Risks and Side Effects of Acupuncture

It should gladly surprise you that this page ended up a lot shorter than the list of Benefits of Acupuncture!

Acupuncture is hardly a life-threatening treatment, and is especially harmless when compared to the possible negative side effects of most drugs and forms of "modern medicine" and risky surgery that exist today.

It does, however, have a few uncommon risks that I should let you know about, just in case.

Some patients have reported
the following risks and side effects:

• Change in appetite during the days after treatment.
• Change in sleep patterns usually caused by increased energy.
• Change in bowel or urination patterns.
• Emotional distress during or following the treatment.
• Emotional fluctuations (ex. Suddenly happy or sad) during treatment.
• Fainting during treatment.
• Moderate pain or discomfort in the hours or days following treatment.
• Panic attacks in the days following treatment.
• Temporary increases in negative symptoms during the treatment, usually minutes before relief from those symptoms is obtained.

Most side effects that have been reported are mild to moderate and only last for a few days or less than a week after the treatment.

Another important aspect to risks and side effects of Acupuncture is the skill of the practitioner.

There are several possible severe side effects listed below.

These are extremely rare and should not be cause for alarm.

They are most often (probably always) caused by the inexperience of the practitioner, and not caused by correctly-performed acupuncture techniques.

Rare but severe risks include:

• Nerve Damage caused by improper needle placement.
• More than minor bleeding usually caused by blood clotting problems in the patient
• Muscle spasms
• Punctured lung caused by improper use of needles near the lungs.
• Injury to vital organs caused by improper needle placement.

The best way to avoid any possibility of severe side effects is to find a skilled practitioner.

In the hands of an experienced and knowledgeable acupuncturist, there is little need to worry about severe side effects at all.

It is also important for people that have a fear of needles or blood clotting problems to talk to their physician or acu-practitioner before receiving treatment.

If you experience any of the above symptoms or anything uncommon after receiving treatment, talk to your practitioner about it if it appears severe or if milder side effects continue to occur.

An experienced practitioner will know how to resolve these symptoms effectively.