Our primary goal at Triangle Acupuncture Clinic is to get you feeling better as quickly as possible!  The number of visits you will need depends on a few factors and is different for each individual.  First, how long you have had your current condition matters a lot. 

Acute Problems = 1 - 4 acupuncture treatments

If the problem is acute (1 week) or short term (less than a month), then the body should respond to a certain degree after the first session.  This change may occur immediately, or it may take a day or two for the acupuncture to take effect.  For most acute conditions, between 1-4 treatments should provide a significant beneficial effect to alleviate the problem.  If not, then acupuncture may not be the right treatment course in this situation.

Chronic Problems = 4 - 10 acupuncture treatments

If the problem has been going on for 2 months or longer, then it requires a series of 4 treatments to gauge the response.  At the end of 4 sessions, progress will be assessed and if indicated, another 4-6 treatments will be recommended.  Many times after this series of treatments, chronic conditions will transition to a maintenance plan where additional treatments occur at 2-4 week intervals for a few months.  

It is also helpful to view acupuncture treatments as occurring in 2 different stages:

Corrective Stage – treatments to alleviate symptoms and bring the body back to homeostasis

Maintenance Stage – follow-up treatments to keep problems in check

Frequency

Frequency of treatment is important.  For many acute conditions, coming to acupuncture 2-3 times the first week can be very helpful and initiate a stronger impact on the problem.  For chronic conditions, starting a series of treatments coming 2 times a week for a couple weeks will speed up the process and help you gain momentum as the sessions build on each other.  That being said, many of our patients come once/week because of financial or time constraints and do very well with their healing progress.

The maintenance phase is generally spaced at 1 treatment every month for 6 months to keep the condition at bay and prevent the body from slipping back into negative habits.

Other Factors

The other factors that affect how quickly an individual responds to acupuncture treatment are:

Fitness Level

General Health

Diet

Intensity of Work/ Daily Schedule

Attitude to Recovery

Will My Insurance Cover Acupuncture?

In the state of North Carolina, insurance companies are not required to pay for acupuncture services.  However, many employers have policies that do offer acupuncture benefits.  At this time, Triangle Acupuncture Clinic does not bill your insurance company directly.  We provide superbills (or itemized receipts) that allow individuals with covered benefits to bill their insurance directly for reimbursement.  This is a smooth process, and we have many patients who enjoy their acupuncture benefits and get reimbursed. 

It is also easy for you to use your Health Savings Account to pay for acupuncture services.  We are a medical clinic and acupuncture services are eligible to be covered by your HSA. 

Both our Raleigh and Chapel Hill locations offer these acupuncture services and are happy to answer more questions if you’ve got them!  For more information on our rates, click here.