By Matthew Enright AP – Parkland, Florida – Weight gain has always been a major health concern in America. Research shows that over half of the population has a BMI greater than 25. This is not a good indicator, since obesity goes hand in hand with diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular mishaps and cancer. The level of cholesterol in one’s body directly corresponds to the risk of them getting cancer.
Women are at a higher risk of getting cervical, uterine, gall bladder and ovarian cancer, while men are more prone to rectal, prostate and colon cancer. What is yet to be discovered is whether the high risk of cancer is due to high intake of calories or obesity in itself.
Weight management starts at the individual level. This is why it is important to encourage people to take charge of their health by watching their diet. Before committing to any diet program, one should ensure that it does not interfere with their health. For you to achieve a permanent weight change, you have to change your lifestyle completely and learn to eat healthy every day.
Acupuncture for Weight Loss
Acupuncture is an effective way to get rid of excess weight permanently. It works perfectly well if incorporated with a good diet, proper exercises, and a good stress management program. From the insertion of thin and sterile needles into acupuncture points in the body, one can lose up to 1-2 pounds on a weekly basis. This may sound too good to be true, but acupuncture has been used many times over the years with an incredible degree of success at our Parkland acupuncture clinic.
How the method works
There is more to weight loss than just diet. Acupuncture concentrates on the physiological and psychological aspects of weight loss. When properly incorporated with Chinese herbs, it solves the emotional, mental and physical problems that come with illness, thus facilitating weight loss.
When needles are inserted into acupuncture points and used correctly with Chinese herbs, they influence the energy flow systems of the spleen and liver, correcting imbalances that cause excessive weight gain. This is the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective.
The use of acupuncture and TCM affects the functionality of a person’s endocrine, digestive and nervous systems. It also has an effect on one’s cravings for food as well as metabolism, reducing their appetite and promoting the absorption of nutrients into the body.
Acupuncture is backed by research
The use of acupuncture as a solution for weight loss has been supported by a number of studies;
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In 2003, a study revealed that individuals who used acupuncture as a means of weight control lost up to three times more weight than those who used other methods like diet control. The research has been published in The Journal of Medical Acupuncture.
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In 1998, the University of Adelaide conducted a research that had about 95% of individuals who had acupuncture points for weight loss experience a reduced appetite, an indicator that acupuncture is capable of reducing weight by controlling the amount of food taken.
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A much more recent study was conducted on women aged between 22 and 42. All the women had a BMI higher than 27. They were split into two groups. The first group was put on a diet of 2000 calories each day, plus daily exercises. The second group was given acupuncture treatments on a weekly basis. Results showed that those who received acupuncture treatment lost twice as much weight as their counterparts who were put on a diet.
Receive Help Today
At our Parkland acupuncture clinic we offer free daily consultations. Feel free to contact us if you have been struggling with your weight and have tried various methods with little or no success. We’d love to work with you to reach your weight loss goals.