Acupuncture Can Aid in Weight Loss

Studies have shown that the 3,500-year-old Chinese technique of acupuncture can aid weight loss in some people by reducing appetite, increasing metabolism and lowering stress.

 Acupuncture can increase serotonin levels, which regulates endorphin and dopamine production in the brain.  These chemicals can help balance your digestive system, regulate appetite, lower stress, and increase metabolism so your body burns fat more efficiently, resulting in weight loss.

Before treatment can begin, you must have a consultation with an Acupuncture professional, who will assess your individual needs.  The Acupuncturist will ask questions about your lifestyle to determine what factors might play a role in your weight loss.

Lifestyle factors that might affect your weight loss include stress, nutrition, eating habits, and exercise.  The acupuncturist will check your pulse and look at your tongue to assess the condition of your overall health and your stomach energy.  Following the assessment, the acupuncturist will decide upon a course of treatment that typically includes two or more acupuncture points on your body and ear. 

Needles are inserted at the Acupuncture points and left there for 30 to 45 minutes, then removed.

Sometimes electrical stimulation is used on the Acupuncture points to increase hormone production and speed up your metabolism so your body will burn fat more efficiently and increase weight loss.  After the needles are removed, the acupuncturist will insert tacks or staples in your ear at the points where the needles were placed.  These ear tacks or staples continue the treatment between acupuncture sessions.

When you are tempted to eat between meals, simply apply mild pressure to the staples for about 20 seconds.  This causes a slight endorphin release that can relax you and help you maintain control over your appetite.  You can remove the ear tacks or staples after three days—or sooner if they cause you any discomfort.

Your next Acupuncture session will repeat this process.

The duration and frequency of acupuncture treatment to aid in weight loss varies depending on several factors, including how overweight you are, how much weight you want to lose, how fast you want to lose the weight, and whether you have any physical complications—such as digestive problems—that might affect your weight loss.

 Typically, the more often you have acupuncture treatments, the more quickly you will lose weight.

 Your Acupuncturist will work with you to determine how often and how long you should have Acupuncture treatments in order to reach your weight loss goal.  Acupuncture is most effective in aiding weight loss when you are willing to make lifestyle changes in conjunction with the acupuncture treatment. 

 Proper diet, moderate exercise, nutritional supplements, and stress-reducing techniques such as deep breathing, Tai Chi, meditation, biofeedback, and Yoga can all make the Acupuncture more effective in helping you to lose weight more quickly and keep the weight off longer.  Although not clinically proven to be a significant factor in weight loss, there is evidence that Acupuncture can be successful in helping some people achieve weight loss more quickly and easily.

 Talk to an Acupuncture professional to determine if this ancient Chinese technique is the right choice to help you lose weight.