Archive for October, 2009

Acupuncture weight loss is one of the popular natural methods of losing weight. Considering that binging – .i.e. excessive eating is many times a result of increased stress levels, frustrations and anxiety, acupuncture for weight loss may be effective for losing weight to some people.

The exact workings of this old natural art are still not well understood. It is supposed that the inserted needles are used in such a way as to stimulate release of the hormone endorphin. Endorphin, your body’s natural feel good factors, then result to a calming and relaxing effect. Acupuncture weight loss based programs then use such a calming to introduce control of binging that result from stress.

This strategy of using such techniques to encourage a lifestyle that encourages and maintains weight loss is aiding weight loss.

Stress generally tenses up the body such that your body systems are in a degree of fight or flee. The full extent of fight or flee status would for example be, the state of your body systems when you see a car speeding towards you to run you over. At such a state some of your body systems nearly shut down to facilitate others. Blood moves away from abdominal area to skeletal muscles, there is increased heart beat, all to put you in a position to fight or flee.

This usually is meant to last for a short time until the danger has passed. However in stress this status is constant in the body to some significant extent resulting to system imbalance. Release of endorphin in a natural weight loss process like acupuncture would assist in rebalancing your body systems.

Acupuncture for Weight Loss – How it works

A practitioner would choose points of treatment depending on the patient’s diagnosed problem. The needles are then inserted in these points. Once inserted the needles stay in place for about 30-45 minutes per session, then they are removed.

Points in the ear are replaced with ear tacks or ear staples and an adhesive is placed over them. Normally the ear staples are exactly where the needle was. These are meant to continue treatment in between sessions.

When the patient feels an urge to eat in between meals or when it is unnecessary to eat, they apply a mild pressure on the ear staples; alternatively rub them back and forth for about 20 seconds. This results to a direct stimulation causing a mild endorphin release, relaxing the patient to regain control.

The endorphin hormone is believed to create a conducive physiological and psychological environment to make lasting choice to overcome eating temptations. The tacks are removed after three days or sooner if they are uncomfortable. The treatment frequency depends on the patients goals. For a faster loss of weight, acupuncture weight loss would be done more often. But whatever you choose the treatment tapers off in frequency.

For example you can start with a treatment session a day, then to every other day and then to twice a week and finally after you gain your ideal-weight a booster treatment. This booster treatment may be once every two weeks and finally terminate treatment.

Short course acupuncture weight loss treatments mainly aim to suppress appetite and assist in acquiring the lifestyle change necessary to maintain healthy weight.

Acupuncture for weight loss program goes hand in hand with a healthy weight loss diet and an exercise regime. Though clinically acupuncture for weight loss has yet to prove significant effect in loss of weight, there exist prove that it can be effective for some people. Especially for those whose weight problem is mainly linked to stress.

Acupuncture weight loss points target the following:

Points that help in calming anxiety, anger, frustration and insecurity

Endocrine System and Kidneys – to treat water retention a source of some weight regain as well as stimulate nerve and hormonal rebalance,

Spleen and Thyroid Gland – for sugar and hormonal rebalancing

And finally Adrenal and Ovary Glands – to treat weight gain due to menopause or P.M.S.
Acupuncture for weight loss may be recommended for inclusion on a weight loss regime especially for highly stressed individuals. In fact acupuncture is a weight loss support structure. It may be included in a wholesome weight loss plan for specific purposes.

Source: Health-eMark.com

Depression and Acupuncture – A new hope for relief

Symptoms of Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by both physical and psychological symptoms that can be detrimental to one’s normal daily functioning. Depressed individuals often suffer from poor sleeping habits, crying spells, anxiety, worry, poor memory, inability to concentrate, body aches, stomach disturbances and a lack of interest in activities previously enjoyed. In extreme cases, individuals become helpless and hopeless about their lives and suicide is often considered.
Modern Treatment for Depression
Modern medicine typically treats depression with a form of psychotherapy and/or anti-depressant drugs regardless of the specific symptoms presented by the depressed patient. In the United States, the DSM-IV, a diagnostic tool for appropriately categorizing psychological disorders, is widely used in the diagnosis and treatment for depression.
How Chinese Medicine Views Depression
In contrast, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) does not recognize depression as a particular illness per se, but it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to the individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui-na massage, and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body.

Based on a holistic approach, acupuncture consists of fine needles inserted along various points in the body, with the purpose of stimulating the body’s flow of energy and functionality, known as Qi. Though acupuncture has been traditionally taught as a preventive form of health care, it has also been proven effective in the treatment of pain and chronic conditions.

Studies of Acupuncture for Depression
Since the early nineties, studies around the globe have suggested that treating depression with acupuncture has a positive and holistic effect on depressed patients, particularly when used in combination with psychotherapy and herbal treatments.
Psychologist John Allen, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and Acupuncturist Rosa Schnyer, conducted the very first pilot controlled study on treating depression symptoms with acupuncture in the Western scientific world. In a double blind randomized study, 34 depressed female patients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were assigned to one of three treatment groups for eight weeks.
The first group received acupuncture treatment specifically tailored to their depression symptoms. The second group received a general acupuncture treatment not specific to depression, and the third group was placed on a waiting list for acupuncture treatment, but received no treatment. The study found that those in the tailored acupuncture treatment experienced a significant reduction in symptoms, compared to those in the non-specific treatment. Moreover, over 50% of the participants no longer met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for depression after the study.
The study findings suggest that using acupuncture alone could be as effective as other types of treatments for relieving depression symptoms typically used in Western medicine, such as psychotherapy and drugs. While these results are promising and the United Nations World Health Organization has approved acupuncture as a treatment for depression, further clinical trials with larger samples are deemed necessary to endorse this new hope for relief.
Sources:
Allen, J. J. B. (2000). Depression and acupuncture: a controlled clinical trial. Psychiatric Times Online, 22, 3.
Tian, C. H. (2002). Acupuncture treatment for depression. New England Journal of Traditional Medicine, 1, 4-7.
About the Author

A culmination of studying psychology and being a patient of integrative medicine gives Indira Samayoa-Bettner a unique understanding of the human body and spirit.

Indira Samayoa-Bettner holds a BS in psychology and is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in San Diego, California. She continues to use acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to improve and maintain life-long health.