Ask Dr. Michael: How Many Treatments?

How many acupuncture treatments will I need?

By Michael Kowalski, A.P., Dipl.Ac.
@ Acupuncture & Holistic Health Center
Jacksonville, FL

The number of acupuncture treatments needed for a given health issue varies from person to person. It depends on the nature of the problem, how long you have had the problem, and how far out of balance your energy is when you begin treatment.

A good rule of thumb is to expect to need one acupuncture treatment for every month that you have had your health issue. Having said that, no two people are quite alike, so each person has their unique response to treatment. In my 32 years of practice, most people have a significantly positive response within the first ten acupuncture treatments, no matter how severe their health problem is.

Once there is a positive response to treatment, the following treatments are cumulative and your benefit increases, until a maximum improvement is achieved. As you heal and improve, your treatments can also be spread further apart. Once the maximum improvement is reached, you can continue to enjoy the benefits of your improvement by returning for maintenance treatments, on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.