Acupuncture for Weight Loss

How is it possible for acupuncture to facilitate weight loss? To understand this we must first take an overview of what acupuncture is.

Acupuncture is a 5000 year old healing art that is considered by modern medicine to be a safe and natural practice with no side effects. In acupuncture the body is seen as a grid of twelve dissecting energy channels which are called medians. These medians are believed to be active channels of energy along which flow the life force or Chi. It is believed that un-wellness is caused by interruptions in the flow of this vital energy. The medicine of acupuncture uses very small needles (about the thickness of a hair) which are injected into the skin in one or more sites throughout the body that are thought to help the body function properly. The acupuncture practitioner or acupuncturist will then gently stimulate the needle(s) to open and harmonize the corresponding blocked energy median.

Acupuncture for Weight Loss

Acupuncture is said to improve digestion, moderate metabolic rate and regulate the body to correct any imbalances that are leading to weight control problems. There is no medical evidence to prove or disprove claims that acupuncture is helpful for weight loss, but acupuncturists claim it can increase energy levels, suppress the appetite, reduce cravings and irritability and effectively reduce weight.

One theory about acupuncture and weight loss is that with the benefit of increased energy, an individual will be more active than normal which will in turn bring about weight loss. Another theory about how acupuncture may help weight loss is that certain areas of the brain responsible for our eating habits respond to the stimuli from the appropriately placed needles (both the ear and the stomach are commonly used locations in acupuncture weight loss treatments).

Although there is no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of acupuncture for weight loss, many people have reported successfully losing weight using this method. But ‘buyer beware’ when shopping for an acupuncturist. Do not undertake any procedures of this nature without using a certified, licensed professional preferably referred by your family physician.

If you are at all squeamish at the thought of getting a needle, acupuncture may not be the route for you to go. There is a reason why using acupuncture to lose weight is known as the “porcupine diet”. Regardless of whichever path you choose to follow to weight loss enlightenment, you will always, always need to incorporate a balanced diet plan and a physical exercise component to your personal regime in order to be successful not only in getting those pounds off, but keeping them off too.