Adverse Reactions to Acupuncture may occur in several ways. Fainting has been mentioned and occurs in a small subset of hyper-reactive people. Other transient and minor adverse reactions may occur e.g. nausea, headaches, and mood changes.
Aggravation of existing symptoms occurs in strong reactors. This may happen at commencement of treatment or it may occur after a period of therapy. Approximately 5% of people experience aggravation of symptoms at commencement of therapy. It is always followed by a prolonged period of relief of symptoms, lasting many days, compared to the average of approximately 12 hours seen in a normal response.
Adverse reactions may occur some time after commencement of therapy. This occurs mainly in people near the upper end of the sensitivity scale, but are just below hyper-reactors who experience aggravation or fainting at commencement of therapy. Patients initially respond well to therapy, but as treatment continues, resistance to recovery develops. Persistence with the same level of treatment will eventually cause symptoms to paradoxically deteriorate.
Recognition of resistance to therapy and slowing the pace of treatment will prevent deterioration of symptoms. Progression in the rate of recovery will resume and this will lead to earlier resolution of the problem.
While aggravation of existing symptoms comprises the bulk of unusual reactions, other unusual reactions may occur. A metallic taste in the mouth after therapy has been mentioned. While elevation in mood, relaxation and a transient improvement in sleep pattern are all common with acupuncture, the opposite may sometimes occur i.e. transient depression, anxiety and insomnia. Inexplicable weeping without associated sadness and other unusual reactions may also occur e.g. cessation of the desire to smoke, anorexia or voracious appetite. These latter reactions are not common.
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