How to Know if Acupuncture is Working: The Importance of Setting Treatment Goals
At TLC Medicine, we believe in the power of setting treatment goals as a crucial step towards achieving optimal wellness. Having a clear destination in mind is essential when embarking on your healing journey. By establishing measurable objectives, we can better track your progress and ensure that we are on the right path to lasting relief and improved quality of life.
The Nature of Symptom Improvement
Have you ever noticed how your brain can sometimes forget the intensity of pain or discomfort once it starts to subside? It’s a natural phenomenon that occurs as your symptoms improve. We often see this with our patients. They’ll tell us that they don’t think their pain has improved at all since starting acupuncture. It’s only when we go back and review their symptoms at their initial assessment that they realize how much progress they’ve made.
The Power of Objective Measurement
One of the primary benefits of setting treatment goals is the ability to establish an objective measure of progress. While subjective sensations are valid, they can fluctuate and be influenced by various factors, making it challenging to monitor our healing journey accurately. By defining specific objectives, we can accurately assess our progress and make adjustments as necessary. This approach empowers us to gauge how far we’ve come and provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of our treatment plan.
How to Define Treatment Goals
Treatment goals should be tailored to your unique needs, ensuring that they resonate with your specific condition and aspirations. Many of our patients tell us that they don’t expect their symptoms to go away 100%, but if they are able to regain some measure of quality of life, they would consider that a success.
Below are some examples of goals our patients have defined:
● Sit comfortably for more than 30 minutes to watch a tv show with family
● Walk up one flight of stairs without assistance
● Reduce reliance on daily pain medications by half
● Walk on the beach barefoot
● Play a round of golf without having to ride the golf cart
How does your health condition affect your activities of daily living? How does it limit your ability to enjoy your life? What goals would you like to achieve?
Partnering with TLC Medicine
At TLC Medicine, our dedicated team is here to guide and support you on your journey to wellbeing. We understand that progress looks different for each individual, and we offer a comprehensive approach that blends time-honored traditions with cutting-edge science.
By setting treatment goals together, we can create an actionable plan that integrates various modalities, including acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and personalized lifestyle recommendations.
Together, we will monitor your progress closely, recalibrating as needed to ensure your goals remain within reach. You play an important role here too. Mindset also has a role in achieving our goals. Try to get yourself into a positive state of mind, and be open to the possibility that real change could occur during your treatment plan.
Take the first step towards measurable healing. If you’re frustrated with the results from other specialists and feel like you’re not getting anywhere, we encourage you to call us now to book a consultation.