How many sessions of acupuncture?

I wrote this email in October 2018 to my Botox / Acupuncture office staff regarding “How many sessions of Acupuncture is necesssary”

Hi Office,

This is one of my most common questions that we get.

How often and how many acupuncture sessions?

How often?

once or twice a week.

How many?

Usually takes 8-12 sessions of acupuncture (once or twice a week) to maximize the treatment results.  After that some sort of maintenance needs to be done whether it is different habits like stretching or perhaps acupuncture sessions once a month.

How do I know if acupuncture is worth it?

Dr. Lee has a 4 session test of acupuncture.  If there is no improvement at all after 4 sessions of acupuncture, then it is probably not worth it to go to 8-12 sessions of acupuncture.
Thank you for rebooking the patients for acupuncture.  For acupuncture to work, it depends on rebooking appointments for our treatments to have lasting effect – I guess that goes for Botox as well.
Take home items from this email:
1. When does the patient come back? As soon as 2 days from now to 2 weeks from now is ok (that sorta is 1-2 times per week – although I prefer in general within 1 week).
2. How many acupuncture sessions does one need? It’s a patient preference, but most will need 8-12 sessions and then after that to change their habits (more sleep, more stretching, more vegetables, less TV, etc).
3. Can a patient stop after 4 sessions of acupuncture? Yes, if they are completely cured of their problem, but most patients use the 4 sessions as a test of worthiness of acupuncture and they usually do 8-12 sessions of acupuncture.
4. How many sessions do I need if I am a new back pain patient?  Most likely 8-12 sessions of acupuncture with the sessions about 1-2 times per week.  Use the first 4 sessions as a test to see if acupuncture is working.
Like Botox, a disciplined, habitual approach to rescheduling (rebooking) helps more than just one “mega-botox” or “mega-acupuncture” session.
Thanks!

Does Acupuncture Help with Acne?

Acupuncture for Acne?

I got this question today and here’s my attempted answer:

Hi! I have tried acupuncture many times for Acne and still get requests for it – many times it’s in combination with other treatments for the patients – such as for stress or weight loss. My patients report that it helps with acne. But I’m not sure how well it really works. But I’m happy for the positive feedback from my patients.  In my opinion, acupuncture is somewhat mediocre of a treatment for acne (in my hands). But because the side effects are low, I sometimes think that it’s worth a try. And by a “try” I usually tell the patients that we can try 4 sessions of acupuncture (spaced about 1 week apart) and if we see an improvement, then it’s worth continuing the acupuncture, if we don’t see an improvement, then it’s time to quit acupuncture. I currently charge $125 for the first visit then $75 for subsequent visits (prices subject to change – please call us).  There is acupuncture for skin health and there is acupuncture for hormonal stabilization which are both modalities I use with acupuncture to try to help with acne.  Feel free to call us if you want to schedule an appointment 209-551-1888. I also have other ways to treat acne along with acupuncture. It may involve prescribing antibioticstopically for the skin. Or the Obagi Clenziderm system – all available with us. Or the Blue Peel Radiance which I would perform on the face for acne reduction – or perhaps a combination of all these things. Best of health!

Botox for Acne?

oh and on a side note – I can’t help but mention that Botox has been known to somewhat help with inflammatory processes of the skin – which includes Acne.  Thus if there’s acne on the forehead and there are wrinkles in that same place – what a wonderful opportunity to try Botox!  Same too for pebbly chin – we can inject Botox in the chin area!  There is a new growing world of mesoBotox where Botox is injected in diluted amounts superficially into the cheek skin.  This is supposed to create some tightness and I think it would reduce acne in that area – but I haven’t tried it enough to recommend it fully.

Calvin Lee, MD
Modesto Botox and Acupuncture

 

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Summary:

For Active Acne we can try:

  • Acupuncture for skin health
  • Acupuncture for hormonal stabilization
  • Blue Peel Radiance
  • Obagi Clenziderm system
  • Topical Antibiotics – we also carry these in our office
  • Botox if on the forehead or chin.
  • MesoBotox for the cheeks perhaps something to try in the future.