“How quickly does acupuncture work?”

immediately .

Instantly

It works extremely well for migraines. I normally recommend acupuncture and herbs for migraines to get fast and effective results.

Hello,

Depending on the triggers, medical history, and medicine usage involved in your migraines it may take time to notice a meaningful difference. That being said, you should notice some difference in your health within a few sessions.

Blessings,

Covyn Montemayor

Results are subjective and the experience varies on a case by case basis. Typically, you may begin to feel some change occur within 5-7 regular visits, i.e., frequency of migraines, intensity of pain, time of day they begin, sleeping patterns, etc.

Acupuncture for migraines take a little more time than other pain conditions. In the first 3 sessions you can start to see changes in the frequency an intensity.

Yes, it should work, and it depends on each condition.

Acupuncture has helped people who suffer from migraines. It depends on how long you have been suffering migraines for - the responsiveness from the acupuncture varies from person to person.

Thanks for your inquiry. Everyone responds differently. In my practice, I’ve had people respond as soon as one treatment and others 3-6 or more. It takes a detailed diagnosis and treatment plan to really know. Acupuncture is known for being very helpful and I hope that you would give it a try!

Hello,

It's difficult to live with migraines. It negatively affects your quality of life and energy! Improvement and resolution of your symptoms depend on how long you've been having migraines, your internal state of health and your lifestyle. Most likely, you should see improvement in 6-8 treatments or so. It's best to see how your body responds with on-going treatment. Young age and not being a female who has hormonal migraines related to menstruation are positive predictors.

There is no pat answer for your question, I'm afraid. It's important to get a detailed health history to ensure a correct Chinese Medicine diagnosis. Western Medicine has identified certain potential allergen-causing foods/drinks which may contribute to your headaches. Proper sleep (REM stage) is essential but also having supportive bedding and pillows are key. Oftentimes, the neck is in a cramped position while sleeping leading to tension in the neck, traps, shoulders and even the spine can be affected and can lead to headache pain.
Do you have a carbon monoxide monitor in your home and workplace? I have heard of cases where there are noxious chemicals, however minute, in the environment and can be a cause of migraines. Or even something more benign like mold, or other less harmful chemicals/odors .....say, from new construction, like particle dust and other things that you may be sensitive to. Certain medications have a history of migraines as a side effect or drug interactions with other meds or supplements. You may want to check labels if you are taking any meds. Have you been checked for any food allergies, such as gluten? Gluten can wreak havoc with some people who are found to suffer from it if not addressed.
There are many things that could be causing your migraines, but I would suggest that you see your PCP first for tests or blood labs to rule out anything more serious. Then eliminating things one by one to try to isolate what is causing them. All that being said, acupuncture has been helpful for some but you most likely won't see drastic results until at least a few treatments. If you take the suggestion of your doctor or acupuncturists on eliminating potential causes that will be a start. If the culprit is not found or addressed, then acupuncture may not work at all. In other words, it is important that you make lifestyle changes such as not eating late at night, avoiding sugar or caffeine, eating more leafy greens/fruits/vegetables, drinking more water and maybe participating in stress reducing exercises such as tai chi, meditation, yoga, etc. Acupuncture, or any medicine for that matter, is not a magic pill. How you live your life will greatly affect outcomes of treatment. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!!!

Depends on the professional. In my case, I can relieve migraines greatly instantly.

Migraines and the cause and etiology will often determine the course of care for Medical Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine. Recommend that you set an appointment with some to go over the needs and come up with a treatment plan. If someone offers, x, y, z treatment without evaluation and management, I might use caution.
Best of 2020 to you.

For migraines, it can be instant relief if you are having a migraine. However, it is better to have 6 sessions of acupuncture to achieve long-term relief. I had many patients who had not had any migraines for 3 years.

Some patients have immediate relief and some take a few treatments.

Yours in Health,

Angie

Hello & thank you for your question! How quickly acupuncture works varies from person to person. You should feel some improvement after your acupuncture session, but for full relief of your migraines, a series of treatments are recommended due to the cumulative effect of acupuncture. Typically, for an acute case, treatments are recommended 2-3 times per week for 4-6 treatments. For chronic cases (3+ months), weekly treatments are recommended for 8-12 treatments. Of course, there are exceptions to these guidelines as everyone's healing process is different.

Hello! This depends on how your body response to acupuncture, other variables is on the health of your immune system. Basically, the healthier you are, the quicker your body will heal on its own. Expect to have at least 20% improvement in migraine pain after your first visit.

It is about 10 minutes to put on the required needles; the effect sometimes is felt after needles are inserted, sometimes you need to have several treatments.

Sometimes immediately and sometimes it takes a while. There is no single answer for all individual cases. Consult with your practitioner about your specific case.

It can work in as little as one treatment but that number really depends on the style of acupuncture you are receiving, the frequency of treatments, and your compliance with your practitioner's treatment plan (taking herbs, dietary or lifestyle changes, etc.). Generally speaking, if you're not feeling any changes within 5-8 treatments, I suggest finding another practitioner or trying a different style of acupuncture.

Acupuncture can be very efficient for migraines. Some of my patients have almost immediate results, some others need a bit more time.

Be well, be confident, we can help.

There are too many variables to provide a hard and fast number for how quickly acupuncture will work in a condition like migraine. Some patients respond more quickly than others, some acupuncturists are better with pain conditions than others.

I work a lot with pain and migraine. My usual advice is that we should be seeing a reduction in headache severity, headache frequency or both in 3 or 4 treatments. A full course of therapy might be something like 6-8 treatments.

Here's a good analogy: when the doctor prescribes antibiotics for an infection, do you take only one dose? No, there's a course of therapy required and if you quit too early, the infection isn't wiped out.

Acupuncture works the same way, one treatment is roughly equivalent to a dose of medication. You need a course of therapy in order to realize the full effect.