How does weight control work?
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine improve blood circulation and metabolism, and regulate body’s energy flow. With good energy flow in the body, more calories will burn. Proper circulation of Qi and blood reduces stress and anxiety, as a result, it can help one avoid binge eating.
Stimulating certain points on the body with acupuncture in combination with herbal medicine can stimulate the body’s energy flow to lose weight by:
- Increasing metabolism
- Reducing appetite
- Lowering stress and anxiety
- Affecting the part of the brain that feels hunger
Obesity and Chinese medicine
Weight gaining is on the rise worldwide and is the most common nutrition related disorder in the developed world. Most commonly it is associated with an increase in the energy value and quantity of food consumed, coupled with a decrease in activity.
While there are no quick fixes, and no substitute for the basic therapeutic principle of eating less and exercising more, Chinese medicine can play a valuable supportive role, and can improve some of the physiological components that contribute to obesity, specifically slow metabolism, digestive ineffiicncy, problems with insulin metabolism and the fatigue that prevents activity.
The most common cause of obesity is taking in more energy than is used by activity. Weakness and inefficiency in harvesting, transforming, distributing and utilizing the Qi derived from food resulting from poor organ system function, can further compound weight gain. Disorders of sugar metabolism, specifically insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus, are also main contributing factors of weight gaining. The glucose that should be taken up by cells and consumed to power their metabolic activity, with the assistance of insulin, is instead routed into fat storage.
Chines medicine and acupuncture not only focus on burning the fat but also address the underlying health conditions.
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Some Biomedical Causes of Gaining Weight
Some of the biomedical conditions may cause weight gain. Better to be aware of those conditions:
Endocrine system problem
- Hypothyroidism
- Cushing’s syndrome (excess cortisol production)
- Acromegaly (too much growth hormone in adults)
- Hypogonadism
- Hyperprolactinoma
- Type II diabetes and insulin resistance
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
Drugs
- Glucocorticoids
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Oral contraceptive pill
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Corticosteroids
Others
- Cardiac failure
- Liver failure
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Hypothalamic tumors
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Early pregnancy
- Depression
According to traditional Chinese medicine, most of the conditions are caused by imbalance of the internal organs such as spleen and stomach, liver, and kidneys. Thus, weight loss acupuncture and Chinese medicine target restoring normal functioning of these organs.
Program details
It usually takes about 60-90 minutes including 30-60 minutes of needle retention time.
Initial intake needs about 30 additional minutes for analysis.
A weight loss acupuncture course consists of 10-18 consecutive treatments. It is recommended to have treatment 2-3 times a week in order to see best results.
The number of visits each week might taper off as the program progresses. The number of visits recommended will also vary from person to person, according to the condition.
It depends on your conditions and progress. If a herbal formula is prescribed, you might see faster results. Regulated diet and exercise will also accelerate the progress. If the treatments are given 2-3 times a week, you might be able to see some results within few weeks.
Weight loss acupuncture is $90 per session, and liquid herbal medicine is $295 for 21 days, and powder herbal medicine is $50 for 7 days.
Regulate diet and exercise is strongly recommended. Please see dietary recommendations below for detail.
It is beneficial to take herbal remedies (either liquid herbs or powder herbs) at the same time to enhance therapeutic effects.
Dietary recommendations
A diet reflects the pathology being treated should be introduced gradually. Radical or sudden changes in diet are not advised since they generally do not to last.
Some simple dietary guidelines can apply to all people wishing to lose weight:
- Cut down volume of food by 30%. Having small meals which include some protein at regular times throughout the day will regulate blood sugar levels and reduce appetite.
- Avoid fatty or fried foods. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid soft drinks and fruit juices.
- High protein (or low GI) meals are often recommended because they are relatively low calorie, don’t raise blood sugar or produce so much insulin and they manage hunger better. However, any diet which reduces calories will hep reduce weight.
- Breakfast and lunch are the more important meals as their energy value will be consumed in daily activity, while the calories from a large evening meal will tend to be stored as fat. The time of maximum energy available for digestion is between 7-11 am, which is the time of the stomach and spleen according to Chinese medicine theory.
(Source from the ‘Clinical Handbook of Internal Medicine’, Will Maclean and Jane Lyttleton)
