Losing Weight with Acupuncture Bellingham

Losing weight is one of the hardest things to accomplish.  In the United States, almost all (95%) who want to lose weight fail to do so.  With acupuncture, the rate of success for weight loss is 60%.

Acupuncture Bellingham makes the person easily change lifestyles that cause weight gain.  A majority of people are overweight because of mental and emotional factors that cause them to become inactive, crave more food or both.  Most diet programs fail because rarely do they address these emotional and mental problems.  Acupuncture is not only a great and powerful remedy for physical ailments, it is also a very good treatment for emotional and mental problems.  Acupuncture is a part of the ancient practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which believes that the body has bioelectrical energy that keeps the body in good physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.  Sometimes this energy is disrupted due to factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, medications, poor diet and most importantly, stress.  The purpose of acupuncture is to make sure this bioelectrical energy which the Chinese call chi remains free to sustain, the health, growth and life of the whole body.

Acupuncture is very helpful in relaxing and calming both the body and mind; very important states to control food cravings, which is triggered by anxiety, frustration and stress.  If stress is the underlying cause of the patient’s obesity, then acupuncture is an excellent recourse for losing weight.

For those suffering from obesity that is not caused by stress, TCM through the five-element theory can properly determine the root cause of obesity which is usually energy deficiency in the spleen and liver organs.  The spleen governs the digestive function of the body and processes the food one eats into chi.  Symptoms of spleen energy deficiency are a poor metabolic rate, fluid retention (edema) and fatigue.  The liver governs the smooth flow of chi and any dysfunction here leads to compulsive eating and intense food cravings.  External factors can cause dysfunctions in the spleen and liver systems:  nervousness, fear, worry, anxiety, inactivity, junk foods and chronic stress to mention a few and they all cause the digestive system to run inefficiently leading to a slower metabolism.

When one decides to go for acupuncture to lose weight, the acupuncturist will query the patient regarding latter’s desire to lose weight, food cravings, stress and eating habits.  The patient’s family history will also be discussed to determine if any genetic angle is to blame for the patient’s weight problem.  All these factors helps the acupuncturist to know the root problem of the patient and what area(s) in the body to focus on for treatment.

Acupuncture treatment for weight loss may involve inserting needles in the spleen, liver or thyroid meridians to rectify the energy deficiency in these organs and to stimulate the release of endorphins to help the patient control his/her food cravings.