Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine for Weight Loss at Harmony Acupuncture Kanata

Despite extensive scientific research that weight can be lost by sustaining reduced caloric intake and increasing physical activity, many people fall victim to false advertising, believing in quick, easy fixes to achieve weight loss. Obesity is a massive profit-driven industry that often misleads consumers as billions of dollars are spent every year on a large variety of weight-loss programs and products that often produce no results.

The conventional low-caloric (1200 –1500 kcal/day) weight-loss programs that often use pre-packaged foods produce an average weight loss of 8.5 kg in five months, but usually only 66 percent of the reduced weight is maintained at one year, ultimately resulting in full weight re-gain within five years. These widely advertised medically-supervised diets promise an effective and safe weight loss of 20 or so pounds a month without any needed exercise. Although many people would trust this medical supervision, research shows that this rapid weight loss is not effective long-term and weight is usually regained even faster in comparison to conventional weight-loss programs. These diets are not safe either because the weight-cycling caused by repeated rapid weight loss is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and depression. In order to control hunger, these diets require a high intake of proteins (usually lean proteins such as tuna fish) which is associated with a variety of serious health disorders, especially after many repeated attempts.

There is extensive evidence confirming that in order to maintain a stable weight loss, a combination of reducing energy intake by 500 to 1000 kcal a day and increasing the amount of exercise to 200 – 300 minutes per week is required.

In Chinese medicine, physical activity is viewed as an important method to promote the flow of Qi and blood throughout the body, but it is recommended only at moderate levels as high-intensity exercise is viewed as energy-draining. While Western weight-loss programs only focus on the physical body and treat every person using uniform methods, treatment in Chinese medicine is individualized based on a person’s pattern of disharmony and directed towards healing the dysfunctional organs and eliminating toxins when required. Fluid and fat metabolism are then normalized and weight loss is therefore easier achieved and maintained. Such treatment calms the spirit and restores emotional balance; as a result, reduction of overeating is experienced in a majority of people. Furthermore, acupuncture, moxibustion, and Tuina massage are valuable tools in targeting local areas of obesity such as the abdomen, loins, hips and thighs, and thus have the ability to improve overall body shape. Treatment of obesity using traditional Chinese medicine is not only effective for weight loss, but for long-term weight management as the harmony in the body is restored.