Acupuncture for Weight Loss

Out with the new, in with the old – or so goes many Americans’ attitudes toward health interventions these days. Modern pharmaceuticals? No thanks. Ancient Eastern medical practices? Yes please.

 

According to a recent article published in U.S. News and World Report, “Many people are trying to go away from traditional types of medicine and go toward what they consider to be more natural remedies or more … complementary techniques” for a range of health complaints, says Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Payne, an osteopathic physician and weight-loss specialist in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Weight loss is no exception, with therapies including meditation and hypnosis showing potential to support people’s efforts. Why not acupuncture?

 

The therapy – a traditional Chinese medicine practice that involves being stimulated by tiny needles that are inserted in specific points on the body – is believed to help balance the flow of energy through the body and lead to a slew of physical and mental health improvements, explains Dr. Wayne Jonas, a family physician, executive director of Samueli Integrative Health Programs in Alexandria, Virginia, and author of “How Healing Works.” From a Western perspective, he adds, it also seems to activate the body’s nervous system and the brain’s natural painkillers.

 

That’s all fine and dandy, but does acupuncture help with weight loss? The best research available on acupuncture for weight loss isn’t robust or conclusive, or clear whether the results are due to the treatment itself or placebo effect. Still, there’s reason to believe it may help you shed pounds when used in conjunction with diet, exercise and other lifestyle modifications. A 2018 review of 27 clinical trials including 2,219 patients, for instance, found that while acupuncture alone wasn’t so effective for weight loss, it showed promise when paired with lifestyle modifications, especially among people who were overweight but not obese.

 

Here are some of the ways in which acupuncture may help you lose weight:

Acupuncture may affect your hormones. acupuncture may help people with prediabetes lose weight by reducing their insulin and leptin resistance; both insulin and leptin are appetite-regulating hormones that can play a role in long-term weight-loss.

Acupuncture promotes healthy digestion. One of the ways acupuncture seems to ease a variety of health complaints is by quieting the sympathetic nervous system – or the fight-or-flight stress response – and activating the parasympathetic system, or your body’s “rest and digest” state. Through that mechanism, it can improve blood flow to your stomach, which aids digestion.

Acupuncture can relieve stress. Similarly, acupuncture can be an effective stress reliever. A series of animal studies suggests that may be the case because it seems to block stress-induced spikes in stress hormones like cortisol, as well as the action of the sympathetic nervous system.

Acupuncture may reduce cravings. Some research has suggested that acupuncture can help people curb or kick additions. Other studies have shown support for similar ear-based acupuncture as a weight-loss aid, perhaps because it helps some people manage what some consider an addiction to food.

Acupuncture can lead to better sleep. In the same way acupuncture seems to provide stress relief and help with digestion – by turning off the body’s fight-or-flight response – it can also improve sleep.

Acupuncture can boost your energy. In addition to supporting good sleep, which should improve your daytime energy, acupuncture can provide an energy boost on its own.

 

If you’re considering beginning acupuncture, be sure to find a licensed practitioner and check with your doctor if you have ongoing health problems, especially those involving the central nervous system, Lowe-Payne advises. Though the therapy is generally safe and less expensive than many drugs and diet pills, the industry isn’t tightly regulated and often sessions aren’t covered by insurance. Manage your expectations, too. “It’s important that we prioritize the approaches (for weight loss) that we do have evidence to support: eating the right foods and getting regular exercise,” Jonas says.

 

And keep in mind, that though it involves needles, acupuncture shouldn’t hurt. After all, the needles are about the size of a human hair; 40-some of them could fit in the type of needle most Americans are used to from shots and blood draws. Experts recommend getting the therapy at least once a month for the best results.

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