Ask Dr Xiang Jun: Does Acupuncture Work Better the Longer the Needles Are Left In?
No, the amount of time that the acupuncture needles are left in the body is not in direct proportion to the effectiveness of the treatment.
The effectiveness of acupuncture treatment comes from multiple factors such as the techniques applied by the acupuncturist or Traditional Chinese Medicine physician, the accuracy of the acupoints being needled, the frequency of the follow up treatment sessions, the choice of acupoints or the acupoint formulas used to treat the illnesses in concern. The timing that the acupuncture needles are left in during the treatment session is just one of the factors that can affect the effectiveness of the treatment.
As mentioned in my previous blog post on whether Acupuncture needles can be left in too long, there is a classic timing recorded in the ancient texts for the amount of time that can be left in body during a treatment session for maximum effectiveness. Anything longer than that timing does not render higher effectiveness. In fact, sometimes when the needles are left in the body for too long, it can result in muscular spasms as the body may start to react to a foreign object inserted beyond the skin level.
You can read more about Everything you need to know about Acupuncture, why acupuncture works, how TCM works scientifically in my blog post on my website to see how Acupuncture works.
Further Reading:
Everything you need to know about Acupuncture
How Acupuncture Help with Fatigue
Facial Acupuncture - How to differentiate the real deal from the fakers
Women’s Health: It is not normal to have cysts and fibroids
Men’s Health: Signs of Male Menopause
