What is Acupuncture and What Happens During a Treatment?
Updated: 1 day ago
Acupuncture needles are much finer than those normally used for injections or blood tests. You may feel a brief sensation as a needle enters the skin, but treatment should not be sharply painful.
Once a needle is positioned or gently stimulated, some people feel a dull ache, heaviness, warmth, tingling, pressure, or a spreading sensation. In Chinese medicine, this response is called 'De Qi', traditionally translated as “the arrival of Qi.”
Practitioners may also notice subtle changes or resistance around the needle. Although ‘De Qi' is valued in many traditional approaches value ‘De Qi’, sensations vary considerably between individuals and treatments. The precise relationship between these sensations and clinical outcomes is not fully established. Always tell your practitioner if a needle feels sharply painful, burning, or persistently uncomfortable.
How may acupuncture affect the body?
Traditional Chinese medicine describes acupuncture as regulating the flow of Qi and Blood and helping to restore balance within the body.
From a biomedical perspective, research suggests that acupuncture may influence nervous-system activity, pain processing and local connective tissues. Studies have also examined its relationship with endogenous pain-modulating chemicals, including the body’s naturally produced opioids.
These mechanisms remain areas of ongoing research. Acupuncture likely involves a combination of local tissue responses, nervous-system effects, and the wider therapeutic context, rather than a single process that explains every clinical application.
How many acupuncture needles are used?
The number of needles depends on the individual, the condition being treated, and the acupuncture style used. In my treatments, I commonly use between five and fifteen needles. Sometimes I may select only one or two carefully chosen points because a minimal treatment is more appropriate for that person.
I may remove the needles quickly or leave them in place while you rest. I will explain the proposed treatment and obtain your consent before proceeding.
Is acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by a properly trained practitioner using sterile, single-use needles. Temporary effects may include mild bruising or bleeding, tenderness at a needle site, tiredness, dizziness or a short-lived change in symptoms. Serious complications are rare but possible, which is why appropriate training, hygiene and anatomical knowledge are essential.
Before treatment, tell your practitioner if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, are taking anticoagulant medication, have a bleeding disorder, have a weakened immune system, experience seizures, have diabetes, or use an implanted electrical device such as a pacemaker.
Acupuncture should complement appropriate medical care and should not be used to delay the investigation of new, severe or unexplained symptoms.
Professional resources:
Recommended book for reading: Chinese Medicine, The Web That Has No Weaver – Ted J. Kaptchuk
Founder of SmartHealth Clinic
BSc (Hons) in Acupuncture, MBAcC, Clinical Massage and Manual Therapist
![Ear Acupuncture (Auriculotherapy)]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4eabbc_ddd602cc9e834ed3bc2e584439c2c498~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_1389,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/4eabbc_ddd602cc9e834ed3bc2e584439c2c498~mv2.png)
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