Acupuncture for Weight Loss

I get a lot of questions about acupuncture for weight loss, and I figured it was time to say something about it here.

Weight Loss Isn’t Always About Eating Less and Exercising More

Acupuncture for weight loss!

Acupuncture for weight loss!

If you have an oral fixation, or if your hunger sensation seems to be “off,” there’s an acupuncture point for that.

If you stress eat, I have some terrific acupuncture-based anti-anxiety solutions for you.

If you are too sedentary because of chronic pain, my acupuncture and medical massage can relieve that and get you able to exercise.

If you have a Damp accumulation (a Chinese medicine concept), acupuncture is ideal.

If you are overeating because your digestion is poor, so your body is starving for nutrients, I can help with that. I take a two-pronged approach of improving your digestion through acupuncture, plus doing some nutrition analysis and getting you onto a more nourishing diet, with a better nutrient to calorie ratio.

If you’re packing on extra fat because of toxins (chemical exposure, dietary, etc.) being stored in adipose tissue, acupuncture is fantastic for detoxing.

If your metabolism is slow due to thyroid or other hormonal issues like PCOS, we can work with that, too, but acupuncture is not a magic bullet (keep reading for a metabolism reality check).

Maybe you’ve been following that laughably outdated “food pyramid,” or haven’t yet heard that the War on Fat was misguided and has created a nation of obese diabetics. In that case, I can help you with some nutritional guidance (hint: Good fats are needed to form membranes on cells, insulation for nerves, padding for organs, etc. When we don’t eat enough fat, the body stores it, thinking we are starving. Good fats: Seeds, nuts, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed beef, fish, etc. Bad fats are trans, fried, fake “foods” like margarine, canola oil, etc. There are lots of different types of healthy diets, but one thing they all agree on is eating lots of veggies!).

weight-loss-cartoon-the-invisible-man-and-wonder-womanOf course there’s always the possibility that you aren’t actually overweight, but have a body dysmorphia issue (Hint: Do your friends and family insist you look slim, and can’t believe you’re “dieting?”). Acupuncture and counseling can help with that, too.

In short, it’s good, but acupuncture for weight loss is not magical. Personally, I used to be a body-builder (my workouts were 1.5hrs, 6 days a week) and personal trainer. I was also a rock-climber and martial artist, and played paintball in the woods for fun. In other words, I was very fit. After a car accident left me unable to walk more than 10 minutes at a time, let alone work out, I was in pretty much constant agony. This was before I knew how to knit, so I just laid on the couch and watched movies, read books, and ate. I started packing on weight, but I figured it was no big deal. Once my back healed I’d just work it off, right?

Fast forward to ten years later. My back recovered (yay for acupuncture and Osteopathic medical massage!), but my metabolism had been wrecked. I was back in the gym and lifting. I was getting stronger, and building endurance and stability. I felt good, but sometimes my energy was low, and I hit a plateau where I just COULD NOT shed a pound. Muscle is heavier than fat, so I didn’t worry at first, but come on… as active as I was, my belly should have been retreating. It’s frankly embarrassing to be a health care provider who needs to lose weight.

Unfortunately, years of starving myself had gotten me to a point where I had tuned my cells to be far, far too efficient. If there wasn’t enough food coming in, they certainly weren’t going to use what they had stored… what if things got *worse*!?

By the way, I had no idea what my daily calorie count was at the time. It was only after I started tracking with MyFitnessPal about a year ago that I realized how low I was averaging… about 800-1000 per day. That is simply not enough. I boosted up to 1500-1800, but the counting & tracking made me crazy. Eventually I decided to quit counting and just eat whenever my body asked for fuel (what a concept!). After years of perpetual hunger, it was such a blessing to be allowed to nourish myself. I try to make good quality choices (sometimes I’m better at that than others) but I quit beating myself up for mistakes.

I still haven’t slimmed down past my initial 50 lb weight loss. It will take a while for my metabolism to correct, if it ever does. But I’m eating close to twice as much as I used to, and I haven’t *gained* an ounce. I’m working out three times a week, plus LARPing or hiking or whatever on weekends. My energy is better. I can lift more weight. :)

I am not thrilled with my physique right now. Honestly, it’s hard to look in the mirror and see this belly when I used to be so ripped. But I’m *okay* with it. What’s more important is that I feel better. I am working hard at staying active (SO important!) and making healthy, non-toxic food choices. That’s the best I can do right now for me.

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As for you, come on in. Let’s talk about the various reasons you want to lose weight, and how I can help. I can’t promise you’ll drop 30 lbs in 30 days (in fact I guarantee you won’t – that’s dangerous as hell!), but I do promise to guide you in the right direction.

Yin & Yang

*Note – some parts of this discussion were previously published in the Stroke article.

Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) goes back to 2000 BC in its current form, and in its antiquity goes back at least 5,300 years! It’s based on energy movement throughout the body along specific paths or “channels.” Acupuncture works by manipulating energy at points where that energy flows near the surface. There are about 1000 distinct points all over the body, each with their own unique qualities. I came to acupuncture as a profession when it was the only thing that could stop my back pain after a severe car accident (I’m now completely recovered). When I first started studying I was a little skeptical – I was a hard-core scientist and figured the map of channels was an elaborate way to memorize nerves and other anatomical landmarks. The more I studied, though, the more I came to see that this is a completely different system of physiology.

After years of seeing the power of this odd system at work – on skeptical humans, on animals, on “impossible cases” – my current belief is that this is a form of energy we just can’t explain yet. If you told a 16th century doctor that you could see inside the human body without cutting it, you would be declared a witch. Now, any x-ray or ultrasound technician has that ability. NIH has been funding research into measuring energy flow along the channels. It’s only a matter of time before TCM becomes part of our accepted science of medicine.

We’ve all heard of Yin and Yang (pronounced to rhyme with Pin and Pong, by the way). They are tossed around in popular culture a lot, generally with a superficial understanding of them as two sides of a whole. I’ve even seen them likened to Superman and Clark Kent! In Chinese medicine, however, they have a very specific meaning.

Think of Yin as being the moist, nourishing, quiet, still, internal, “feminine” aspect of your being. Yang is the other side of the coin: It’s the loud, bright, moving, motivating,expanding, “masculine” side of you. See how the white Yang is rising, while the black Yin is descending? Note also that each contains a bit of the other: They are incomplete without the other half of the pair. There is a delicate balancing act between the two types of energies, and they influence each other. When Yin and Yang separate (in a raging fever, for example) the patient will die.

Yin/Yang: Each contains and is dependent on the other to create a whole.

Think of an animal, or a baby crawling on all fours. As applied to anatomy, the front and lower parts of the body are Yin. The back and upper body are considered more Yang.  On the limbs, inside surfaces are Yin and the outside aspects are Yang. Acupuncture treatments must be planned out so they contribute to balance. For example, if someone has a headache, we don’t just use local needles on the scalp. We use points on the hands and feet to distribute the input to the body. There’s a great point on the sole of the foot that will draw excess energy down, which helps a lot with Yang-rising types of headache.

 

Yin and Yang energies must work together, and should give and take throughout the day. Yin predominates at night, while Yang rules the day. Some hormonally based examples may be helpful: A woman going through menopause is Yin deficient. Her Yang, no longer held in check by her Yin, causes hot flashes, night sweats, and dryness of the skin and other bodily fluids. To ease this “change of life,” we start by using acupuncture points to clear excess heat (the symptoms). Other points act to nourish the Yin (the cause). These treatments are surprisingly powerful for stopping hot flashes.

Likewise, a man as he ages will suffer from Yang deficiency. This is readily identified in the case of erectile dysfunction and decreased libido. Other symptoms can include lower back pain and a general loss of vigor.  In this case, we use acupuncture points that activate the Yang. Some acupuncturists use moxabustion (burning mugwort, an herb in the sage family) to warm and stimulate the Yang, although most modern clinics (mine included) are now using infrared heatlamps. Using modern technology eliminates the chance of burns and makes for a wonderfully relaxing session.

Most patients feel some immediate relief when acupuncture is used to balance Yin and Yang, but longer term hormonal changes will require multiple treatments.

This is a simplified explanation, of course. Masters of Chinese medicine study for years to understand the subtle interplay of Yin, Yang, and the channels. It’s a fascinating tradition with a lot to teach us about the human body.

LV-3 (irritability, hormones, leg, hip, or lower back pain)

LV-3, Tai Chong (Great Surge)

Liver 3 is found on the top of the foot, between the long bones of the 1st and 2nd toe. It’s a very important point for the Liver, and helps to move stuck energy from the waist down. You can use it to treat lumbar back pain, leg or knee pain – pretty much any stagnation in the lower body. It’s also great for red eyes and other “Yang Rising” problems, and for dysmenorrhea & hormonal imbalances. LV-3 is an excellent point for treating irritability and grouchiness, particularly if it’s due to hormonal issues like PMS.

LV-3 – “The grouchy point” – will also soothe the lower back.

When used in combination with LI-4, these points are called the Four Gates and can really blast out some stuck Qi. DO NOT use these points if there is any possibility of pregnancy, since they can induce a miscarriage. In fact, they are some of my favorites for evicting overdue babies. It will also increase menstrual flow if the patient is having her period.

Press firmly for 10-30 seconds.