Disappointed with Acupuncture

[Laurucha]

I started going to an acupuncturist a month ago for fertility. I had read a lot about acupuncture for fertility and had high hopes. I was mostly interested in ideas about diet and herbs from traditional Chinese medicine. I've been disappointed in my experience though. I am trying to figure out if the problem is my acupuncturist or if acupuncture is just not for me. (I tend to be very skeptical of alternative medicine, though I also believe that Western medicine has serious limitations.) Can those of you with experience with acupuncture please weigh in?

My big problem is that my entire session is taken up with the actual acupuncture. We only spend a few minutes at the beginning discussing how I am doing. I barely have an opportunity to ask questions. When I have asked questions about my diagnosis and treatment (herbs), I get vague, general answers. I have no idea what is in the herbs she is giving me. We have never discussed diet, despite me asking about it several times. She has not told me what my Chinese diagnosis might be and seems more interested in giving me a Western diagnosis. She wants to order various blood tests, which my primary care physician has deemed unnecessary. I can accept the idea that my physician is wrong, even though he has extensive training in this area, but she has does nothing to convince me that she knows more about these medical conditions.

Those were mostly complaints about the acupuncturist's style, but I am also feeling like maybe acupuncture is not for me. I don't feel relaxed or energized or anything after a session. I don't feel like the treatments have had any effect at all on me. I know the acupuncturist would tell me to give it at least a couple more months, but I cannot justify this very expensive treatment if I don't feel like I am getting some benefit.

Thanks for sharing your insights!

[toothfairy2be]

Hey! I have an opinion but I'm using my phone so I can't type all I want to say, but I didn't want to leave you hangin. I'll message more tomorrow, but dont give up on acupuncture, give up on your acupuncturist!

[moonstones]

I agree -- sounds like a problem with the acupuncturist, not the acupuncture.  I received acupuncture treatments while trying to conceive, and then throughout my entire pregnancy.  My acupuncturist would spend at least 15-20 minutes talking to me before the procedure and would talk to me about the various points and the purpose of the treatments as she was placing the needles.  Though I can't connect the acupuncture directly to my ultimate success in TTC (it took us 6 months to conceive after I started the treatments), I always left feeling calm, balanced, and energized, and for me that was worth it.  I'd give it another shot with somebody different -- somebody who makes you feel more comfortable. 

If you have insurance you might be able to find an acupuncturist who accepts it -- mine billed my insurance company for me and I was only responsible for the copay which helped bring the cost down significantly...  

[Rainy229]

I agree w/the PP.  A good acupuncturist or DTCM (Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine)... actually ANY medical provider for that matter... should be answering your questions when you ask!  My experience has been that the first 6-8 weeks were spent slowly introducing me to TCM - first acupuncture and the history of TCM, then herbs, then diet... Although my DTCM told me my Chinese diagnosis, my DTCM is also aware of my Western diagnosis - as that is how I described my "problem."  Since TCM treats based on symptoms, pulses, and exam (tongue/ears), I would hope that a good acupuncturist would be taking time to listen to what you have to say (and answering the questions!)!  

You have every right to feel how you do!  Find an acupuncturist that not only treats with acupuncture, but also meets your needs as far as communication/etc. go.  Perhaps there's a Community Acupuncture near you to try... a different setting and atmosphere you may be more comfortable with.

Best of luck!  

Rainy

[toothfairy2be]

I have seen 2 acupuncturists, the first was really what you are looking for, very thorough, knowledgeable, took her time talking to me, but she was also very expensive, but she proved to me (over a year of treatments, not for fertility) that acupuncture works. So then when I needed treatment for TTC, I knew I wanted to be able to make a weekly commitment and for that price, I just couldn't do it. So I am at community acupuncture now ***Rainy- It may have been you that I saw a stray post from 4 months ago and looked into it, if it was I thank you so much!!!*** It is certainly different, but I think it is more just because every practitioner is different, not because it is community acupuncture. So although he hasn't given me a chinese diagnosis, or explained exactly what is in my TCM, he has never brushed aside any question I have asked, or hesitated to explain something I wanted to understand. Admittedly, being so trusting of the process, I don't have a lot of questions. However, I have faith that you can find a practitioner that you can be 100% happy with, that will certainly help you on your TTC journey (hoping it will be a short one).

I don't have coverage through my insurance, but you can look up CAN (community acupuncture network) and see if there is a practice in your area.

[Ramzubo]

I also think you should look for another acupuncturist. I've only been going for a short time but when I started we spent most of the session discussing general health and diet. I only had 5 needles the first treatment which was 1 1/2 hours so the acupuncture itself wasn't even the majority of my appointment. She spent a lot of time explaining everything (wrote down the name of everything she gave me so I could look up more info), gave suggestions for other problems not related to my visit, and gave me take home herbs with instructions on how and when to use.

Similar to what Rainy said, my lady gave me both an accupuncture diagnosis and then the closest western medicine diagnosis. They then used this western diagnosis for billing insurance and even filled out all the insurance claim sheets.

I would try another person and see if you feel different. Since you admitted to being skeptical it may not be the route for you, but it could just be a personality problem. I'm going primarily for a circulation issue and didn't want to just take the drugs western doctors suggested so acupuncture has worked really well for me, but everyone is different. If you don't feel like you are getting anything out of it or it makes you uncomfortable acupuncture may not be the best option for you and it's really all about doing what works for you. Good Luck!

[Jaimee]

I agree with all pp's.  Though I haven't used acupuncture for fertility, I have been to two different practitioners for two different things.  The first practitioner was just odd to me.  I never really felt comfortable with him and he was heavy with the needles- always adjusting them and really making the sessions uncomfortable.  The second practitioner has been much nicer.  She listens to me, remembers things about my life and has a much gentler touch.  So my experience is that practitioners are very different so it is definitely worth the effort to find a different one and see how you feel then.  My insurance covers as many treatments as I need for one copay every 31 days.  That really helps take the financial sting out of experimenting with acupuncture!

[LitMama]

Yeah, I would agree with all the previous posters, as well. Just wanted to add more thoughts about the Community Acupuncture experience, because your experience sounds like it fits with the community business model. I've been seeing a few different TCM practitioners at a Community Acupuncture clinic for more than a year -- I started going there to deal with other health issues (which were quickly and 100% resolved... it still feels like a miracle to be free of health issues that had plagued me for years) and ended up wanting to focus on fertility.

I knew going in that there would not be much opportunity for questions and discussion... they were up-front about the fact that, since patients pay on a sliding fee scale (as little as $15), the only way they can make enough money to stay in business is by seeing a LOT more patients than other types of clinics. So, the focus is on getting your needles in quickly and treating, not talking. Also, because we are all in one big room together (which is both a philosophical practice and a money-saving strategy), discussions can only happen in whispers. All of this makes it difficult to get specific questions answered or to even have the big picture explained. This has been frustrating to me, but it's the only way I can afford to go once a week. I have noticed that each practitioner is a little bit different, though... one person I see is all business and tends to deflect my questions if I ask them during a session, while another spends probably way more time than she should talking to me (about my case, but also about TCM in general... she even took the time to show me a bunch of points I could manipulate myself between sessions). The "all business" person, though, is happy to communicate with me via email, which has worked out really well. I do find myself doing a lot of research trying to figure things out, and I sometimes wish I could have a practitioner focus more on me and my situation, but I don't have the luxury of that kind of budget. And I'm certainly glad the Community model exists! I wonder if asking your practitioner if you could send her questions via email would help you out a bit? Either that, or just trying different practitioners in your clinic for a while until you find one who is more open to discussion?

Oh! One more thing... if you're focusing on fertility, you might want to hang in there for a few more months before making any assessment about whether it's working for you. My TCM person told me that acupuncture + herbs could achieve the same results for me that western medicine could (I'm over 40), but that it would take at least 3-6 months, maybe more. In my case what we are trying to do is grow healthy eggs, and the life cycle is I believe about 150 days. If you're trying to regulate hormones or tonify the uterus or do something else, it might happen more quickly.

[Laurucha]

Thanks for all the input!