For many people, losing or maintaining weight is as easy as deciding to do it. They not only can make the necessary lifestyle changes to diet and exercise, but do it with such willpower and determination that it seems effortless.
But not everyone has it so easy. Unhealthy relationships with food — binge eating, emotional/stress eating, and uncontrolled cravings — often knock even the best-intentioned people off track. Aging, and the metabolism and hormonal issues that go with it, only complicate efforts.
But all of these enemies of maintaining a healthy weight can be addressed with acupuncture in a variety of ways.
Acupuncturists can affect organ systems such as the stomach, kidneys and liver, as well as other body systems, like the endocrine system, through the insertion of acupuncture needles into strategic points of the body. This is shown to improve body functions like digestion and waste removal, as well as alter the production of the hormones that contribute to obesity — those that regulate hunger and fat storage, uncontrolled cravings and metabolism, as well as those that encourage water retention and glucose imbalances.
Long used as a stress relief tool, acupuncture can also be used to trigger an increase in the production of endorphins, the body’s “feel good” hormones, and decrease the production of cortisol, the body’s “stress” hormone. This leaves dieters with a more positive outlook and relaxed disposition, and makes them more conscious of when and what they are eating. This is similar to the body reaction that occurs after a binge, except that once the “food high” ends, those trying to lose weight are often left feeling guilty and ashamed. Acupuncture replicates the feeling of satisfaction, while also curbing the appetite and reducing cravings.
With metabolism and hormonal issues, the problem is often revealed through the interruption of a person’s life force, or Qi, that runs through the meridians of the body. Addressing and fixing this broken flow is the basis of acupuncture, and can be targeted toward weight loss or maintenance efforts.
Several studies on using acupuncture along with making healthy lifestyle choices show patients having success achieving reasonable weight loss goals, often in not very many sessions. Talk to us at Whole Body Health about supporting your weight loss/management efforts physically and psychologically through acupuncture.