example of this - acupuncture can regulate the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions like heart rate, digestion, and stress response.

• Acupuncture stimulates the body to release its own healing chemical messengers, including endorphins (our natural painkillers), neurotransmitters including serotonin (which helps us to “feel good” and regulates mood and sleep), and hormones including oxytocin (which reduces stress and promotes feelings of calm and connection). Stimulation of acupuncture points and channels can provide lasting regulatory effects for your nervous and endocrine systems through this mechanism without the side effects of some other forms of medicine.

• Acupuncture can be used locally to relieve muscle tension and inflammation by increasing blood flow, resetting the communication between nerves and muscles, and regulating the flow of fluid through tissues. Research has also shown a correlation between myofascial planes (continuous tracts of connective tissue in the human body) and traditional acupuncture channel pathways.

• Modern brain imaging studies show that acupuncture creates measurable changes in brain activity. Treatment can impact areas of the brain involved in pain processing, emotional regulation, and stress response. One interesting example is acupuncture’s effect on the “default mode network” - an area that is often overactive in chronic pain conditions. These brain changes can persist even after the treatment ends, which helps to explain why acupuncture’s benefits often build over time.

• Acupuncture has been shown to regulate the immune system through several different mechanisms. By activating interneurons (messenger cells) in the brainstem, acupuncture can modulate immune responses and inflammation in the body. Acupuncture has also been show to regulate immune cell differentiation and activation.

• While the physical mechanisms are important, the effectiveness of an acupuncture treatment also stems from our philosophical focus on the whole person rather than just addressing isolated symptoms. The therapeutic relationship with your acupuncturist has itself been shown to have therapeutic benefit.

Fully answering the question of “how acupuncture works” would take more space than we have here - but hopefully these highlights are helpful in scratching the surface! If you’re curious to learn more, consider signing up for our newsletter (see below), where we periodically highlight specific topics in acupuncture research in an easily digestible format.

This information is based on current, peer-reviewed research. If you’re interested in diving deeper or for a list of citations, please reach out.

Because acupuncture works by utilizing your body’s own resources, it can be helpful in treating the symptoms of a wide variety of conditions.

In 2002, the World Health Organization published a landmark study titled Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials. This summary of research detailed an extensive list of conditions for which acupuncture has been proven to be effective at relieving symptoms, or for which significant and promising evidence is available. Acupuncture was found to be helpful for patients with many conditions, including:

• Chronic Pain & Musculoskeletal Conditions, including neck pain, low back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ), sciatica, and joint sprains.

• Digestive, Endocrine, & Reproductive Disorders, including diabetes mellitus, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), infertility, premenstrual syndrome, abdominal pain, ulcerative colitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, nausea/vomiting, and gastritis.

• Neurological Disorders, including Bell’s palsy, headache, post-surgical pain, postherpetic neuralgia, Raynaud syndrome, Tourette syndrome, Meniere’s disease, trigeminal neuralgia, and post-stroke rehabilitation.

• Psychological & Addiction Disorders, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, and tobacco dependence.

• AND MANY OTHER CONDITIONS, including Cardiovascular Disorders, Dermatological Disorders, Ear, Eyes, Nose, and Throat (EENT) Disorders, Infectious and Acute Conditions, Respiratory Disorders, Urological Disorders, Immune System Disorders, and Oncological Disorders.

In the 20+ years since this study, the field of acupuncture research has expanded. New evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, as well as expanded biomedical explanations for the mechanisms of action for acupuncture, are being published each year. Many more studies about the efficacy of acupuncture in treating common childhood disorders have also been released in the years since the WHO report, including those focused on bedwetting, childhood asthma, colic, and other conditions.

Please note that acupuncture has been shown to provide some degree of symptom relief for patients with the conditions listed above. However, it is outside the scope of practice for an acupuncturist to diagnose biomedical disorders or cure biomedical diseases. It is also important to know that treatment effectiveness can vary between individuals. During our initial appointment, we will discuss your specific situation and prognosis for an acupuncture course of treatment.

Feel free to also refer to our pages focused on acupuncture for Children & Babies, Adolescents, and Adults, for more information about the most common symptoms that can be treated with acupuncture within each population.

Many people (both adults and children) who are sensitive to needles find that they actually don’t mind the sensation of acupuncture (see “Does acupuncture hurt?” above). That said, if needles are not a good fit, we do have lots of other tools that we can use to therapeutically activate points and channels on the body in ways that are similar to acupuncture. If you are reluctant to try needles, or you need some time to work up to acupuncture, don’t worry. We can still work with you to effect positive change. Check out our “Modalities & Approach” page for more information about laser therapy, moxibustion, cupping, gua sha, Chinese herbal medicine, and our other offerings. You’ll see that acupuncture is only one of the many techniques we incorporate into our treatments!

Pricing is the same regardless of patient age.

Initial visits are scheduled for 60 minutes for children and 90 minutes for adolescents and adults. Return visits are scheduled for 20-30 minutes for children and 50-60 minutes for adolescents and adults.

Total appointment times are longer for adolescents and adults because additional time is allotted to rest with needles in without the provider present when appropriate. All ages require a similar amount of face-to-face time with the provider.

For tweens (11-12 year olds), appointment length will depend on where your child is at developmentally, and whether or not they are ready to rest independently with needles in. If you’re not sure, we recommend booking an initial adolescent appointment and we can make that determination together for subsequent appointments.