A Little Patience, a Little Time

One of my daughter’s favorite shows is “Dear Evan Hansen,” so the music is a regular presence in our house. In the song “To Break in a Glove,” one of the characters teaches Evan about persistence and patience through the process of slowly breaking in a new baseball glove. It’s the hard way, he sings, but it’s the right way. 

There are no substitutes for patience and hard work, and those lyrics made me think of the ways this also applies to acupuncture. There are few quick fixes in life, but there is a right way. 

And though this method isn't easy
Every second that you spend is gonna pay off
It'll pay off in the end
It just takes a little patience
It takes a little time
A little perseverance
And a little uphill climb
You might not think it's worth it
You might begin to doubt
But you can't take any shortcuts
You gotta stick it out
And it's the hard way
But it's the right way
The right way to break in a glove

Acupuncture is completely different from the medical and wellness treatments most people in our part of the world are used to. We visit doctors and are prescribed medication that hopefully makes us feel better relatively quickly. 

But if you could treat the underlying problem and find relief without a lifetime of pills, wouldn’t you? That’s where acupuncture comes in. 

While one treatment can quickly help with many conditions (particularly pain), the key to real wellness is patience. Roughly 10% of my patients are cured in one visit, but most return multiple times—sometimes many times—for lasting relief. As always, it depends on the severity and duration of the condition, and there are even some ailments that feel temporarily worse following acupuncture and then improve as treatment is continued. If someone has suffered from a painful condition for a year, I don’t expect to see quick improvement. Instead, I expect to see some gains, some setbacks and some plateaus. It takes a little patience. It takes a little time. 

Our relationship is an important piece of your acupuncture treatment. It might even mean talking through some other options, like adding massage, physical therapy, nutrition, herbs or a chiropractor to your treatment. Some cases are complex enough that you might need several experts on your side. 

In the end, acupuncture’s success is built on patience, persistence and a plan. And though this method isn’t easy, every second that you spend is gonna pay off. 

In health and wellness,
Julie