How Acupuncture Can Help With Weight Loss

If you’re incredulous about how acupuncture can help with weight loss, read on. In fact, it gets even more surprising. Researchers and acupuncturists alike have found that auricular acupuncture (acupuncture on certain points on the ear) can result in a noticeable reduction in body mass index (BMI). The studies showed that there was a 6% reduction in BMI over an eight-week period. So, how does this work?

Acupuncture Helps Balance Your Hormones

Acupuncture works by creating a balance in your body. No, it’s not imagined or hocus pocus. Acupuncture can help balance hormones, increase endorphins to make you feel euphoric, reduce your appetite, and generally improve your overall quality of life. One of the most important things acupuncture does is reduce the hormones in your body that contribute to weight gain. Researchers found that leptin and insulin levels dropped when acupuncture was applied.

How Does Acupuncture Balance Your Hormones?

Leptin is responsible for regulating fat storage and metabolism. Essentially, it’s the hormone that makes you feel “full” after eating a large meal. Insulin is a hormone which regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism and the absorption of glucose from the blood. When you constantly overeat, your body gets used to the elevated levels of leptin in your body so you continue to eat even after you’ve felt full. Ultimately, the more you eat, the less you’ll stop when you feel full. Acupuncture helps to restore leptin levels back to normal making your biological responses to eating much more healthier.

Acupuncture Improves Your Mood and Metabolism

Acupuncture has been reported to reduce stress levels in many people. The stress hormone. Cortisol, plays an important part in weight control. Too much stress can affect your internal processes like digestion, alter your mood, and increase your “fight or flight” response which makes you act impulsively. When you lack willpower (which depletes throughout the day), you are more prone to giving into your urges. Acupuncture helps digestion, specifically, by creating balance and harmony in your spleen, which is responsible for digestion. An overworked spleen leads to fatigue, a slow metabolism, inability to retain water, and a number of digestion problems.

Besides healthy lifestyle choices like regular exercise, proper nutrition, and low stress levels, you can incorporate acupuncture into your routine to regulate your metabolism. In fact, you can even massage your ear yourself multiple times a day when you can’t make it to your acupuncturist. Rub your ear in circular motions all over, even in the crevices and earlobes for as long as you feel like. When you’re ready to book an appointment, give us a call.