Acupuncture for weight loss has often been questioned as to whether it is scientifically valid even though millions have had benefit from the effects of acupuncture for weight loss. However in the May 2012 edition of Obesity Reviews, researchers have just announced that weight loss can be obtained without the side effects of the anti-obesity medication using instead Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are the two chief components of Traditional Chinese medicine.
The primary outcomes of the research used changes in body weight, changes in body mass index (BMI), changes in waist and hip circumference, and changes in body fat percentage to verify the results of the research. It was also revealed that the acupuncture trials had more benefit than placebo and lifestyle modification.
Many patients coming to The Acupuncture Clinic often ask will the benefits of acupuncture for weight loss have a long lasting effect. Researchers have now confirmed that the relapse of weight gain was more common in the control groups than in the Chinese herbal medicine or acupuncture treatment groups.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of treatment that aims to restore the body back to health and treat any underlying causes of imbalance that may be causing the weight problem in the first place. This is why; it is not surprising that the research has shown the weight loss from acupuncture to be of benefit for the longer term.
Any side effects from the acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of acupuncture are negligible when compared to modern pharmaceuticals. Reductil, when first released was marketed as a panacea for weight loss but was withdrawn in 2010 from the market because it killed too many people from heart attacks.
The same acupuncture points and the same Chinese herbal medicines have been used for over 2000 years for weight loss and they have never have been taken off the market.
The authors of the research concluded that “The combined use of Western principles of scientific inquiry and the holistic approach of Chinese medicine may provide a vital new dimension in our pursuit of control and prevention of chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.”