Dr. Jie Shen

Lic. Acupuncturist in NY, NJ & PA, M.D. in China

15-year Experience in Acupuncture Services

Serve Bergen County NJ and Orange and Rockland County NY

Acupuncture for Weight Loss

It is first important to make clear that acupuncture is not a magic solution to weight gain. Diet and exercise still remain the most important factors in weight loss.

However acupuncture and herbal medicine can provide an excellent compliment in this case. By making a traditional diagnosis, the acupuncturist can see if there is any underlying problems which could be hindering weight loss. Thyroid dysfunction, polycystic ovaries, sluggish metabolisms, or diabetes could all be examples where an underlying condition affects your weight. By attempting to tackle the underlying issue, we can make it easier to resolve the symptoms and lose the weight.
Within acupuncture and herbal medicine, there are also methods to reduce cravings and increase will power which can be used in this area.
Chinese dietary advice is a whole subject on it’s own and plays a major role in weight loss. By seeing what the body is missing we attempt to rebalance the body. It is therefore impossible to go to an acupuncturist without paying close attention to what is being eaten.

It should be noted that you may see Chinese herbalists advertising weight loss pills in their windows and we would strongly advise against these. They are often diuretics which simply make you lose water. While it may show short term improvement on the scales this is actually a very detrimental method and would leave the metabolism more sluggish making the weight increase more quickly. Again there is not such thing as weight loss pills, only appropriate herbal medicine for the individual to help with their particular case.

This can be a very effective area of treatment and Daniel Elliott spent a brief period of time working in the weight loss clinic of a hospital in China.