Traditional Chinese medicine may explain how and why acupuncture works as well as the reasons behind selecting particular points; but, traditional Chinese medicine does not have any firm grounding in modern science. There is agreement that many forms of therapy and especially those that concern diseases of the muscles, bones and joints rely on acupuncture to stimulate trigger points and thus relieve pain. In addition, it is known that acupuncture points have special electrical properties and that acupuncture is being used in the Western world to control painful conditions.

With the knowledge gained about andorphins and enkephalins, which are the natural opiates of the body, there has been added impetus to acupuncture treatment, which helps to relieve pain. Very often, the acupuncturist will need to know beforehand about a patient's history in order to diagnose and treat the problem, using acupuncture. Skilled acupuncturists can make acupuncture treatment a very painless process even though sometimes there may be temporary aches and worsened conditions.

Works gradually and May Need Some Top Up Treatments Intermittently

Acupuncture treatment normally works in gradual stages and in the beginning there may not be any results or maybe just a transitory effect. Acupuncture treatment may take six to eight sessions and once the patient feels relief, it may then last him or her for three to nine months and may only require a couple of top up treatments, to sustain the relief. Most often, the first visit to obtain acupuncture treatment may last longer than subsequent visits since the acupuncturist may need to gather some initial pertinent information regarding the patient. Furthermore, acupuncture treatment is very individualized and that is a strong point of oriental medicine that also allows the treatment to be modified, if they fail to be effective.

Initially, the acupuncture treatment may use three to ten acupuncture points and the needles that are used are most often 1 inch long with .25 mm width and are most often inserted approximately 15 to 25 mm into the body. However, in the case of fleshy areas such as the buttocks, the needles may penetrate further. The needles may remain inserted for ten to forty-five minutes though sometimes the needles are inserted and removed more quickly and when inserted, induces sleep and relaxation in the patient.

There are various types of acupuncture treatments and these include electro-acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and tuina. Usually, one month of acupuncture treatment may be required for a year when the condition has been active and this means that if you have had a condition for the past five years, then you would require five months of acupuncture treatment before any resolution takes place.