I ran into a patient of mine at the grocery store who I hadn’t seen for treatment in a while. Her life circumstances had changed recently making it impossible for her to continue weekly treatments. Completely understandable.
“Why not come less often?” I suggested. She seemed surprised by this possibility and admitted that she didn’t realize that she could reap benefits with less frequency.
It’s high time I clarify this for you as it’s one of the most frequently asked questions we get.
“How many treatments will it take to resolve my issue?” or “How often should I come in for treatment?”
Your symptoms, your constitution and your circumstances are completely unique, which means there is no one-size-fits-all course of treatment. However, there are some general guidelines that can help chart the course.
It may take fewer. It may take more. A minor issue such as a simple sprain or recent digestive upset will likely resolve more quickly with treatment and require less visits. A more complex or deeper problem, such as a muscle tear, torn ligament, or long-standing digestive issues will likely require more visits.
You can use this formula to get a general idea:
For example, If you’ve had back pain for 2 years, plan to come in once or twice a week for 2 months.
Within a course of treatment, you may start to see your symptoms reduce within the first few sessions (visits 1-4 for example). The bulk of the reparative work comes in the middle of your course of treatment (visits 4-8) and the lasting power comes towards the end of your course of treatment (visits 9-12).
Chinese medicine has a cumulative effect on the body. Think about each treatment as though you’re pouring an ounce of water into a mason jar. Some of the water might evaporate between pours, but you’ll eventually fill that jar over time. There’s much we will advise you to do on your own in terms of diet, lifestyle and herbal therapy that may prevent water from evaporating out of your jar in between treatments.
Feeling fantastic? Just like you change the oil in your car every three to five thousand miles as a preventative measure, we recommend coming in once every quarter for a tune-up to keep your body from sliding back into old patterns of imbalance.
For the last six months or so, our two to three-week waitlist was preventing some of you from coming with the frequency you needed to obtain the most efficient results.
Not ok….and so we’ve made a few changes.
Over the last few months, we’ve added some extraordinary team members and reorganized our schedules to accommodate more appointments each week. We’ve done so without compromising one little bit on appointment length or the quality of your treatment.
Want to meet everyone? Check out our team on the homepage of our website. We’ve literally quadrupled in size since we opened our doors over seven years ago.
We encourage you get treated by each one of us over the course of your healing journey. Each practitioner brings something unique to your treatment, and the ways in which we collaborate with one another when it comes to your health care is what makes Family Tree exceptionally unique.
With five practitioners and three Happiness & Wellness Staff at your service, you’re likely to bump into one of us in the supermarket sometime. We’ll look forward to seeing you in the produce section…or at Family Tree Acupuncture for your next visit.
