The ancient Chinese alternative therapy of acupuncture has gained wide popularity in the last few decades. Since scientifically proven to bring relief from pain and other health conditions, acupuncture treatment is being recommended by doctors across the world. Acupuncture can help people get rid of those extra pounds and reduce the risk of many disorders. Read the following to know more.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a 2500 years old Chinese treatment which focuses on stimulating certain points on the body for pain relief and other health problems. In this holistic practice, a needle is generally penetrated through the skin to stimulate these points for balancing energy levels in the body.
Can Acupuncture Help With Weight Loss?
People often question ‘can acupuncture help with weight loss?’ When combined with traditional methods of weight loss, acupuncture can help lose more weight. Just 1 to 3 acupuncture sessions can trigger considerable weight loss in the recipient. These sessions are safe and can help one achieve reasonable weight loss goals effectively.
These days obesity is a chronic health problem faced by people throughout the world. In their struggle to shed those extra pounds, people end up spending a good sum of money on weight loss programs. However, 95% of these programs fail to bring effective results. Luckily for people who are struggling with weight issues, acupuncture brings solace.
While acupuncture helps with weight loss, it also improves the overall health. There are many causes of weight gain, but stress and emotional eating is commonest one. One starts eating excessively when experiencing increased stress, anxiety or frustration. This results in a weight gain. By inserting very fine, sterile needles in specific acupuncture body points and stimulating these energy pathways, the body’s feel good hormone endorphin is released. This brings a calming and relaxing effect and thus helps to counteract their need to eat more naturally.
How Can Acupuncture Help With Weight Loss?
It is necessary to know how can acupuncture help with weight loss, to be able to follow the treatment effectively. In traditional Chinese medicinal system, it is believed that weight gain mainly occurs due to imbalance in the body caused by improper functioning of the liver organ systems or spleen. Expert acupuncturists stimulate certain specific body areas to initiate weight loss. The kidney and endocrine system can specially be targeted to stimulate the nerves, treat water retention and rebalance the hormonal levels. The thyroid gland and spleen are also be targeted to rebalance the sugar and hormonal levels in the body. Weight gain which occurs due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause can be treated by addressing the ovaries and adrenal glands. These are some of the ways in which acupuncture helps with weight loss. This, when clubbed with a healthy diet and regular exercises is sure to bring positive results.
While some people experience noticeable effects of acupuncture very quickly and require treatment once in every second week, there are others may need to be treated for a longer duration for satisfactory results.
Ear stapling is one of the most commonly used method in acupuncture to help weight loss. It involves manipulating certain points on the ear for controlling food cravings. Auricular acupuncture has effectively helped heroin addicts and cigarette smokers in getting rid of their habit of drug intake. When administered rightly by a qualified acupuncturist, this ear stapling technique also helps people lose weight. Studies have shown that ear acupuncture combined with a 2,000 calorie daily diet and 15-minutes of walking helped reduce weight. A 15-minute long session of ear acupuncture every week can help one lose an average of 10 pounds. Individuals who do not receive ear acupuncture treatment lose an average of only 3 pounds. People receiving acupuncture treatments experience a decrease in appetite and reduce water retention, which too promotes weight loss.
The effect of acupuncture on a recipient’s emotions also plays a vital role in the weight loss process. This treatment affects the neuroendocrine system, by restricting harmful neurochemicals, to help balance the neurotransmitter levels and hormone levels in the body. It triggers release of endorphins which help to decrease stress and prevent the urge to overeat.
What are the Side effects of Acupuncture?
The potential side effects of acupuncture are muscle spasms, fatigue and soreness. With alterations in hormone levels and bodily processes, feeling of soreness and exhaustion can easily occur. Even after the needles are removed, the nerve simulation caused by acupuncture can be felt by some people. Muscle tremors, however, fade away within a day or two. The side effects of the acupuncture treatment can also be emotional.
One should always consult a medical expert before beginning with acupuncture treatment for weight loss. The acupuncture treatment must always be administered by a skilled acupuncturist. It is important to remember that acupuncture is best used as a support system and not a sole modality. To get the maximum results, this treatment must be combined with a limited calorie diet and optimal physical exercise.
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