How To Know When Acupuncture Is Working

Acupuncture is not a one-shot deal. It works cumulatively, meaning one treatment builds on the next.

There are certainly instances of acupuncture producing immediate results. However, this is more an exception than the rule—and when it happens, the results tend to be short lived.

If you want lasting results from acupuncture, especially for a chronic condition, you must commit to the process.

This approach to healing is unfamiliar for Westerners, who are accustomed to instant gratification in most aspects of life, including healthcare. Being forced to adopt a long-term, cumulative perspective can be confusing and frustrating.

Sometimes us instant-gratification junkies need to be thrown a bone! Fortunately, there are several indications that acupuncture is taking effect—even if your primary symptoms have not yet resolved. When these signs appear, symptom relief typically is not far behind.

Here are six signs that your acupuncture treatments are working. Keep reading

Acupuncturists Spill: The 12 Health Tips They Wish Everyone Would Remember

By Sara Calabro

Acupuncturists do more than just poke people with needles. They use non-needling techniques, such as moxibustion and cupping, and some prescribe herbs. They also offer advice—acupuncture-inspired tips that can help you feel healthier and happier.

Some people heed this advice and others ignore it, often to the chagrin of acupuncturists. There are many simple practices that, when committed to, can drastically improve a person’s symptoms and overall quality of life. If only everyone remembered to do them!

Now you have them in writing. We asked acupuncturists from around the country, what is one thing you wish all of your patients did to be healthier?

Here are 12 do-it-yourself health tips that acupuncturists wish everyone would remember. Keep reading

It Is Time To Break Up With Your Acupuncturist

By Sara Calabro

We’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: not all acupuncturists are created equal.

Acupuncturists differ on everything from how they were trained to the conditions they treat to the kind of music they like. Where your acupuncturist falls on these variety of spectrums can determine whether he or she is right for you.

On more than a few occasions, readers have emailed me asking how to know if their acupuncturist is any good. Usually, it’s not a matter of good or bad. It’s a matter of fit.

If your acupuncturist is not a good fit for you—the condition you need help with as well as your personality, financial situation, and personal tastes—you’re unlikely to achieve optimal results from acupuncture.

It’s okay. It happens. You’ll both be better off. But it may be time to break up with your acupuncturist. Keep reading

7 Signs That You Need Acupuncture This Spring

By Sara Calabro

Tomorrow is the first day of spring. Yahoo! Except for that fact that many people don’t feel so hot this time of year.

The flu is—knock on wood—mostly behind us. Allergies have not quite exploded yet. So, why do so many of us feel off in the early days of spring?

You can kindly thank your Liver!

In acupuncture theory, humans are viewed as microcosms of the natural world that surrounds them. Seasons—particularly the transitional periods, when we move from from one season to the next—factor significantly into how we feel.

Each season is linked with an organ system in the body, and spring’s system is Liver. This means that the Liver, as it adjusts to taking over the seasonal reigns, is especially vulnerable.

When the Liver is vulnerable, the functions throughout the body for which the Liver is responsible have a tendency to get out of whack. Keep reading

What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?

By Sara Calabro

A common assumption about acupuncture is that it hurts. You are, after all, getting stuck with needles. Fear of pain from acupuncture needles is one of the most common reasons people forgo acupuncture.

Often to the astonishment of those who take the plunge, acupuncture usually does not hurt. No pain, though, does not mean no sensation.

There are instances where acupuncture needles are inserted without the recipient feeling a thing—this is especially common with styles of acupuncture that utilize extra thin needles, such as Japanese acupuncture.

However, most of the time acupuncture produces some kind of sensation at the site of needling. This moment, when a person literally feels an acupuncture point working, is known in acupuncture lingo as de qi. It is a good thing.

Another way of thinking about de qi is that the acupuncture needle has accessed the energetic material that it needs to produce movement throughout the body. When the point is activated, change is initiated. Keep reading

Why All Athletes Should Use Acupuncture

By Erika Prinz Freed

NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck does it. So does hockey superstar Jaromir Jagr. Olympic high-jumper Amy Acuff likes it so much that she learned how to practice it herself. New York City Ballet dancers swear by it.

Acupuncture is a go-to therapy for many of the world’s leading athletes—but you don’t have to be a pro to experience the benefits of acupuncture.

Whether you’re a die-hard marathoner, devoted yogi, gym rat or weekend warrior, acupuncture can enhance your performance by fortifying your overall health. Keep reading

7 Acupuncture Side Effects That Are Normal

By Sara Calabro

The most common side effects of acupuncture are things everyone wants: better sleep, more energy, mental clarity, better digestion and less stress. One or several of these side effects occur routinely for many, many acupuncture goers.

Following the publication of an article on the most common side effects of acupuncture, AcuTake received multiple inquires from readers about certain unpleasant side effects of acupuncture and whether they too were common.

And indeed, there are other, less pleasant side effects of acupuncture. These additional side effects are much rarer than the most common side effects of acupuncture, but they can and do occasionally happen.

None are life-threatening and all typically are fleeting. Still, they are good to be aware of so that if you do experience them, you know they’re normal and nothing to be too concerned about. Keep reading

How To Win Over Your Valentine Without Spending a Fortune

By Sara Calabro

Do you really want to impress your Valentine this year? Looking for a meaningful way to express your love without breaking the bank? Then forget the flowers, chocolates and diamonds. It’s time to celebrate Valentine’s Day acupuncture style.

I don’t mean go out and buy a gift certificate for acupuncture—although, if you can swing it, that’s a good idea too (find an acupuncturist here).

This Valentine’s Day suggestion is completely free and a sure-fire way to win your loved one’s heart. Pay attention. Keep reading

Relieve Headaches and More With No Drugs and Zero Effort

By Sara Calabro

We’ve been talking a lot about acupressure lately. In just the past couple months, AcuTake has run articles on acupressure for the flu, acupressure for stiff muscles and joints, and acupressure for post-nasal drip.

Previously, we’ve covered acupressure for hangover, acupressure for asthma, acupressure for stress reduction, acupressure for low back pain, acupressure for travel and acupressure for allergies.

And next week we’ve got another acupressure piece coming your way. We’re obsessed with acupressure! Keep reading

Boost Your Immunity With This 2-Minute Acupressure Routine

By Sara Calabro

Acupuncture strengthens natural resistance to disease.

I recently came across that sentence when I was leafing through some old notes from acupuncture school. It was underlined twice and highlighted.

Although I don’t remember writing it or which of my teachers said it, the words clearly resonated with me at the time. Rereading them now, especially during peak flu season, they still do.

It’s a simple idea and yet profound. Forget endorphins. Forget improved blood circulation. Forget placebo. This is how acupuncture works—by strengthening our natural resistance to disease.

Whether we’re talking about the flu, and hence its immunity-boosting ability, or back pain, acupuncture makes us stronger so that we can naturally resist illness and pain. This is true whether it’s happening due to fired up neurotransmitters or a practitioner with exceptional bedside manner. Keep reading

1 2 3 … 8 previous posts