Q&A: I tried acupuncture and it didn’t work

I’ll set the scene for you. I’m out in the world and I meet someone who finds out I’m an acupuncturist and they say “Oh, I tried acupuncture once but it didn’t work”. I’ve heard it frequently enough that I wanted to address why this happens from time to time.

First, I’m just going to say this. Not all acupuncturists have equal skill. They just don’t. I think of it like a restaurant with multiple chefs cooking from the same menu. Some days the food just tastes better than it does when someone else is cooking it. All professions are like this and acupuncture is no different.

Second, there are a LOT of styles of acupuncture. There is TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Korean acupuncture, Japanese style acupuncture, 5 element, Master Tung, Dr Tan…the list goes on. There are acupuncturists who use heavy stimulation and many needles, and others who don’t. Some people respond better to one style versus another and until you’ve experienced several, it’s impossible to lump all of acupuncture into one category.

Third, the acupuncture points used can make a big difference. Research proves this. Which means that you can see someone with equal skill, using the same style but they pick a different set of acupuncture points and this one part of the equation can change the whole outcome.

And lastly, most people need more acupuncture than one or two treatments to get better. Usually by the time someone shows up at my clinic, they’ve had whatever is bugging them for a long time. Many times it’s been years, even decades, since the onset of their issue. Problems like this took a long time to get where they are, and they can take a couple of months to resolve. Acupuncture has very little in the way of side effects. The flip side of this is that it can take time. And many of us aren’t patient enough to wait that long.

As you can see, there are a lot of variables that impact if the acupuncture treatment helped. Now this isn’t to say that acupuncture works for all things and every person. Anyone who promises you a cure all, please refer to #1 on this list and find a different practitioner. However, a skilled acupuncturist should be able to ask you a few questions and let you know if acupuncture is a good tool for your problem.

If you want to know if I can help you, please contact me. I love talking about acupuncture and will happily answer any questions you may have.