Have you been trying to reduce weight lately? If yes, then you might have heard about acupuncture for weight loss. If not, then you’re at right place. Acupuncture is one of the effective Chinese techniques, which deals with number of health related problems.
Traditionally, it was only practiced in China and some parts of the world. You will be surprised to know that this technique is all about creating pressure at specific point of your body by inserting the needles at certain points in your skin.
Such points are carefully estimated to stimulate nerves of that particular region. Undoubtedly, it shows tremendous results in dealing with pain and various disorders.
With a few changes in your diet, exercise and lifestyle, this technique shows fantastic results and keep your body fit.
The article will guide you with all necessary details of Acupuncture for weight loss:
- Acupuncture: A Process of Exerting Pressure
- Acupuncture- How it marked its presence?
- Meridian Points- Acupuncture Points of the Body
- Acupuncture Benefits
- Techniques of Acupuncture
- Does acupuncture work for weight loss?
- How does acupuncture help you lose weight?
- Earmark of Acupuncture
- Guidelines for using Acupuncture for Weight Loss
- Acupuncture Side Effects
- You’re Not a Good Candidate for Acupuncture, If..
- Lifestyle and Nutritional Changes While Following Acupuncture
- Is acupuncture suitable for you?
The Process Of Exerting Pressure- Acupuncture Therapy
The word “Acupuncture” is generated from Latin where, acus means ‘needle’ and punctura means ‘puncture’. It is the Chinese practice or a system of complementary medicine of inserting needles in skin at some specific points in order to cure disease or promote healing.
The process involves a number of steps:
- To ease medical problems, specialists tend to exert slight pressure at various points of your body.
- Medical science believe that if you are healthy, energy flows throughout the body using various channels known as meridians. If there is any kind of blockage in these channels, it results in pain or disorder.
- Thus fine sterile needles are inserted at some specific part of the body along with meridians in order to ensure cleansing of this blockage and proper flow of energy.
This technique is also used for weight loss, so as to relieve pressure on your digestive system. To achieve fitness goals, specialists would suggest you to combine acupuncture with exercise on regular basis with proper and healthy diet.
Acupuncture- How It Marked Its Presence?
- Acupuncture was originated in China and has history of about 2000 years ago.
- The practice of acupuncture was started during the Stone Age where sharpened bones or stones or knives have been interpreted as a tool for acupuncture treatment. But it is simply used to puncture and drawing blood or drain abscesses.
- Indeed Chinese describe the character ‘Bian’ which literary means the usage of sharpened tools or stone to cure disease. Moreover, Chinese character ‘Bi’ stands for disease of pain and certainly it has been derived from the word ‘Bian’ for the treatment of pain related problems.
Meridian Points: Acupuncture Points of the Body
Human body is connected with 20 pathways, out of which 12 are ‘main or primary meridian’ which are associated with the internal organs, remaining 8 are designated as ‘secondary or extraordinary’, and thus called as meridians.
12 primary meridians are listed as
- The Lung Channel of Hand – Greater Yin
- The Large Intestine Channel of Hand – Yang Brightness
- The Stomach Channel of Foot – Yang Brightness
- The Spleen Channel of Foot – Greater Yin
- The Heart Channel of Hand – Lesser Yin
- The Small Intestine Channel of Hand – Greater Yang
- The Urinary Bladder Channel of Foot – Greater Yang
- The Kidney Channel of Foot – Lesser Yin
- The Pericardium Channel of Hand – Absolute Yin
- The Triple Burner Channel of Hand – Lesser Yang
- The Gall Bladder Channel of Foot – Lesser Yang
- The Liver Channel of Foot – Absolute YinDownload this Guide (by chirago.org) to unleash the potential points
Acupuncture Benefits – Problems It Deals With
For reducing weight, the practice aims to focus on mouth, thyroid, spleen, endocrine glands and stomach. These are the target points as they would help to affect the metabolism and proper absorption of nutrients present in the food we eat.
Thin and fine needles are inserted at the specific body parts in such a way that it regulates the secretion of certain hormones in body that plays vital role in metabolism, appetite and absorption of nutrients. It unblocks the flow of Qi (life energy, pronounced as chee) in our body and restore the balance in the body.
1. Reducing and Managing Stress
It is often seen that people eat more when they are stressed, or face anxiety and frustration. The needles are inserted in body in such a way that it helps in releasing endorphins in body, as a result of which stress levels are reduced. Through this process, reduction in the level of stress and anxiety leads to proper intake of food in your diet.
2. Dealing with hunger hormones
Leptin hormone induces the feeling of satisfaction after eating whereas Ghrelin hormone induces the feeling of emptiness in stomach or hunger. Insertion of needles on a regular basis can manipulate the level of hormone, thereby suppressing the appetite, leaving you with a feeling of satisfaction. Your diet is automatically controlled, and will help you in losing weight.
3. Speed up the rate of metabolism with pituitary gland
Hormones secreted by pituitary gland speed up the rate of metabolism. Also, it helps to stimulate the secretion of thyroid gland. With the help of acupuncture technique, it re-energizes hypothalamus and thus stimulates pituitary gland to activate thyroid gland and increase the rate of metabolism. This helps in burning of the stored fats in body which helps in reducing weight.
Acupuncture for weight loss Techniques
1. Shu Point Needling
This technique is mostly used to treat the disorders related to five solid Zang, like LIV-02. Also, it is known as Shu Puncture.
2. Distal Needling
This techniques is used to cure the diseases related to Six Hollow Fu, that is , Yang organs. The technique is also named as ‘Distant Puncture’. Generally, disorders related to your face, upper limbs, head and trunk can be cured by the points present below the knees. Thus, lower distal points that treat upper disorder.
3. Meridian Needling
This type of acupuncture technique also named as Ashi Puncture, is used to treat the disorders along the major channels. Like, needling the large intestine area for tennis elbow.
4. Collateral Needling
Generally, it is known as “Small blood vessel Puncture”. This type of technique is used to drop the stagnation of blood in order to treat with collateral disorders. Acupuncturist needle the area of small blood vessels to cause bleeding (minimal amount). This is used to treat heat and excess.
5. Cleft Needling
It is named as ‘Crack or parting Puncture’. Here, acupuncturist needles the patient’s body between two muscles to reach at location of patients’ pain.
6. Evacuation Needling
To apply this technique, acupuncturist use big and sharp needles to heal up he affected region of the body. It is usually used to drain out unwanted fluids like pus or any other fluid and also causes small amount of bleeding. This technique is also known as ‘Draining Puncture’.
7. Shallow Needling
This technique is famous for treating with superficial disorders in human body. Puncture the body superficially with dermal needles, star needles and ear tacks.
8. Contra-Lateral Needling
This technique is known as ‘Great Puncture’ where right part of the body is used to cure the disorders on the left side of the body. Thus, points are needled on the right hand side of the body to treat their affect on the left part of the body and vice-versa. While practicing Contra-lateral needling, Master Tong’s point is highly used and recommended.
9. Heat Needling
Also, known as ‘Fire Puncture’ where acupuncturist use needles to cure Arthritis, pain and ulcers. In this technique, hot red needle is use to insert in skin.
How does acupuncture help you lose weight?
Basically acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine, sterile needles at “energy pathways” or specific body points. The inserted needles stimulate the release of endorphins, which are body’s natural “feel good” hormones.
This stimulation creates a calming and relaxing effect, which counteracts the need for food cravings or excessive eating. In this way, acupuncture treatment can calm those so afflicted and help them shed those extra pounds without resorting to drugs.
Skilled acupuncture practitioner will zero in on the specific body areas to effect weight loss.
Acupuncture, combined with traditional methods of weight loss, results in more weight loss. In such cases, 1-3 acupuncture weight loss sessions are quite safe and effective in helping people achieve their weight loss goals.
Earmark of Acupuncture
Auricular acupuncture, also called ear stapling is another Chinese acupuncture practice for burning fat. This involves manipulating points on your ear to control food cravings.
For effective weight control, acupuncturists aim at 4 acupuncture points on the ear – the Shen Men point, hunger point, endocrine point and stomach point.
Then a few sterilized needles are inserted along these invisible channels to stimulate centers that trigger the release of hormones and neurochemicals.
In some cases, the needles are covered with tape and left in place for a few days.
Patients remove them later at home or during follow-up visits.
If properly administered by a qualified practitioner, this wonderful technique may also help the lucky few to lose weight.
For best results, combine these treatments with a reduced calorie diet and appropriate physical exercise.
Always seek the advice of your doctor before beginning any acupuncture treatment for weight loss.
Guidance For Using Acupuncture For Weight Loss
- Choose a qualified acupuncturist – Most countries require acupuncturists to be licensed to assure that they have the necessary education and training standards to practice. You can see L.Ac. (licensed acupuncturist) following his or her name. Acupuncturist can also be medical doctor or other medical professional who has completed a postgraduate program of study.
- Follow a weight-loss plan – Acupuncture treatments should be used alongside a comprehensive weight-loss plan that includes healthy food choices coupled with regular exercise.
- Don’t Confuse Treatments – Though Auricular acupuncture is loosely based on the concept of acupuncture, but it is an imprecise method which uses surgical staples to penetrate the cartilage of the ear, which can promote infection.
Acupuncture Side Effects
- Soreness: After acupuncture, you may have a little soreness, minor bruising or bleeding at the needle sites.
- Infections: If the Acupuncturist doesn’t use sterile, disposable needles, then you’re at a risk of catching some diseases, such as hepatitis.
- Organ injury: If the needles are pushed into the skin too deeply, then they could puncture an internal organ, particularly a lung.
You’re Not a Good Candidate for Acupuncture, If..
- You suffer from bleeding disorders: Your chances of bruising or bleeding from the needles increase if you have a bleeding disorder. Or if you’re taking blood thinners.
- You’re having a pacemaker: Acupuncture that involves the application of mild electrical pulses to the needles can interfere with the pacemaker operation.
- You’re pregnant: Some types of acupuncture can stimulate labor, which could result in premature delivery.
How Your Lifestyle And Nutrition Habits Change With Acupuncture?
In order to have healthy living, one has to maintain healthy body not only by treatment but adopting other healthy lifestyle techniques. After the diagnosis of disorder, an acupuncturist plans your treatment and specified duration and condition which you have to maintain to achieve great lifestyle.
The whole plan includes an estimate of how many times you have to come for acupuncture treatment. This treatment also includes herbal medicine, nutritional diet that one has to consume during the course of treatment and adopt exercises and lifestyle changes to heal up your body with that particular disease.
Thus, to use the power of famous Chinese practice of treating disorders, you will have to undergo various changes in your daily routine in order to cure your body.
Conclusion: Is Acupuncture Suitable For You?
Acupuncture is famous for dealing with wide range of health related problems. This can be simply acute pain or long term sufferance. Acupuncture for weight loss can be practiced by the people of any age group. Thus, person of any age category can take the benefits of this treatment to cure their diseases.
Thus, I would personally recommend that acupuncture is a great technique without any side effects which heals maximum number of morbidities in your body. It also helps you in changing your whole lifestyle and advice to consume nutritional diet according to the needs of your body.
To reduce weight, you should consult your doctor and try to find out how acupuncture deals with this problem. Also, make sure that the treatment you are taking is from a certified practitioner.
When your weight goes down, keep an eye on your diet. Don’t expect that miracle will happen but you have to be determined and put efforts to your treatment to achieve your goal.
