patients benefitted from the treatment.
So, what are the drawbacks of acupuncture? The
primary one is cost since most American insurance
companies do not cover it. Prices range from $25 to $150
a session. It is usually less expensive when performed by
a non-physician acupuncturist. The second drawback is
that this form of therapy is time consuming. Treatments
are performed at least once a week and a typical course
is comprised of at least 10 sessions. However, in my
experience, if a patient does not feel some effect after 4 or
5 sessions, further sessions are not likely to help. Another
predictor of success that can be observed even on the first
session is a sense of deep relaxation or an overall pleasant
feeling.
Acupuncture can be administered in several ways. Most
methods involve placing needles in various parts of the
body and the head, and then twirling the needles from
time to time. Instead of twirling, some acupuncturists
attach electrodes to the needles and pass electric current
through them using a battery-operated device. We are
not sure if this electro-acupuncture is more effective
than the traditional X