Thrive Acupuncture PDX
Connect with me!
  • Home
  • About Becca
  • Clinic Info
  • Patients
  • Blog
  • Praise
  • FAQ
  • Books

What should I expect after my acupuncture treatment?

7/6/2011

18 Comments

 
Picture
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I try to preface every treatment by addressing this question. 

Because Chinese medicine is a holistic medicine, and we're all different people, we all respond differently.

Some people will feel tired.

Others will feel energized.

Some won't feel any different at all.

When I was in acupuncture school, we joked about acupuncture treatments taking you to "Aculand."  Aculand is that place that leaves you feeling blissed out after a treatment, but not exactly sure if you're safe to drive for a few minutes.  It's kind of like when you take a nap in the middle of the day and take a little while to fully wake up.  Lots of patients visit Aculand.  I've had patients describe it as the feeling of being ever so slightly tipsy.  (Taking sips of cool water and sitting for a minute or two helps clear the feeling, by the way)

But what might you feel in the days following your treatment?

Again, you may feel tired or energized. (Feeling tired usually only lasts a day or two)

Almost all of my patients mention how they slept the best that they have in a long time the first couple of nights after treatment.

Another reaction that most of my patients experience is a decrease in stress levels.  Almost across the board, people like coming to acupuncture regardless of their original health complaint because of the reduction in stress and anxiety.  Who wouldn't want to feel more relaxed?

Some people will notice that other minor health complaints start to resolve.  Their slightly looser bowel movements might never have been something to complain about, but now that they're firmed up, it's pretty exciting!  Or maybe they felt cold all the time and realized that they haven't needed that extra sweater all week.

If you were treated for body pains, your muscles may feel a little sore or tired (as if you exercised a little too exuberantly).  Some people may experience flu-like symptoms, much like is possible after a good deep-tissue massage.  In relaxed muscle, the byproducts of normal cell function are flushed away by our body fluids.  In tight, spasmy muscles these byproducts get trapped.  When tight muscles relax, they may release all of those pent-up byproducts all at once, rather than gradually, which can cause body aches, a sensation of chills and fever and mild nausea.

Flu-like symptoms can be prevented by drinking copious amounts of water after such treatments.  Really, it's a good idea to drink lots of water after acupuncture treatments regardless of what's being treated.  It helps your body accomplish all of the functions that it needs to accomplish!

Oh, and of course, many people start seeing a change in their original health complaint.  Their painful knee might not be cured, but they notice that they can walk just a little longer before it starts getting cranky.  Or their headaches aren't likely gone, but they had fewer that week.

Most people are pretty pleased with that last reaction ;)

18 Comments
Jason Luban link
7/15/2011 05:22:33 pm

Hi there. Great, and very apropos, post. Would it be okay to repost this (with attribution and link back to you)?

Reply
Becca Seitz, LAc
7/16/2011 07:54:16 am

That would be great, Jason!

Reply
Mary Ann Billings link
11/5/2014 06:21:52 am

Thank you for this post! Very informative. I had a deep tissue massage followed by acupuncture yesterday and today I feel like I have the flu...also cried over something that I would not have given a second thought under normal conditions.

Reply
Becca Seitz, LAc
11/5/2014 06:39:42 am

It's surprisingly common to have those sorts of reactions! When your body isn't functioning properly for whatever reason, it doesn't always do all of the things it normally needs to do. It's running triage, taking care of the necessary tasks. It's like when you're sick and maybe you don't want to take out the garbage even though it's garbage night. So you just leave it until next week. Your body is now taking out all of the garbage - so you may feel cruddy for a while, but just imagine how sparkling clean you'll feel when it's done :) I suggest making sure you're getting in enough fluids so that your body can flush out all of the "garbage" easily :)

Reply
Lynnette
7/31/2015 07:39:06 am

I have had both acupuncture and deep-tissue massage and both treatments left me shakey and violently sick. I couldn't hold any food down for 3 days after treatment. Does that mean my body is so toxic that releasing the build up in my muscles is making me physically sick? And is it a good thing to continue with, will l be better off long term if l put up with the vomitting after each treatment?

Reply
Becca Seitz, LAc
8/3/2015 02:41:06 am

Hi Lynnette,

It is definitely possible that you're having a detoxification reaction. I would make sure to mention your symptoms to both your acupuncurist and your massage therapist. They should be able to modify their treatments to ease your post-treatment symptoms.

Also, it's INCREDIBLY important to drink a ton of water after treatments that you receive because of a possible detox reaction. It will help your body get rid of all of that crud more efficiently!

There are other things that can be done to help the detox process, but you'll need to speak with your practitioners about which methods are appropriate for you :)

Reply
Grace
6/30/2016 04:01:12 pm

Is it normal to feel tired and have flu symptoms and feel nausea after accupuncture

Reply
Becca Seitz, MAcOM, LAc
6/30/2016 06:17:32 pm

Hi Grace,
It can be a "normal" reaction to acupuncture, though they're not very comfortable symptoms, are they? Some people experience these sorts of symptoms after a deep tissue massage as well. Often what happens when our bodies aren't functioning optimally, the normal byproducts of our cells can get kind of locked away. Once you get acupuncture, or have a massage, these locked up areas are opened up and the byproducts are released into the blood stream to be processed as they should have in the first place. But when a lot of them all get dumped into the bloodstream all at once, it can overwhelm our system and you get the symptoms you mentioned and more : fatigue, achiness, nausea, bloating, dizziness, etc.

Some things you can do to prevent this is to make sure you drink plenty of water after your acupuncture treatments. Epsom salts baths can also be helpful as well as enjoying a good sauna!

Reply
Alicia
12/28/2017 06:02:53 am

I know this post is old, but I had a question. I went to acupuncture last Monday and felt amazing- euphoric afterwards and all my symptoms I had gone in for were gone.
I went again two days later and had an anxiety attack right after- and I was going in for chronic anxiety and nausea so I wondered if this was a way of my body working it out?
I went again yesterday and afterwards felt sore back, nausea, stomach pains... I am scheduled to go again in two days and now I am nervous!
I drank a ton of water after the first treatment, just a few ounces after the second treatment, and this last one yesterday I drank a few ounces and then felt too nauseous to drink more. Maybe I would have been okay if I forced myself to drink more?

Reply
Becca Seitz, LAc
12/28/2017 12:27:24 pm

Hi Alicia,
This is a great question! Some people do experience vastly different things from treatment to treatment. First off, I'd make sure to mention your experiences after treatment to your acupuncturist. They'll likely want to adjust your treatment a bit to make it more comfortable for you. Of course, without having seen you myself, I can't know exactly what's going on for you, but here are several possibilities:
- You just need to make sure to drink a lot of water after treatment. Much like massage, part of acupuncture is getting normal cellular waste by-products moving so that it can be processed and removed by your body's normal detoxifying pathways. This doesn't always feel good, but drinking plenty of water will help your organs function most efficiently to get that crud out!
- For people who are more deficient (don't have enough Qi), sometimes an acupuncture treatment can be too "moving." It's kind of like having a piece of toast, but not enough butter to spread around to cover the whole piece. For these patients, I will switch to a milder treatment and almost always prescribe herbs, because they are better at helping build more Qi.

One or both (or some other!) explanation might apply in your case. Your acupuncturist will be better able to help identify what is going on for you, and to get rid of these side effects for you!

Best of luck in continuing with your treatment!

Reply
Michael link
1/1/2020 05:44:03 pm

Great article. I have read positive and negative feedback about acupuncture. I guess it just depends on the person and how it affects them.

Reply
Luna
10/8/2020 05:54:50 pm

Truly wonderful article, thank you for the explanations! I just had an excellent treatment and came home and vomited quite a bit. Glad to know what’s going on but drinking water after this is pretty hard. I’m also getting herbs and it’s working! Soooo happy to find relief!

Reply
Becca Seitz, LAc
10/8/2020 08:04:04 pm

Awww, I'm sorry you're feeling anything other than awesome after acupuncture! But sometimes we've just got to get rid of some crud to make room for the healing that needs to be done. Hopefully, it'll be a one off and you'll start feeling better super soon!

Reply
Max Jones link
6/27/2022 12:19:33 pm

Thanks for the info about acupuncture. My sister has been complaining about pain she has been dealing with. I'll tell her about acupuncture and how it might help her.

Reply
Ross Bell link
6/29/2022 05:02:55 am

Truly wonderful article. Thank you for the explanations! My aunt had an excellent treatment and came home. Glad to know what’s going on but drinking water after this is pretty hard. She is getting herbs, and it’s working for her! So happy she got relief!

Reply
Afton Jackson link
7/5/2022 07:38:53 pm

Experiencing a decrease in stress levels is something I really want to find out for myself. Lately, my work has had me swamped, and the stress I've accumulated can't be solved by simply going to sleep or relaxing regularly. I'll start looking for any clinics that offer acupuncture and getting their help immediately.

Reply
Psychologist Edmonton AB link
7/7/2022 11:21:32 pm

After your acupuncture treatment, you may feel some relief from the pain. Some people also notice that their symptoms have decreased or disappeared altogether. However, it is important to keep in mind that acupuncture is not a cure-all and that it is not always effective for everyone. Depending on the condition, you may need to continue treatment over time in order to see the most effective results.

Reply
Braden Bills link
9/14/2022 07:03:39 am

I've been really fatigued, and I'm not sure what to do about it. It makes sense that I would want to try out acupuncture. It's good to know that it can be helpful with that kind of thing.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Addiction
    Allergies
    Biomedicine
    Cancer
    Case Study
    Children
    Cold/flu
    Depression
    Dermatology
    Diet
    Elements
    Emotions
    Faq
    Fatigue
    Flavors
    Insomnia
    Maude The AcuTrailer
    Miscellaneous
    Organs
    Pain
    Pets
    Research
    Seasons
    Sleep
    Stress
    Women's Health

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.