Can Acupuncture Make Me Lose Weight?

One of the most frequent questions I receive as an acupuncturist is, “Can it help me lose weight?” My first response is “No, but…” No, because if someone tells you they have the magic dart to help you do anything., red flags should go up and you should automatically go the other direction. The truth is that there is no magic bullet to any of the above or the other myriad of things we wish we could “fix” with a quick and easy solution.

But…acupuncture increases the flow of blood and energy throughout the body. This leads to better digestion, elimination, circulation, an increase in energy and generally more solid and consistent sleep patterns. If all of those things are flowing freely and without obstruction, it tends to follow that a person can lose weight safely, effectively and naturally simply by putting their physical body in order.

Acupuncture alone won’t “make” you lose weight. Only you can make the lifestyle choices necessary to achieve profound, lasting weight loss results. When I’m working with clients with a goal of losing weight, the first things we look at are the reasons they may have originally gained weight. Has their lifestyle become more sedentary? Why? Do they no longer enjoy doing the things they did in the past? Have they taken on the role of caretaker and no longer have time to devote to their own well being? Are they eating because they are sad? Angry? Grieving? Bored? Have they gained weight because they are drinking more than they have in the past? Is it really excess weight or simply a distorted view of themselves?

Each person is unique and the reason they have excess weight is individual to each person. There is no magic bullet because there is no single cause and effect to weight gain. I work a good deal on nutritional and lifestyle counseling with my clients, but equally important, I simply work with my clients. I will never underestimate the value of eating well and moving the body every day, but it is just as important to realize why a person doesn’t like how they look, how they got to this point, and finally – and this is the most important thing – realizing that fat or skinny, tall or short, curly hair or straight, it is all about loving ourselves.