Can Acupuncture help with weight loss?
First off, I want to be clear, there is no double-secret magic acupuncture point that I can insert that causes weight to quickly disappear from your body. If there was such a point I’d have to build a moat around my office to keep all the people from storming in to get treated.
Weight loss is a big industry. How big? Worldwide weight loss products and services brought in $254.9 billion dollars in 2021. It thrives on a mixture of poor self esteem, societal standards, ageism, body image and disparity in wealth. I’m not going to try to address any of those things in this blog (but I will in the future so stay tuned). Instead I’m going to focus on answering your question about acupuncture and weight loss.
The short answer is that it often can. The longer version is a bit more complicated.
Normally weight gain can be attributed to pain, hormonal imbalances, insomnia and stress. So the way I deal with weight loss in the clinic is to address the actual cause of the weight. What do I mean by that?
Pain: Usually when we’re in pain our natural tendency is to stop moving. Because moving increases pain and we don’t want to feel worse. But when we stop moving this often increases pain levels (and possibly causes weight gain). So we get caught in a loop. The pain stops the movement, the lack of movement increases the pain (and sometimes causes weight gain). This contributes to further lack of movement. In this case we need to control the pain so you can get back to moving and doing the things you love.
Stress: Stress may not be the cause of your problem but it isn’t making it any better. This is also true with weight loss. Some studies have indicated that stress can cause abdominal weight gain, especially in women. Additionally stress affects our sleep and can contribute to overeating and/or the increased consumption of alcohol. Not to mention numbing out for hours binge watching Netflix. Getting stress levels under control is a big priority when trying to lose weight.
Insomnia: Just like with stress, insomnia throws out a spider web of effects on the body. Without proper sleep we don’t heal. Lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain, depression and anxiety to name a few.
Hormone Imbalances: The following all can cause weight gain.
Estrogen dominance
Androgen imbalance
Insulin resistance
Metabolic syndrome
PCOS
Growth hormone deficiency
Cortisol excess
Leptin resistance
Prolactin excess
Pituitary insufficiency
thyroid hormone deficiency
Every one of these impacts the body differently and its way outside the scope of this blog to delve into each individual condition. I’m going to leave it with this, balancing hormones is always a good idea, even if the end result isn’t weight loss. If you have questions about your particular situation please reach out to me, and I will happily answer them
One last thing, and this one is important.
There is far too much shame and stigma attached to weight.
Healthcare providers can, and should, do better by our patients. Whatever you do, make sure you’re working with someone who sees you as a whole person and not a fixer upper project.
Weight loss is a complicated subject. The key, in acupuncture, is identifying the cause of the weight gain and working through that issue, vs the weight itself. It isn’t as quick as inserting a magic needle but the end result is a healthier happier you.