“How long should you do acupuncture for chronic headaches?”
I have chronic headaches and want to have acupuncture. How long should you do acupuncture for chronic headaches?
16 Answers
4 treatments per year of problem and when you have symptoms
It depends on the underlying cause for the headaches. I typical see reduction in symptoms after 3-4 treatments and longer lasting results after 6-8 treatments. Many patients choose to continue “maintenance” treatments once a month or once every other month as preventative care.
It's hard to tell the exact number of sessions as everyone is different, but you should feel gradually better after some acupuncture sessions.
It truly depends on how long they have been happening. It also depends on if you take herbs and supplement with lifestyle adjustments. It can take anywhere from 6-12 treatments plus maintenance
Acupuncture can be very individualized. I have treated patients with acute headaches that will require monthly maintenance and I have treated some patients with chronic headaches that would come once every quarter. Depending on the cause of your headaches, your practitioner should be able to give you the best prognosis and determine how frequently you should come for treatments. Check with your primary first if you haven’t.
Mostly half an hour.
As with any chronic pain is hard to say without seeing the patient. Some times takes just a few treatments. Sometimes may take longer. There are many different types and mechanisms that lead into headaches. That being said, normally patients report some relief even from the first appointment.
Every case and condition is unique. Acupuncture is not like western medicine in that we actually heal and we look at the soul, mind, emotions, and the body of the person. Each condition is unique and may be affected by many external factors such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental conditions. Typically for most acute conditions, it takes about 12 treatments. For chronic conditions, the rule of thumb is one additional month for every year since symptoms started.
The sooner one starts the acupuncture treatments the less time it takes to heal. Some conditions if you wait too long may never fully heal.
Many people put things off too long or they are not willing to make the needed diet &/or lifestyle changes needed to prevent a relapse.
The sooner one starts the acupuncture treatments the less time it takes to heal. Some conditions if you wait too long may never fully heal.
Many people put things off too long or they are not willing to make the needed diet &/or lifestyle changes needed to prevent a relapse.
Lejla Fazlicic
Acupuncturist
It depends what is the cause for a chronic headache.
Dr. Leila
Dr. Leila
The general treatment protocol is one treatment a week for 6-8 weeks, then reassess to see how you're feeling. This is often a good point to try spacing treatments out to see if you can go 2 or 3 weeks and still feel good. It often varies based on the patient - the longer you've had headaches, or the more severe or frequent they are, the more treatments are recommended on a weekly basis before you begin spacing them out. The goal is either maintenance treatments (usually monthly) or not needing any further treatment. A monthly maintenance treatment is ideal especially those whose migraines are related to the menstrual cycle. Hope this helps!
It depends on what is going on. I encourage you to book a session with your practitioner of choice to get help with relief.
Changes from person to person, many people like to come twice a week the first month and then choose to go once a week/every other week for maintenance.
Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo
Acupuncturist
Usually until the headaches are gone, though acupuncture can and should be utilized to stay healthy, rather than just as a reaction to symptoms/imbalance/disease. Most importantly, since you are thinking about doing acupuncture, do find a qualified and real acupuncturist! Anything less would be you not really trying this system of healing. Find a fully trained professional in Chinese medicine, possessing a master's degree AND 5+ years experience in this field. Medical Doctors, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, and even Physical Therapists (dry needling) are able to do what looks like acupuncture (but isn't) with a couple weekends of training or less. I would NOT let any of these inadequately trained people NEAR ME. :-)
There is no set amount of time for any condition. I treat people twice a week until their pain is gone. Sometimes that takes months with gradual improvement/healing of the body.
Once, I had a patient who has severe chronic headaches over 51 years, I only gave him 2 treatments, and his headaches totally released. In your case, I don't know how severe it is, but may need to take 4 -5 sessions. It varies from person to person.
It's difficult to say how long acupuncture sessions might need to continue. Chinese medicine is individualized and it's difficult to predict in advance how any given patient might respond to treatment. The other complicating factor is that sometimes we're able to resolve an issue like headache, and sometimes the patient is looking at some level of maintenance in order to remain mostly symptom free.
The general rule of thumb for chronic issues is one month of treatment for every year a patient has been experiencing the issue. The vast majority of the time, problems are brought to some level of resolution long before this - but it's a timeframe that folks with chronic conditions need to have in the back of their mind.
Speaking very generally, your headaches should at least be trending down in either episode frequency, pain severity, or both by the 4th or 5th session. A full course of therapy might be something like 10 or 12 treatments.
The general rule of thumb for chronic issues is one month of treatment for every year a patient has been experiencing the issue. The vast majority of the time, problems are brought to some level of resolution long before this - but it's a timeframe that folks with chronic conditions need to have in the back of their mind.
Speaking very generally, your headaches should at least be trending down in either episode frequency, pain severity, or both by the 4th or 5th session. A full course of therapy might be something like 10 or 12 treatments.
