It's the same with acupuncture. Your acupuncturist will take a medical history, from which you may learn some of the details of how your body works. By the sixth or seventh treatment, you should be able to notice some very distinct changes and improvements in how you feel, some of which you might not have expected. A patient of mine had felt no sensation in her breast since a tumor had been removed about ten years previously. After treatment started, she began to feel tenderness in her breast.
Acupuncture is a natural form of healing and therefore is usually slower than drugs or surgery.
A compensation for the slowness, if you need one, is that acupuncture is more gentle and has no side effects. Clayton Elizabeth Spivey , M.Ac., M.A., teaches at the Tai Sophia Institute and maintains a private practice in Columbia, Maryland. As with any building, regular maintenance can extend longevity and overall health. A patient can't undo a treatment, but he or she can influence its effectiveness. Michael Phillips, M.Ac.