Should you try group acupuncture?

Want to try acupuncture but not sure about the cost or the effectiveness? Try group acupuncture. 

Referrals are not needed to take advantage of acupuncture, whether in a group or private setting. 

Acupuncture works by stimulating your body's natural ability to heal itself. I like to tell my patients, acupuncture accesses the natural pharmacy in your brain to create changes in your nervous, immune and endocrine systems. Both the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health recognize acupuncture's effectiveness in treating more than 100 conditions! The most common use is for treating pain of all kinds. Other conditions include anxiety, depression, painful menstruation, digestive issues, menopause symptoms, sleep issues and neuropathy. In group acupuncture, participants receive the same health benefits that a private acupuncture session provides, with the added benefits of healing in a shared space and reduced cost. 

In acupuncture, thin sterile (single-use) needles are inserted in strategic locations to stimulate the body's natural healing. The needles rarely cause pain. Patients often report feelings of warmth, heaviness, tingling or even nothing at all around the site of the needles during a treatment. Many people fall asleep and find the session to be very relaxing. 

Research shows the effectiveness and lasting results of acupuncture are much greater when patients follow a treatment plan. Because you may not experience immediate pain relief from your first acupuncture treatment (although many patients do), you may need multiple sessions. A typical treatment plan can range from 10 – 12 sessions. The group setting provides a way for you to receive regular acupuncture to help you get better and stay better more affordably. 

If you are curious about acupuncture, group acupuncture can help you ease into it and try it out. Being in a group setting can provide a collective healing energy and help you feel less alone when dealing with health issues. 

Your acupuncturist may also recommend other traditional Chinese medicine therapies. Chinese herbs, dietary therapy, Tuina massage and movement/breathing exercises such as tai chi and qi gong can also help people suffering with chronic pain.