Researchers have found that acupuncture may help to regulate weight in obese subjects, by having a beneficial effect on hormones which influence hunger and satiation, even after a few weeks of treatment.
Forty women with a body-mass index greater than 30, were randomly allocated to either an acupuncture treatment group, or to a sham (non-penetrating) acupuncture group. Treatments were given twice a week for a total of five weeks. Comparing the women before and after treatment, acupuncture was shown among other things, to decrease insulin and leptin levels, induce weight loss, and reduce body-mass index.
(Influence of Acupuncture on Leptin, Ghrelin, Insulin and Cholecystokinin in Obese Women: A Randomised, Sham-Controlled Preliminary Trial. Acupuncture in Medicine, September 2012.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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