Acupuncture For Weight Loss
Acupuncture & Weight Management
The connection between acupuncture and weight loss is not instantly obvious and more research needs to be done to clarify the mechanism that makes it such a successful weight loss therapy. It is well established that the practice of inserting thin metal needles into specific meridians or ‘acu-points’ in the body can stimulate blood flow which increases nourishment and the flow of energy (qi) to different organs, depending on where the needles are inserted.
Advocates of acupuncture for weight loss believe that acupuncture can stimulate the body’s energy flow (chi) to impact factors that can reverse obesity such as:
- Increasing Metabolism
- Reducing Appetite
- Lowering Stress
- Weight Loss
- Affecting the part of the brain that feels hunger
Some Traditional Chinese Medicine experts believe that weight loss acupuncture works by stimulating the production of endorphin (also known as the Happy Hormone) and that these endorphin also lower blood lipid and insulin levels meaning there is less available to convert into body fat.
Chinese Medicine considers obesity is due to maladies of the spleen, stomach and kidneys. Sufferers have too much phlegm or dampness (water) in the body. Trying to lose weight through diet will have short-term results. A ‘cold’ food diet will further weaken the spleen. Sufferers should eat healthy food in moderation and do enough exercise.
Chinese Medicine practitioners will aim to strengthen the deficient organs, regulate neuroendocrine function, improve the metabolism and digestion, reduce water retention and optimize other bodily functions. Acupuncture is an amazing way to lose weight and reduce excess body fat. The acupuncture points around the fatty area (like big abdomen, oversize of thigh) and the points are related to spleen, stomach, kidney channels. Herbal medicine treatment is complicated in these cases, and specific treatment is recommended for each individual case, that is very helpful. Once the harmony of the body is restored to balance, the metabolism will process food properly, and excess weight should no longer be a problem, provided the correct foods are taken in moderate quantities.
At our Durham Acupuncture TCM CLINIC, we will start your acupuncture for weight loss program by examining you thoroughly, including taking your pulse and checking your tongue to see if there are no other underlying conditions that may be compounding your weight problems.
We also need to be confident that acupuncture is an appropriate course of treatment for you. Depending on the results of your examination, we will be able to design a course of therapy and perhaps even combine Chinese herbal medicines and natural remedies together with acupuncture for even more effective and successful results.
