We are located at 201 East 56th Street, New York. Please call (212) 991-8680 or send us an email info@aprpc.com

How many acupuncture treatments does it take?
How many acupuncture treatments does it take?

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Patients always ask this question “How often should I come for treatment?” – Acupuncturist Ira Wahrman answers your questions about acupuncture ‘dosage’.

How many treatments will I need?
It depends on your personal situation. Acupuncture is no different from any other form of medical intervention.  When you take prescription medication the dosage is listed on the bottle.  When you take herbal medicine you are also given a proper dosage to achieve the desired results.  Proper dosage of acupuncture allows for effective treatment and good results.  When I say dosage of acupuncture I am referring to individual treatment length, frequency of visits and amount of needle stimulation.

That’s all well and good, but what should I expect?
Individual treatment length:  The average time can be anywhere from 20-45 minutes.  Some treatments may be shorter while others may be longer depending on the individual patients condition.  Chronic conditions usually have longer needle retention times.

Frequency of visits:   After the first visit with a patient it is usually pretty easy to gauge how often they need to come in for treatment.  Recently I have been treating a few patients with lower back pain.  Usually the pain diminishes anywhere from ten to one hundred percent during the first visit.  When the patient comes in for their next visit they might tell me that the pain relief lasted for two days or six days, etc. It depends on the patient.  If the pain relief lasted four days it would be advisable for the patient to come in for treatment twice a week.   Treatment must be given before the pain reasserts itself to one hundred percent of intensity.

Treatment is performed often enough so that after each successive treatment the pain will decrease over time.  If the pain is allowed to go back to its starting point the treatment will never be successful.  Just as we would take prescriptions medication everyday twice a day we need to also receive an adequate amount of acupuncture treatment as well.  This is not only true for pain but for digestive issues, respiratory problems and other issues that you are seeking treatment for. Some patients need treatment once a week, twice a week, two times a month etc. Each patient is different.  After a condition starts to stabilize treatment frequency can be lessened.

Proper dosage of acupuncture will allow for good results in treatment. I always discuss this with my patients and we always find a way to get them the results they desire.


I have some openings this coming Friday (11/22) at 9:45am, 11:00am, 2:45pm and 3pm.  Next Tuesday (11/26) and Wednesday (11/27) mornings have some openings around 10am and 10:30am.  Lastly I will be seeing patients the day after Thanksgiving if anyone wants to book.

~ Ira