More Commonly Asked Questions About Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a procedure that many people think that they should undergo, but few people actually know exactly what acupuncture is all about, and so they therefore avoid undergoing the treatment. In this article, we'll do our best to demystify the treatment that is known as acupuncture so that you can feel more informed about the procedure and therefore be more likely to understand exactly what you are getting yourself into if you decided to receive acupuncture treatment.

Question: How long does an acupuncture procedure usually take to undergo?

Answer: Since acupuncture can be used to treat many different types of ailments and afflictions, the exact amount of time that it takes to perform an acupuncture procedure may vary. However, for the most part, an acupuncture session tends to last between fifteen and twenty five minutes. For treating advanced problems with acupuncture, you may need to return to the acupuncturist's office several times throughout the course of a few weeks in order to merit the treatment's full results.

Question: I have an intense fear of needles. I don't want to feel pain when I'm receiving treatment, so I'm skeptical of acupuncture. Exactly how bad does it hurt to have an acupuncture needle inserted?

Answer: Many people shy away from acupuncture treatment because they fear that the needles that are used in the procedure are going to be painful when they are inserted. While everyone's pain tolerances are different, it can be comforting to know that the needles that are used in acupuncture are nothing like the needles that are used at the doctor's office to administer injections or to take blood. The needles that are used for that type of procedure are hollow so that the doctor will be able to get fluids in and out of the body. Acupuncture needles, by contrast, are not hollow, and so they are therefore much skinnier. Knowing that, the pain that you experience from the insertion of an acupuncture needle will be much less than the pain that you would feel if you were getting a shot. As a matter of fact, some people who are undergoing acupuncture treatments report that they do not even feel the slightest bit of pain when the needles are being inserted.

The fear of experiencing pain at the hands of acupuncture needles are one thing that keeps many people away from receiving the treatment. Knowing that they are less threatening than a common needle can be helpful in dispelling this fear. The procedure itself is performed relatively quickly and the pain that is experienced during the treatment is minimal. The more that you know about a procedure, the more comfortable you will be when you undergo it, so we encourage you to learn all that you can about acupuncture before receiving the treatment. Getting acupuncture treatment from a professional acupuncturist can be very helpful when it comes to helping to get over a condition, and it is definitely a type of alternative medicine that you should consider.