Weight loss and acupuncture
In March 2009, I saw a patient who, after 4 sessions of acupuncture to lose weight, was very happy to tell me that she had lost lots of weight and had dropped 2 dress sizes. Her stomach showed stretch marks which shows that she had lost weight. I was very happy for her result and her big achievement of losing weight.Many Chinese medicine books and clinical experience all approve that acupuncture is beneficial in losing weight. Especially for certain parts of the body such as the stomach, hips, legs, arms and ankle areas.
Everybody knows that losing weight is good for health and well-being but is very difficult to do so. Everybody hopes to have a healthy body so that they can enjoy life more. But many people are overweight which affects their quality of life and increases the risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems as well as circulation problems.
So all these problems make you think why it is hard to lose weight, and what are the causes of gaining weight. Quite often I get patients coming to me saying that they do not eat much, nor eat unhealthy foods, that they exercise but they still gain weight. But some people also say they eat what they want to eat but I’m lucky I don’t put on weight. All these things point to internal functions which control weight loss and weight gain for some cases. If we can find the cause of weight gain we can then improve internal functioning and balanced it to help control weight.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the causes of weight gain has the following causes.
- Edema type; an ancient Chinese book called “Su wen zhi zhen yao da lun“ records edema associated with deficiency of Spleen functioning. This means that those people overweight with edema are associated with water metabolism being sluggish. Chinese medicine considers the Spleen being important to transport fluid thus if the Spleen is deficient the fluid from drinking or eating will be stagnant in the body. Especially in the abdomen, arms and leg muscle to cause the limbs to be very heavy, as these areas are dominated by the Spleen. People who gain weight will also have bloating, tiredness or bowel problems. Their tongue will appear very puffy, very dark and pale, with teeth marks seen on each side of the edge of the tongue. Some of these people have an under-reactive thyroid problem.
- Chinese medicine also considers the Kidney to be a very important organ in water metabolism. Those who suffer from Kidney problems will acquire more fluid within the body, which can also lead to lower back and knee pain, puffiness around the knee and ankle, lack of energy, sexual function or reduced libido and sleeping problems, waking early or frequent urination at night.
If we are sure that someone is deficient in Kidney and Spleen functions, acupuncture is used, using certain points and channels and certain parts of the body which help to strengthen the Spleen and Kidney. To help improve their function and thus increase the removal of fluid from the body. During treatment patients not only reduce weight but also the associated symptoms subside.
For example a patient came to me with a pregnancy problem and also suffered from being overweight. After two months of acupuncture to lose weight she also fell pregnant straight away.
I suggest to those who suffer from Spleen and Kidney deficiency to drink an appropriate amount of water per day which is suitable for your body condition (to find out out how much water you should drink please see an experienced TCM practitioner). Also I suggest avoid eating cold food and fluids because cold characteristics can damage the Spleen and Kidney function.
Stress can also cause weight gain. Chinese medicine considers that long term pressure from work, family, friends or sudden shock from certain issues can cause Liver problems. As Chinese medicine believes the Liver is one of the vital organs which dominates emotional aspects of the body, if there is too much stress or pressure placed on the Liver, dysfunction of the Liver can occur. People will have headaches, be emotional, with symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, stiff shoulders and neck, irregular bowl movements. Since the Liver is one of the organs which is involved in digestion it will affect the body’s metabolism, thus people who are suffering from Liver deficiency will acquire a lot of undigested food, and thus have more toxins within the digestive tract causing slow but steady weight gain.
For these cases, Chinese medicine uses acupuncture to stimulate the points and channels that will balance the Liver to help the body to cope with the stress, and the return the body’s metabolism back to normal. People who have this type of obesity will also have associated problems such as depression and irritable bowl syndrome. After acupuncture the symptoms shall disappear the body will become much lighter. I suggest to those who suffer from this that they should do things which will improve the balance of the Liver. For example, drinking green tea, peppermint tea, listening to soft and gentle music, and especially reducing stress in their lifestyle.
I also recommend gentle and relaxing exercises such as swimming, walking, yoga, tai chi and meditation, and avoiding strenuous activities. Also soaking your feet in 40 degree (Celsius) water before going to bed will relieve pressure and tranquilise your head, improve circulation, and balance your body and Liver.
The principles of acupuncture to lose weight, is to balance the Liver, Kidney and Spleen functioning and to boost water metabolism, improve circulation and clear the body of toxins. If you have a weight loss problem and are unsuccessful with other remedies traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help you to find the causes of your weight gain and treat it successfully.
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