There are no serious adverse side effects to acupuncture. Acupuncture has many advantages when used as a drug free alternative or as a complement to Western medicine. Conditions may improve from the first treatment. The number and frequency of treatments varies with the type of problem and its severity. A few treatments may be sufficient for acute problems, while more chronic ailments usually require more treatments.
Results are generally permanent.
If your symptoms should recur, a few treatments are usually enough to bring relief. Experience has shown that most people, especially those who follow a healthy lifestyle, benefit from acupuncture treatments. Because your body's energy is essential to the proper functioning of all its parts, it would be impossible to list every health need for which acupuncture treatment can be helpful. The American Medical Association has recognized acupuncture by assigning it Current Procedural Terminology codes, the numerical codes used in insurance billing procedures. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop has stated that quitting smoking can be more difficult than quitting heroin, and he has recognized acupuncture treatment as a useful method of overcoming nicotine addiction.