If you want to use acupuncture for weight loss, this article will show you if this holistic health technique can help you reach your weight goal.
For many years, the Chinese have used acupuncture to treat different medical problems. Now, this ancient technique is practiced all over the world.
Acupuncture is based on targeting specific trigger points in the body with extremely thin needles. These needles help stimulate muscles, nerves and blood circulation to rebalance and redirect the body’s energy flow, which is known as qi in Chinese traditional medicine.
We know from research that acupuncture can help relieve pain, PMS, headaches, and osteoporosis. But can acupuncture help you lose weight?
For a long time, people focused on calories alone when trying to lose weight. But in recent years, we have discovered that hormones, inflammation, and gut health have a huge impact on weight loss.
Well, it turns out that acupuncture improves some of these weight loss factors. Below are some of the ways acupuncture can help you lose weight.
Acupuncture for Weight Loss
Hormone Regulation
Acupuncture can help regulate your hormones, which may enhance weight loss.
According to a study published in BMJ Open Gastroenterology, acupuncture can regulate hunger and satiety hormone levels. This helps curb your appetite and prevents overeating.
In another study, researchers studying 60 overweight subjects found that the participants had a lower appetite and lost weight after using an acupuncture simulation device for two weeks. Whereas a control group that didn’t use this technique didn’t experience the same results.
The researchers attribute this to the release of serotonin (the feel-good chemical), which has been found to help curb appetite.
Additionally, acupuncture can help you lose fat by relieving stress from your body. The tiny needles stimulate your nerves, relax your muscles, and keep you in a calm and relaxed mood.
Stress causes the buildup of cortisol, which is known to promote overeating and accumulation of fat in the abdominal area. Acupuncture can help reduce cortisol belly fat and other side effects of stress.
Researchers also believe that nerve stimulation through acupuncture could stimulate the release of endorphins. Endorphins make us happier and less hungry, effectively curbing appetite and overeating.
However, there is a need to carry out more research to validate many of these claims.
Relieves Inflammation
Acupuncture can help reduce inflammation in obese people, according to this study.
The researchers divided 161 obese subjects into two groups, giving one group a real acupuncture treatment and the other got sham acupuncture. Both groups maintained a low-calorie diet.
After 6 and 12 weeks, the researchers found that both groups had lost weight, but only the group that received the real acupuncture treatment enjoyed reduced inflammatory symptoms.
According to a 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal, Korean researchers found that overweight people who received acupuncture for eight weeks witnessed an estimated 6 percent decrease in their body mass index (BMI).
Stomach and kidney acupuncture points can also help promote better digestion, which enhances the breakdown of food and increases the absorption of nutrients. It may also help improve gastrointestinal problems and promote gut health.
Acupuncture has several health benefits, and researchers are uncovering more benefits as they conduct new studies.
However, experts believe that the available evidence is not convincing enough to qualify acupuncture as a viable treatment for obesity.
Acupuncture in the hands of a skilled and experienced acupuncturist can do wonders for your health. And it could also be used for weight loss in the future, but for now, we may have to wait.
However, acupuncture can help improve your mood, balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and curb your appetite, all of which are important if you are trying to lose weight.
Can You Use Acupuncture for Weight Loss?
If you are trying to lose weight, acupuncture can form part of a larger weight loss strategy.
That is if you don’t mind prickly needles and sore muscles. I may note that acupuncture has some side effects that may make the procedure a bit uncomfortable.
It involves stabbing you with needles, and that will cause some pain and even bruises based on the body part it is administered.
Acupuncture can also lead to fatigue and you may feel emotionally sensitive after the procedure.
It’s not advisable to try losing weight with acupuncture alone. A well-balanced diet and a good workout program combined with acupuncture can help you lose weight and achieve your weight goal.
You may want to ignore acupuncture if you are starting your weight loss journey. It is better to focus on habits that have been proven to burn fat rapidly. This program will show you diet and lifestyle changes that can help you lose weight without being miserable.
If you start following this program today, you will lose weight 10 times faster than those relying on acupuncture for weight loss.
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