Acupuncture sessions come with side effects. Fortunately, they don’t read like the typical advertisement for prescription meds. If you have ever read the small print that comes with a prescription medication, you were probably alarmed at the long list of potential “side effects”. Most people never read anything about the medication they are prescribed, and therefore have no clue that various symptoms they experience might actually be due to their meds. One of the most compelling reasons to try acupuncture is because it is a drug-free option for your health challenges. Drug-free= no need to sweat dangerous and unpleasant side effects.

In case you ever wondered, “why bother with 10 acupuncture treatments when I could just take a pill every day?”, I would like to point out:

Possible positive side effects of acupuncture

• Deeper, more restful sleep
• Appetite regulation
• Improved digestion
• Better, more even energy
• Mood stabilization
• Feelings of relaxation and contentment
• Pain Relief
• Stronger immunity
• Quicker healing
• Less prone to injury
• Lower stress (cortisol) levels
• Fewer headaches
• Metabolism boost
• Clearer skin
• Milder or absent allergy symptoms
• Better concentration and decision-making
• Improved libido
• Warmer hands and feet/superior circulation
• Milder or absent PMS symptoms
• the list goes on…

 Possible negative side effects of acupuncture

• tenderness or tingling at the insertion site
• mild bruising
• brief nausea or light-headedness
• very rare instances of infection or pneumothorax with improper use of needles

Now check out that bottle of ibuprofen/Prozac/Xanax/Ambien/Yasmin/etc. What seems like a safer bet? Granted, some prescription medication is life-saving and completely necessary. But, much of the medication prescribed by doctors on a daily basis is to manage non-life threatening symptoms which could also be resolved with a holistic drug-free approach. Personally, I’d like my liver to be detoxing enjoyable things like red wine and the occasional bowl of french fries, instead of working overtime on a daily basis to process medication I might not even need! Read more about what acupuncture can treat, how acupuncture works, and what to expect during an acupuncture session.