Can Acupuncture Help With Weight Loss?

Acupuncture is a form of functional treatment that utilizes an ancient Chinese method of medicine. Tiny, thin needles are inserted into the body to help create balance and stimulate nerves. Many people use acupuncture to help treat conditions, including chronic aches, joint pain, headaches, and more.

Many people turn to creative and inventive ways when they want to lose weight. Standard forms include exercising more, eating more nutritiously, and cutting out unneeded calories. Some other less traditional methods include hypnotism or cryotherapy. 

But, an alternative way that people should talk more about is acupuncture. It has been touched upon as an alternative form of helping people who struggle with health issues and mental illness, and it has many advantages that can contribute significantly to weight loss.

Weight loss is a big factor in helping people become more healthy, and it is possible that acupuncture can help people achieve their goal of losing weight. There are endless techniques to aid in losing weight, and exploring the benefits of acupuncture may work well for you overall.

But how is this possible? 

The mind is a powerful instrument, even when it comes to weight loss. Suppose you feel that acupuncture can help improve your quality of life and give you more energy. In that case, it makes it easier to commit to other forms of helping you lose weight, such as taking control of your nutrition and adding in some low impact workouts to your regimen. 

While there aren’t many studies and evidence to back up this claim, there are benefits of acupuncture that can pertain and work in helping people shed some unwanted pounds. 

Weight Loss Contributors

WTHN acupuncturists and other advocates of weight loss state that acupuncture works to increase the body’s energy flow. It impacts certain factors that can work against obesity, including:

• Reducing appetite
• Decreasing stress and anxiety
• Boosting metabolism

That being stated, the expert acupuncturists also want people to understand that acupuncture doesn’t magically melt fat off of your body. The methods are more indirectly used to help a person pursue weight loss objectives. You can combine traditional techniques with acupuncture.

Weight Gain Imbalance

A contributing factor in why acupuncture can benefit those wanting to lose weight is the body’s imbalance causes that weight gain. Hormonal imbalances from poor nutrition, overeating, eating unhealthy foods, and lack of exercise can cause systems in your body to feel out of whack. 

Acupuncture works to improve the balance of systems and function across your entire body. The imbalances that Traditional Chinese medicines contribute to gaining weight are areas that aren’t working well within the body, including:

• Kidney
• Thyroid
• Spleen
• Liver

Acupuncture can target these areas within the body. In the five-element theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is responsible for your body’s energy, called “Qi.” When it doesn’t function properly, it causes other areas, such as the digestive system and spleen, to malfunction. It decreases metabolism and can lead to more cravings and overeating.

Ear Acupuncture

Studies show that when acupuncture is combined with other methods of weight loss, patients lose more weight overall. The ear is a common area practitioners look at regarding weight loss. Ear stapling involves manipulating specific trigger points in the ear to help control food cravings. 

Acupuncturists often use this method with the ear to help people addicted to smoking or drugs help break the bad habit. As long as it is administered by a qualified professional, ear acupuncture can help to reduce weight. 

Needles are inserted into different key points within the ear. The Chinese method addresses specific areas that include:

• Stomach – for people who overeat or are constantly eating 
• Mouth – for people who eat impulsively
• Lung – for food addicts
• Ovaries – if weight gain is a result of PMS or menopause
• Thyroid – to address slow metabolism
• Kidney – for water retention and hormonal imbalance

Acupuncturists will choose a few of these specific points for each treatment, depending on how you discuss your lifestyle and issues with weight gain. Auricular or heating acupuncture has been found to treat obesity successfully.

Emotional Balance

Acupuncture also works in releasing chemicals in the body, including serotonin and endorphins, which make you feel good. Emotions play a role in weight loss, particularly for those who are more emotional eaters. Certain triggers can cause overactive eating, and acupuncture effectively restores balance with hormones and neurotransmitters, reducing stress and your urges with food.

Acupuncture and Weight Loss – Is it for You?

Weight loss goals go beyond just getting treatments. If you commit to receiving acupuncture, you are usually already working to build better habits when it comes to your health and overall lifestyle. 

These good habits will help you to lose weight, giving acupuncture less of a primary role and more of a secondary role in weight loss. So, you may not just use acupuncture sessions alone and expect to lose weight. It’s important to understand that it will take multiple sessions and other changes to see results, just like one trip to the gym won’t magically help you get fit. 

Expect to take treatments for a couple of months or more while working on losing weight. It also depends on how well you react to treatments in each session. If you’re eager to add acupuncture as an alternative way to help shed some unwanted weight, it’s definitely worth trying. Talk to your doctor and work with a qualified acupuncturist to discover how to add acupuncture to your weight loss journey.