Acupuncture and Weight Loss
Source: CDA Press
http://www.cdapress.com/news/healthy_community/article_bf0299a8-a60f-57ca-ba68-75f68a4dedf5.html
As many as a quarter of all Americans are overweight, and a whopping 95 percent of those who attempt to lose the weight fail. There are many reasons people become overweight – hormone imbalances, slowed metabolism, overeating, poor nutrition and lack of exercise are some of the most common. Using acupuncture can make it easier to lose and maintain weight loss.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine, sterile needles in specific points to restore balance to the flow of energy through the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, the belief is that excessive weight gain is caused by an imbalance in the body due to malfunction of the spleen and liver organ systems. The liver produces many chemicals critical for digestion, processing nutrients, and breaking down fats.
Skilled practitioners will zero in on specific body areas to effect weight loss. For example, the endocrine system and kidneys are addressed in a person with water retention and hormonal imbalance. The adrenal and ovary glands are included to treat weight gain due to menopause or PMS.
The guiding principal is that acupuncture can power up any other weight control strategy by curbing appetite, quelling cravings, boosting metabolism, improving digestion, regulating obesity-related hormones and enhancing the way nutrients are used. Acupuncture may also increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach to help people know that they are full.
Research is now showing that acupuncture has the ability to influence obesity hormones. It is showing that acupuncture increases ghrelin, a hormone that controls meal initiation and decreases leptin, the hormone that regulates fat storage and metabolism.
Acupuncture is not a wonder cure for weight loss. Weight loss requires a good program addressing diet, exercise and stress reduction techniques. Acupuncture, however, can make it easier to achieve lasting weight loss goals.