Weight Loss Acupuncture
Has your weight loss stalled, or does your weight yo-yo up and down, even though you’re really careful about what you eat?
Are you concerned that your excess weight could lead to diabetes or heart disease?
Acupuncture boosts your metabolism, decreases your appetite and calms your nervous system, naturally and with no unhealthy side effects. Acupuncture improves metabolism by regulating body chemistry, improving digestion and nutrient absorption, and balancing the nervous system. Research indicates that acupuncture helps facilitate weight loss in patients with low metabolism by stimulating and regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system so that it works more efficiently (Liu Z, 1993). Acupuncture can also reduce cravings and emotional eating by calming the nervous system (Apostolopoulos A, 1996).
This Weight Loss Acupuncture protocol consists of a total of twelve electrical acupuncture and cupping treatments, 2-3 treatments per week. The program is based on protocols used in weight loss clinics in China – Chinese medicine offers a unique approach to weight loss because it addresses both your physical and emotional needs.
This program is designed to help you get started on living a healthier life or “unstuck” from weight-loss approaches that haven’t been working for you. It is a program that focuses on good health, not a magic “bullet” or quick-fix diet program. It can help you make healthy lifestyle changes that last the rest of your life, which is the real key to maintaining weight loss and good health. The best results happen when acupuncture is combined with healthy eating, regular exercise and stress reduction.
Who is this plan for? This plan is ideal for anyone who has a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30, has been struggling with their weight yo-yo-ing up and down, or who has “plateaued” at an unhealthy weight.
How much weight can I expect to lose? It depends on an individual’s metabolism, diet, exercise routine and initial weight, but 10-15 pounds is common. Additionally, this protocol emphasizes losing inches around your waist – people typically see their waist measurement decrease around treatment #6. The real benefits of this approach are that it re-sets your metabolism, so that your appetite changes for the better, and you continue to experience steady weight loss after completing the program.
Your first visit. Your first visit will be one hour long, to include a review of your health history, weight loss successes and challenges. I want to know what has worked for you in the past and where you need more support in the weight-loss process. We’ll talk about nutrition and what you like to eat, what you really like doing for exercise, and how you deal with stress. We will weigh and measure you so that we have a way to mark your progress during the program, and we’ll use traditional Chinese medicine exams such as pulse and tongue diagnosis to assess your internal energetic patterns. Then we’ll do acupuncture, which involves insertion of thin disposable needles on the belly, as well as the ears, arms and legs. Ear points calm the nervous system, reduce cravings and increase metabolic rate. Belly points improve digestion and increase fat metabolism. Arm and leg points enhance the overall treatment by strengthening the digestive and immune systems. Electro-stimulation of the needles on the belly enhances the treatment. We take the needles out after twenty minutes, and then we do cupping on the belly using suction cups that stay on for 5 minutes. The overall effect of the treatment is relaxing, strengthening and invigorating – like triggering the body’s RE-SET button!
At each visit we’ll check in on how your nutritional and exercise programs are working. At the 7th visit we’ll weigh and re-measure. On the 12th and last visit, we’ll evaluate how the plan has worked for you, do final weight and body measurements, and discuss lifestyle changes that will help you continue getting healthier.
Some interesting things about the process. People start noticing subtle changes in their appetite and energy right away, sometimes from the first treatment. We call this your “new voice” and encourage you to listen to it and embrace its positive messages! People say things like, “I went grocery shopping and didn’t want to buy junk food,” or “I actually notice when I feel satisfied.” Recognize that your metabolism and your entire body is in the process of rebalancing, and that this kind of change can be disconcerting, sometimes even upsetting. In fact, this is where some people might find resistance coming up, or they might find themselves deliberately overriding the new voice and eating more than they really want to eat.
You’ll probably also notice that your belly starts to feel softer and squishier. Don’t be alarmed, that’s actually a good thing! One client said, “I noticed my belly was more jiggly than usual when I was putting on my jeans this morning, and thought, oh gross,” but it seems that that’s part of the process of fat metabolism. So even though it’s a little weird, it’s cause for celebration!
What happens after 12 treatments? Some people who have more weight to lose choose to continue frequent treatments through treatment 18 – we offer special rates for clients who have completed the 12-treatment package. Others elect to have monthly “maintenance” treatments to continue their weight loss process or maintain their desired metabolic state.
How long is the treatment? The treatments are one hour long, including a short consult, acupuncture and cupping.
How often should I come in? We believe that 3 treatments per week produces best results. A month of frequent, focused acupuncture treatment with good nutrition and exercise helps your body and mind shift to a different energetic and metabolic level.
About the Acupuncturist. Abba Anderson is an acupuncturist and herbalist licensed in Missouri and California. Abba is a Branson native who earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism at Mizzou and received her post-graduate training in acupuncture and herbal from Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley in Berkeley, California where she earned a four-year clinical MS in Oriental Medicine. Her acupuncture practice specialty areas are women’s health, digestive disorders, pain management, mental health and metabolic disease. After organizing Missouri acupuncturists to provide trauma reduction treatments in Joplin after the tornado this year, she changed the direction of her doctoral research to focus on integrating acupuncture into disaster relief efforts to reduce trauma and PTSD.
