Acupuncture and Weight Loss
Acupuncture Weight Loss Treatments
I remember the first time I took Chinese herbs. One of my
patients told me "You look really tired - Here take these herbs"
and handed me a bagful of different colored packages. It hurt to
have it put so bluntly, but it was true, I was building a
business, working long hours and feeling a bit drained, so I
listened and took them home to use that night. One was a peach
green tea that tasted like the Snapple I had been drinking
earlier that day, one was an "interesting tasting" dark green
liquid which I took with an OJ chaser and the third was a powder
that I mixed up with OJ, water and soy milk to make a citrus
smoothie. Not bad I thought, for Chinese herbs... And then
something amazing happened. I felt full! Little did I know at
that time I had been given the key to my natural weight loss
that I still maintain 15 years later.
I loved it! I had never felt full before in my life. I had been
struggling with being thin since childhood. I had learned when
to stop eating in order to not gain weight; I knew all kinds of
tricks like drinking water before a meal and getting up and
walking away from the table. I looked at each new "diet trend"
and I had eliminated all those "bad carbohydrates" from my diet
and lived at the gym - and I ended up thin and tired all the
time. I even tried dexatrim (I may be dating myself - does any
body else out there remember that?) and ended up a yo-yo dieter.
It was like I was in a constant battle with my body and my
weight.
In this process of trying everything I had never before felt
this feeling of being satisfied. I loved it! So I used the herbs
for a few weeks and then I proceeded to talk myself out of
taking the herbs - too expensive, etc... and promptly got tired
and sick, went back on them - stopped and got sick and tired
again, repeated it a third time and then I got the message that
these herbs were doing something really good for my body.
Then to my surprise, six months later I dropped 20 pounds
without changing anything else in my life. I even began to eat
more without gaining weight like I used to. I had a lifetime of
experience struggling with my weight and I was amazed at how
these "little packages of herbs" were changing my life. I would
never have expected that these nutritional herbs would help me
lose weight. I was so intrigued that I ended up going to
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine School to learn more. That was
my door into the world of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture
weight loss and I've never looked back.
Weight Loss is quite a difficult complex problem for some of us,
and not even an issue for others. Just recently "Language has
been removed from the Medicare Coverage Issues Manual stating
that obesity is not an illness.... The medical science will now
determine whether we provide coverage for the treatments that
reduce complications and improve quality of life for the
millions of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity.(1)" Being
overweight is now officially a disease. "And as a first step, we
expect to convene our Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee in
the fall to evaluate the evidence on the various surgical
procedures used in treating obesity.(2)" There has to be other
alternatives besides surgery.
Acupuncture for Weight Loss hit the press in 2003 when Reuters,
CNN and others reported of successful acupuncture weight loss
clinics in China. Chinese Medicine theory, traditionally hold
that overweight people have imbalanced digestive systems. By
stimulating the digestive system through acupuncture and herbs,
it becomes more balanced and efficient, thus nutrition is more
bio-available and the person feels fuller. This is what happened
to me when my metabolism came into a better balance. Other
theories are that acupuncture mainly helps reduce appetite and
improve metabolism.(3)
A slow increase in Obesity in China had lead to this new
specialty - acupuncture weight loss. A professor at a
Traditional Chinese Medicine College in China states that
treatments for weight reduction have been practiced, studied and
refined over the past 5 years(4). While an exact comparison
between the US and China is difficult, in China the numbers may
be close to 10-13% overweight adults, as compared to 64% for the
US, but with their lifestyles and economic changes this number
is beginning to rise (5) . In Beijing, the capital, students
eagerly enjoy down their Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds,
Coca-Cola, Pepsi and pop tarts. These foods have slowly replaced
the previous hot spots with traditional Chinese snacks found in
places like Grandma's Dumpling House (6) . The obesity rate
among primary and middle school students has risen to 18 %, from
10% in 1991, the state Xinhua news agency said recently, citing
a survey from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and
Prevention.(7)
So what kind of acupuncture weight loss treatments do they offer
in these clinics in China? Acupuncture, on the body and/or the
ear, herbal supplements and exercise that's not overly taxing
(8). These are the primary treatment modalities that are used,
but Acupuncture is the pillar of their weight loss strategy. How
successful are they in losing weight? Currently there are no
published research studies in peer - reviewed journals, only
success stories emanating from the clinics. One source states
"On this modest program - patients are said to lose between 22
and 33 pounds per month(9)." Huge weight losses of up to 242
pounds are boasted. In China, they say that 4 of 5 patients lose
weight.(10)
I was fortunate to have been trained by a colleague that studied
in China learning these acupuncture weight loss treatments. We
are now proud and excited to offer the Chinese nutritional
herbal program that I used as well as these acupuncture
treatments and other supporting treatments for weight loss at
our Oriental Medicine spa-clinic in Los Angeles. I continue to
further my study and am exploring working with researchers at a
major university to evaluate the efficacy of these protocols.
Imagine finding solid evidence that there is a treatment for
obesity that has relatively few side effects. It is exciting to
see where this can go.
The unique acupuncture weight loss program we are offering here
in Los Angeles at the Oriental Med Spa is a synergy based on the
treatment protocol currently used in China(11), Chinese Dietary
therapy including nutrient packed supplements and nutrition for
weight loss taught to physicians (12). It is a gradual reduction
method and includes Oriental Medicine Diagnosis, a series of
eight Acupuncture for Weight Loss Treatments, Auricular
acupuncture (ear seeds) and herbal pharmaceutical grade Chinese
nutrition supplements. Acupuncture and nutritional herbs are
used primarily to strengthen the digestive system so it becomes
more efficient. The food you eat is better assimilated and you
feel full more quickly with less cravings. We hear "I noticed
that 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, Eating plans, Lifestyle Changes Support, RejuvaQi Qi
Gong Exercises, Slim & Toned IR BodyWrap and AromaWraps for
weight loss. Treatments range from active to pampering. Each
program is tailored and individualized for the patient's unique
situation. In China they say that 4 of 5 patients lose weight.
Only time will tell here in the West (13).
Searches of medical literature show that all of the following
are important, lifestyle choices such as daily exercise, smart
diet choices, dealing with your "inner eating demons". Others
are important but haven't gotten quite as much press - proper
breathing, body balance & flexibility, and constitution. Let's
face it we all come in as a unique individual with our own DNA,
personality profile and favorite foods. First is the decision to
lose weight, next is the right support.
This is where I believe Chinese Medicine and acupuncture for
weight loss are powerful supporting tools, to help us find our
own individual paths to healthy living. It is a slow gradual
reduction method. The program can stand alone or be a supportive
treatment for other weight loss or weight management programs.
It takes time as the body rebalances. It worked well for me, it
has worked for others and if you are seriously looking for
support for your weight loss, contact us to learn more about our
programs or come in for a treatment. We'd love to share it with
you.
FOOTNOTES:
1 CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Press office,
Press release 6/10/04,
http://cms.hhs.gov/ncdr/searchdisplay.asp?id=57. 2 Ibid. 3
FlorCruz, Jaime, Tackling Asias Growing Waistline,
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/11/02/china.obesity 4 Christian
MK Weight Loss Reduction in China, Acupuncture Today, Sept 2004,
http://www.acupuncturetoday.comarchives2004/sep/09christian.html.
5
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php.display=rednews/2004/02/
04/build/health/80-chinesewaistline.inc 6 Christian MK Weight
Loss Reduction in China, Acupuncture Today, Sept 2004,
http://www.acupuncturetoday.comarchives2004/sep/09christian.html
7http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php.display=rednews/2004/02
/04/build/health/80-chinesewaistline.inc 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10
Christian MK Weight Loss Reduction in China, Acupuncture Today,
Sept 2004,
http://www.acupuncturetoday.comarchives2004/sep/09christian.html
11 Ibid. 12 Second Annual Integrative Medicine Symposium:
Translating Science into Clinical Practice, UCLA Collaborative
Centers for Integrative Medicine Practical Multidisciplinary
Teaching of Weight Management 13 Christian MK Weight Loss
Reduction in China, Acupuncture Today, Sept 2004,