Is acupuncture good for weight loss?

This article explains how acupuncture can help you lose weight.

The hot weather is quickly approaching, and many of us are thinking more about the appearance (and size) of our waistlines, arms, legs, and overall appearance in a swimsuit or wetsuit. How will we look in our vacation photos? With nearly 70% of people in our country now overweight or obese, the majority of people are looking to lose some weight in time for the warmer weather. And you may be wondering, “Can acupuncture help me lose weight?”

The simple answer to this question is “yes,” but the complicated answer is “it depends.” Acupuncture in La Jolla, CA is no magic bullet for weight loss if you aren’t paying attention to what you’re eating, how much physical activity you’re getting throughout the day, your stress level, and the amount and quality of sleep you’re getting at night. Simply put, if you’re overeating, being sedentary all day, not sleeping, or experiencing a huge amount of stress in your life right now, fat loss will be difficult no matter what.

However, if you’re eating nutrient-dense, whole foods, paying close attention to meal proportions and your internal hunger/satiety signals, plus getting a healthy amount of physical activity each day, managing stress through yoga and meditation, sleeping at least eight hours every night, and not stressing your body with too much exercise or under eating; acupuncture can provide a boost.

Are you seeking a little edge to help you jump-start your weight loss and metabolism, to help you overcome cravings, to break through a weight loss plateau, or to shed that last ten pounds? Acupuncture for weight loss can help you! Metabolic and digestive imbalances can be brought back in to balance using Chinese herbal medicine combined with acupuncture. When combined, it becomes a powerful healing resource for activating the metabolism. Acupuncture also involves the thyroid and digestion to aid in weight loss.

Anecdotal evidence that acupuncture can help you lose weight can be found everywhere, either online or by talking to people in your yoga class or gym. In addition, scientific research has also found acupuncture to be effective for weight loss. In 2009, a study was published in the International Journal of Obesity that stated that acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction of body weight, in comparison to lifestyle management alone. According to the study, those who received acupuncture lost an average of 3.78 pounds more than those who simply tried to lose weight with diet and exercise. Acupuncture was found to be more effective than conventional medicine for weight loss.

Acupuncture in La Jolla, CA can promote healthy weight loss by balancing your endocrine system, normalizing a variety of hormones involved in metabolism, stress response, and hunger and satiety cues. Different hormones released by the brain and the gut in response to food and hunger can get out of balance during times of stress or when we eat overly processed foods. When you switch to a whole foods diet based on unprocessed foods, and when you get adequate sleep, this can help you achieve a more normal appetite. Acupuncture can also help you normalize your appetite. Some researchers believe that acupuncture may work to lower your bodyweight set-point, which is the weight that your body naturally wants to be even when you aren’t dieting. If your natural bodyweight set-point is 150 pounds, for instance, and you’re 20 pounds overweight, acupuncture may lower your bodyweight set-point to 130 pounds so that your body naturally settles at that weight without having to struggle with calorie counting or extreme exercise. With good self-care, when the optimal weight is achieved, there is no “rebound” weight gain up to where you were before.