acupuncture solutions for weight loss

I remember the first time I took Chinese herbs. One of my patients told me “You look very tired. Take these herbs” and handed me a bag full of packets of different colors. It hurt me to say it so plainly, but it was true, I was building a business, working long hours, and feeling a bit exhausted, so I listened and took them home to wear that night. One was a peach green tea that tasted like the Snapple I had been drinking earlier that day, another was an “interesting tasting” dark green liquid that I drank with an orange juice shaker, and the third was a powder that I mixed with orange juice, water, and soy milk to make a citrus smoothie. Not bad, I thought, for Chinese herbs… And then something incredible happened. I felt full! Little did I know at the time that I had been given the key to my natural weight loss that I still hold onto 15 years later.

I loved! I had never felt full before in my life. He had been struggling with being skinny since childhood. She had learned when to stop eating so as not to gain weight; I knew all kinds of tricks like drinking water before a meal and getting up and away from the table. I looked at every new “diet trend” and cut all those “bad carbs” out of my diet and lived in the gym, ending up skinny and tired all the time. I even tried dexatrim (maybe dating myself, anyone else remember?) and ended up yo-yoing. It was like I was in a constant battle with my body and my weight.

In this process of trying everything I had never felt this feeling of being satisfied before. I loved! So i used the herbs for a few weeks and then proceeded to talk myself out of taking the herbs, too expensive etc… and quickly got tired and sick, took them again, stopped and got sick and tired again, did it a third time and then got the message that these herbs were doing something really good for my body.

Then, to my surprise, six months later I lost 20 pounds without changing anything else in my life. I even started eating more without getting fat like before. I had a lifetime of experience struggling with my weight and was in awe of how these “little herbal packets” were changing my life. I would never have expected these nutritional herbs to help me lose weight. I was so intrigued that I ended up going to the School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to learn more. That was my doorstep into the world of Chinese medicine and acupuncture weight loss and I have never looked back.

Weight loss is a complex problem that is difficult enough for some of us, and not even a problem for others. Recently, “Language was removed from the Medicare Coverage Issues Manual stating that obesity is not a disease…Medical science will now determine whether we provide coverage for treatments that reduce complications and improve the quality of life for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity.” Being overweight is now officially a disease. “And as a first step, we hope to convene our Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee in the fall to review the evidence on the various surgical procedures used in the treatment of obesity.” There have to be other alternatives besides surgery.

Acupuncture for weight loss hit the press in 2003 when Reuters, CNN and others reported on successful acupuncture for weight loss clinics in China. Chinese medicine theory traditionally holds that overweight people have imbalanced digestive systems. By stimulating the digestive system through acupuncture and herbs, it becomes more balanced and efficient, so nutrition is more bioavailable and the person feels fuller. This is what happened to me when my metabolism became better balanced. Other theories are that acupuncture mainly helps to reduce appetite and improve metabolism.

A slow rise in obesity in China had led to this new specialty: acupuncture weight loss. A professor at a College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China states that weight loss treatments have been practiced, studied and perfected for the past 5 years. While it is difficult to make an exact comparison between the US and China, in China the numbers may be closer to 10-13% of adults being overweight, compared to 64% in the US, but with their lifestyles and economic changes, this number is starting to rise. In Beijing, the capital, students enthusiastically enjoy their Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and pop tarts. These foods have slowly replaced previous hot spots with traditional Chinese snacks found at places like Grandma’s Dumpling House. The obesity rate among primary and secondary school students has risen from 10% in 1991 to 18%, the state-run Xinhua news agency said recently, citing a survey by the Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So what kind of acupuncture treatments for weight loss are offered by these clinics in China? Acupuncture, on the body and/or ear, herbal supplements, and exercise that is not too strenuous. These are the main treatment modalities used, but acupuncture is the mainstay of your weight loss strategy. How successful are they in losing weight? There are currently no research studies published in peer-reviewed journals, only success stories emanating from the clinics. One source states: “In this modest program, patients are said to lose between 22 and 33 pounds per month.” Huge weight losses of up to 242 pounds are presumed. In China they say that 4 out of 5 patients lose weight.

I was fortunate to have been trained by a colleague who studied in China learning these acupuncture treatments for weight loss. We are now proud and excited to offer the Chinese nutritional herbal program I used, as well as these and other supportive weight loss treatments at our Oriental Medicine clinic-spa in Los Angeles. I am continuing to make progress in my study and am exploring working with researchers at a major university to test the efficacy of these protocols. Imagine finding strong evidence that there is a treatment for obesity that has relatively few side effects. It’s exciting to see where this can go.

The unique acupuncture weight loss program we offer here in Los Angeles at Oriental Med Spa is a synergy based on the treatment protocol currently used in China, Chinese Dietary Therapy which includes nutritional supplements and weight loss nutrition taught to physicians. It is a gradual reduction method and includes oriental medicine diagnosis, a series of eight acupuncture treatments for weight loss, auricular acupuncture (ear seeds), and pharmaceutical grade Chinese herbal nutritional supplements. Acupuncture and nutritional herbs are mainly used to strengthen the digestive system to make it more efficient. The food you eat is better assimilated and you feel full faster and with fewer cravings. We hear “I noticed my cravings were much less” on a regular basis from patients.

Breathing exercises are also a vital part of our program. For additional support, we also provide Chinese nutrition diet analysis, meal plans, lifestyle change support, RejuvaQi Qi Gong exercises, IR body wrap for slimming and toning, and aroma wraps for weight loss. Treatments range from active to pampering. Each program is designed and individualized for the unique situation of the patient. In China they say that 4 out of 5 patients lose weight. Only time will tell here in the West.

Searches of the medical literature show that all of the following are important lifestyle choices, such as daily exercise, smart diet choices, and how to deal with your “inner-eating demons.” Others are important but have not received as much attention: proper breathing, balance and flexibility of the body, and constitution. Let’s face it, we all arrive as a unique individual with our own DNA, personality profile, and favorite foods. First there is the decision to lose weight, then there is the right support.

This is where I believe Chinese medicine and acupuncture for weight loss are powerful support tools to help us find our own individual paths to healthy living. It is a slow tapering method. It takes time as the body rebalances. It worked well for me, it has worked for others and if you are seriously looking for weight loss support come get treated. We would love to share it with you.