Jeff Rippey

Acupuncture can definitely help relieve the pain associated with arthritis - no matter the location. Without knowing the type of arthritis you are experiencing (osteo or rheumatoid) and how long you've had this problem, it's hard to say more.

For the best results, please make sure you're seeing someone who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. Outside of CA, you can use NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" lookup to get folks local to you.

I don't typically recommend any specific after-care for my patients. Occasionally, someone might experience fatigue or light-headedness after a session. In this case, it's a good idea to have a snack or light meal either just before or just after receiving treatment. Otherwise, my general recommendation is to go out and do whatever you'd normally do.

It is a good question though, and sometimes the answer can depend on exactly what was involved in the treatment session. Acupuncturists also often use things like cupping, guasha (scraping), moxibustion and/or massage. Sometimes these other modalities do have some after-care considerations. Best bet is to ask your provider and make sure they don't have any specific advice.

How quickly you experience results from acupuncture is going to be dependent on a large number of variables. These include things like:

1. How severe is the pain?
2. How long have you been experiencing the pain?
3. What caused the pain?
4. Can you be very specific about where you feel the pain?
5. How good is your provider in working with pain conditions?

Pain management is my specialty, and it's unusual for my patients not to experience some relief or reduction at the very first treatment. Not everyone specializes in pain, and not all patients experience relief at treatment #1. My general rule of thumb is: you should be experiencing some reduction in pain by the 3rd treatment.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes we get 'spikey' behavior as we work through the underlying issue(s). While we'd prefer to have a smooth reduction in pain over time where each treatment extends the pain relief from the prior treatment until we hit zero pain or an "I can live with this" level. Sometimes the pain score will bounce around a bit before settling in to some lower level.

For the best results, please make sure you're at least seeing someone who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. Better if you see a licensed acupuncturist who specializes in pain management. If you're not in CA, you can use NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" lookup to get providers in your area.

"Cure" is a very loaded word - technically it's an FDA regulated word, so I'm not going to be referencing it.

A lot is going to depend on how severe the food allergy is. Generally, when I have a patient with food allergies I recommend avoiding the food items that cause problems.

Acupuncture can help to reduce inflammation and relieve the digestive upset food allergies may cause. Over time, if the allergy is mild, the patient may be able to return to eating the food some of the time. If it's a serious allergy though, even with acupuncture, it's best to avoid the allergy provoking substance.

Anecdotally, I've seen it happen. I've had diabetic neuropathy patients who've experienced pain relief and restoration of sensation in their feet/lower limbs. I've worked with stroke patients to restore motor function and control. I've had patients with surgical numbness or sensation loss experience return of sensation.

It can take some time, and the diet needs to be fine tuned in order to provide proper nutrients for the body to repair.

That being said, is there a study or controlled trial showing acupuncture can heal nerves? Not that I'm aware of.

It depends on who is performing the acupuncture. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm going to assume you're seeing someone who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. This will be a practitioner who graduated from a school of Chinese medicine and is probably nationally board certified in acupuncture.

If that's the case, the odds you're going to experience a negative effect from acupuncture are very remote. Generally speaking, acupuncture is an extremely safe procedure. Here are the risks from most likely to least likely:

1. Mild itch, slight pain, swelling or bruising at the needle site. Itch is by far the most common thing my patients report, and it usually goes away in an hour or two. Slight pain, swelling or bruising is a lot less common but can happen. If any of these occur, they typically resolve in a day or two.

2. More severe pain occurring while the needle is inserted or persisting after the needle is removed. To be honest, I've never had this happen so I'm not sure how common it is. Generally though, the literature says this type of pain resolves in 5-7 days.

3. Organ puncture. This is only an issue when needling over the chest or abdomen. The lungs are most susceptible to this type of damage.

4. Infection. I list it because it technically is a risk, but I've never heard of any infectious outbreak in the US being traced to an acupuncture clinic. In fact, the only case I'm aware of comes from Canada in the 1980's and was due to needle re-use. Modern clinics utilize single-use factory sterilized needles which are used one time on one patient and then discarded in an appropriate container.

Your provider should explain all the potential risks prior to any treatment. Make sure you deal with any questions you may have up front. No one should be upset or put off by explaining risks and benefits and going over their clinic procedures for creating a safe, clean environment.

If you're seeing a chiropractor or a physical therapist who is offering "acupuncture-like" services, all bets are off.

If you're seeing a provider licensed as an acupuncturist in your state, yes, very safe. Even more safe if you happen to find a person who practices distal acupuncture and can treat your neck without having to needle in your neck.

This is a question I get a lot and the honest answer is: it depends.

Chronic conditions (problems that have persisted for more than 3 months) can sometimes take time to resolve. Your body has been experiencing this issue for quite some time and has, in some ways, adapted to it. We're trying to unwind the issue and the adaptation and sometimes this doesn't happen quickly.

The other thing to consider is that, from the perspective of Chinese medicine, all headaches are not created equal. Depending on where you feel the pain, what the pain feels like and a number of other factors there could be upwards of five or six different root causes in the Chinese model. Some of these resolve fairly easily and some are more difficult.

I do a lot of work with pain, including headache and migraine. My general rule of thumb for patients is: you should be noticing some change either in frequency, severity or both after 3-4 treatments. A full course of therapy for chronic headache might be in the 8-10 treatments range.

These are ballpark numbers - everyone is different, some will respond more quickly and some will respond more slowly. It's hard to know where someone will fall until they've had 2-3 treatments and we can see how things are progressing.

In mild to moderate depression, studies show acupuncture is at least as effective as the commonly used medications (SSRIs - prozac/paxil/zoloft). In the long run, after factoring in cost and the potential for side-effects or adverse-events related to the common prescription medications, acupuncture is often the clear choice.

Acupuncture also integrates well with psychotherapy or talk therapy for depression. Studies show this combo usually beats prescription medication and, again, the patient is at much less risk of side-effect or adverse-event.

For something like depression, it's fairly important to see a provider who understands the Chinese diagnostic model - in other words, you want a board certified and state licensed acupuncturist. If you're not in CA, go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" link to get someone local to you.

The answer to your question is complicated and requires some understanding of the human nervous system. Generally speaking the human nervous system is broken down in to the Central Nervous System (CNS) which includes the brain and spinal cord and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) which is basically everything else.

Inside the PNS, there exists the autonomic nervous system which consists of three parts, two of which are important here: the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system is more commonly referred to as the 'fight or flight' portion of the nervous system. Its main neurotransmitter is epinephrine/adrenalin and it functions to amp the body up in order to run away or fight something off.

The parasympathetic nervous system is more commonly referred to as the 'rest and digest' portion. It functions to help put the body in a restful state which facilitates digestion, assimilation and other activities.

These two systems: sympathetic and parasympathetic act in opposition, and we're not designed to spend a whole lot of time in the sympathetic mode. Unfortunately the stresses involved with the modern lifestyle often leave us trapped on the sympathetic side.

Acupuncture has been shown to promote the parasympathetic system. This is the primary way in which it relieves stress.

Generally speaking, the sooner you receive acupuncture after an injury, the quicker you will get results. If this injury is still in the acute phase (3 months or less), you might be looking at 4-6 treatments. If this injury has crossed over in to chronic (more than 3 months), you're probably looking at 8-10 treatments. There may also be lifestyle issues at play which may impact how quickly you heal.

Drinking water after acupuncture isn't going to hurt anything.

Just like you can't spot exercise (in other words, lots of crunches won't build a 6-pack), acupuncture is more of a systemic treatment. Studies have shown that acupuncture helps to manage insulin and blood sugar and also plays a role in regulating leptin, ghrelin and cholecystokinin - all of which play a role in hunger, satiety and what your body does with excess calories.

The honest truth, though, is that 80% of all weight loss happens in the kitchen. My patients seem to get the best results with a low-carb style diet.

Can a person use acupuncture to enhance a solid diet and exercise program? Yes. Can acupuncture replace a solid diet and exercise program? No.

Yes, acupuncture can typically reduce or relieve allergy symptoms. There is an excellent study out of Germany comparing acupuncture to conventional allergy treatment. Acupuncture performed just as well and, in the long run, was more cost effective.

For the best results, please make sure you're seeing a provider who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. You can go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" lookup to find folks local to you.

Yes, acupuncture has a pretty good track record when it comes to fertility - both natural and IVF. The thing is, it can take some time for the acupuncture treatments to move the system - most studies show you want to start acupuncture 90 days before attempting to get pregnant. This is a study average, but it's a good rule of thumb.

If you've been trying and experiencing difficulties, I'd strongly suggest a medical work-up for both you and your partner. There may be structural issues or sperm quality issues in play that could best be addressed in a different way.

Fertility is one of those areas where it's fairly critical to see a licensed acupuncturist (rather than a PT or chiropractor who might be offering "acupuncture" services). You really need someone who understands the Chinese diagnostic model and specializes in treating fertility issues. To find local providers, go to NCCAOM.org and choose their "Find a Practitioner" link.

This is a question I get a lot. It's very difficult to answer definitively because each person may experience different sensations as a result of acupuncture needles and a lot depends on who is providing the service. For the purposes of this answer, I'm going to assume you're seeing a licensed acupuncturist in your state - in other words: someone who attended and graduated from a school of Chinese medicine rather than a PT or chiropractor who took a weekend course.

First off, acupuncture needles are solid (filiform), not hollow like a hypodermic. Acupuncture needles are also much, much smaller in diameter than the standard hypodermic needle - I can fit roughly 3 of my acupuncture needles inside the hollow part of the average needle used for a flu shot. A good rough estimate of the diameter of a typical acupuncture needle is something on the order of a cat whisker.

Many people try to market acupuncture as a 'painless' technique and, technically speaking, this isn't necessarily true. You may experience a slight pinching or a sharp sensation on initial insertion - somewhat like a mosquito bite. This sensation should fade in a second or two, if it doesn't you need to tell your provider so that they can either reposition or remove the needle. Some points are more sensitive than others, so you may not feel every needle.

There are certain sensations that are normal with acupuncture. For those who've never had a treatment, these sensations are often interpreted as pain or discomfort. Things we consider normal:

1. A dull throbbing or aching around the needle site.

2. A short lived electrical, pins-and-needles type sensation that propagates up or down from the needle site.

3. A mild distending sensation, like someone is blowing a balloon up under the skin around the needle.

4. Mild itch around the needle site.

It's important that your provider explains fully what types of sensation you might experience and what sensations are "normal" or not concerning. It's also important for you to provide feedback on the needles. If any needle remains sharp or stabby-feeling after it has been in place for a few seconds, make sure your provider either removes or repositions that needle. Part of the idea of acupuncture treatment is that the patient is able to relax with the needles in place for 20-30 minutes. That's hard to do if one or more needles are giving a sharp, stabbing sensation.

Yes, acupuncture can usually help to lower high blood pressure. In fact, studies have shown that acupuncture's effect on blood pressure matches the effect of some prescription medications.

For the best results, make sure you're seeing a board certified acupuncturist who is licensed in your state. If you aren't in CA, you can use the "Find a Practitioner" look up at NCCAOM.org to get some providers who are local to you.

Yes, acupuncture can often be successful treating most kinds of pain conditions including osteoarthritis. It probably won't be a one-and-done type of treatment, as there is a dose dependency in play. Most of my patients are experiencing pain reduction or elimination by the 3rd or 4th treatment. From there, we start spacing things out to find their maintenance interval.

For the best results, make sure you're seeing a board certified acupuncturist who is licensed in your state. If you're not in CA, you can start with NCCAOM.org's Find a Practitioner look up.

Yes, acupuncture has a pretty good track record with fertility. Most studies show you want to start acupuncture treatments about 90 days ahead of any attempts - natural or IVF.

I'd start with a complete medical workup for both partners just to make sure you're not dealing with any structural issues. Then I'd seek out a licensed acupuncturist who specializes in fertility. Best place to start is at NCCAOM.org with their "Find a Practitioner" lookup.

Yes, acupuncture can usually help with both chronic and acute pain. In fact, it's one of the areas where we have excellent science backing up acupuncture as a good treatment option.

To find a licensed acupuncturist in your area, go to NCCAOM.org and use their "Find a Practitioner" lookup