Mila Zimmerman Acupuncture Charlottesville, VA

What Does Acupuncture Feel Like?

Many first-time patients are concerned that acupuncture needles will feel like hypodermic injections at the doctor’s office. They won't. Acupuncture uses hair-thin, flexible needles that you will hardly feel when I insert them. When I gently stimulate the needles they may produce a unique sensation that Oriental medicine calls de qi. Patients often describe de qi as a heavy, achy pressure, or spreading, traveling feeling. You may also feel an "electrical" sensation moving down the meridian pathways, though this is less common. Most patients find these acupuncture sensations deeply satisfying and leave the treatment feeling relaxed both mentally and physically.

Each person will respond differently to treatment. Once I have inserted your needles, you can just take in the treatment and relax on the table, and you might be surprised to find that relaxing comes very easily! You may continue to feel sensations at the needle sites and even in places that do not even have needles. Think of the pathways along which the points lie as a circuit or set of roads that all meet.

Acupuncture treatment creates deep relaxation
in both mind and body.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

The benefits of acupuncture are cumulative, so more then one treatment is necessary. For acute conditions you can expect to have 10 to 15 treatments, but you will usually begin to feel relief after just the first few. Chronic conditions may take longer to respond, depending on the type, severity, and duration of the condition. Preventative treatments and treatments for general well-being may also be scheduled on an as-needed basis.