Acupuncture for Weight Loss
We have all heard many times that losing weight is a matter of burning more calories you consume each day. Calories in versus calories out; it seems to make sense on paper, but in the real world it seems to be a bit more complicated. Sometimes the tried and true approach of using diet and exercise to lose weight does not quite get the job done. Sometimes physical or psychological influences that are beyond the individual’s control can have a significant effect on their efforts to lose weight.
The Weight Loss Marketplace
As a result of this, there are myriad alternative weight loss aids and methods being marketed to individuals who do not respond well to diet and exercise alone. Unfortunately, many of the alternatives being offered are very unlikely to provide better results. There are hundreds of fat burners, appetite suppressants and diet pills being sold, but upon careful review, most of them have a disproportionate amount of negative reviews and customer complaints.
Newfangled exercise methods may sound advanced when they are described by the host of an infomercial, but they are just recycling old methods and presenting them as new breakthroughs. If you are tired of being let down by new fad diets, expensive supplements and over-hyped workout DVDs, you may want to consider getting acupuncture treatments to assist in your fat loss efforts.
Can Acupuncture Actually Help Me Lose Weight?
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to promote better health, and address issues that traditional medicine fails to adequately treat. In recent years acupuncturists have been using their treatments to help patients with weight loss, and the initial results are quite promising. Acupuncture addresses the underlying causes, both physical and psychological, that lead to obesity. The treatments are minimally invasive (most say they are completely painless), and have no negative side effects.
The Chinese Medicine Take on Obesity
According to the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a person carrying excess weight has an imbalance in the liver or spleen. The spleen plays a vital role in proper digestion, a process crucial to optimal health. If the spleen is not functioning properly the problem manifests in the form of a sluggish metabolism, chronic fatigue and feelings of heaviness. The liver keeps blood flowing smoothly throughout the body, and when the liver fails to function properly the spleen is compromised and the systems of the body are all thrown into disharmony. This can cause problems like heightened stress response and emotional instability, creating a vicious cycle of disease in the body.
Acupuncture treatments can be tailored specifically to each individual patient, and used to calm the nervous system, improve circulation, and promote overall health. Patients treated with acupuncture to aid in weight loss report experiencing fewer cravings, feelings of satiety from smaller portions, and increased energy levels.
Acupuncture will not magically melt the fat off of your body. You will need to do your part by choosing healthy foods at the grocery store and sticking to a regular exercise program. What acupuncture will do is help put your mind and body in a state that is receptive to positive change as a result of your efforts.
