Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. Most people like to create new year’s resolutions, and many of those resolutions are to lose weight and to de-stress. Focus on the new year with a new you through the help of acupuncture. The ancient practice of acupuncture contributes by alleviating several ailments, and practitioners of Western medicine now embrace it to control chronic pain, post-operative pain, high blood pressure, addictions, stress, and even weight loss.
How Acupuncture Helps with Weight Loss
First, it helps to understand a bit about acupuncture. Fine needles are inserted into the skin along strategic points on the body and doing this can restore the balance of the Qi and can tackle the reasons why people become overweight. These reasons include slow metabolism, overeating, hormone imbalances, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise, to name a few.
The logic behind using acupuncture for weight loss derives from the idea that weight gain could be the result of disrupted energy flow to and from the hypothalamus, also referred to as the center of the brain. The hypothalamus is responsible for maintaining the balance that allows the body to run. Think of the hypothalamus as the body’s dispatch center that regulates hormones and neurochemicals, and helps to control thirst, hunger, and body temperature.
Acupuncture can stand up to any other weight control strategy by curbing appetite, suppressing cravings, boosting metabolism, improving digestion, regulating obesity-related hormones, and enhancing the way nutrients are absorbed in the body. It also improves liver function. Acupuncture may also increase the tone of the stomach muscles to help people know that they are full.
Where Do the Needles Go?
Acupuncturists aim for four acupuncture points on the ear – the hunger point, Shen Men point, stomach point, and endocrine point. An acupuncturist will insert needles along these points to decrease the “heat” generated along these meridians and to stimulate the areas that trigger the release of neurochemicals and hormones.
A Few Key Points to Acupuncture for Weight Loss
- Choose a licensed, qualified practitioner – Most states require acupuncturists to be licensed to assure the completion of the education and training necessary to practice. Look for L.Ac. (licensed acupuncturist) Following their name.
- Complete a full course of treatment – Successful acupuncture for weight loss is effective with ten treatments delivered over a few weeks.
- Follow a weight-loss plan – Acupuncture should be used in conjunction with a comprehensive weight-loss plan
Start the new year off with a fresh start to a new you. Give Longevity Acupuncture a call to discuss how acupuncture can help aid your weight loss goals.