Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice of targeting specific points in your body to bring fruitful change. This change could be in the form of pain relief, improved function in different body processes, or even lose weight. Acupuncture has proven to be highly effective in relieving back pain, headaches, knee or joint problems, and even in improving your mood.

Today, let’s find out if acupuncture can successfully help you lose weight to become a healthier and fitter version of yourself. 

Ear Therapy Acupuncture for Weight Loss

People who advocate for acupuncture believe that it can stimulate your body’s energy flow and impact numerous different internal factors. These factors, in turn, work together to reverse the effects of obesity in your body, eventually leading to gradual but steady weight loss.

Ancient Chinese medicine states that weight loss is a result of imbalances in your body. Since acupuncture’s main aim is to return your body to a perfectly balanced state, it’s no wonder that this technique works for weight loss.

Moreover, acupuncture for weight loss targets certain areas of your body to work against obesity. You’ll be surprised to find out that one of these areas is the ear.

Ear therapy is a common technique of acupuncture for weight loss. Strange as it may sound, the ear is commonly targeted by acupuncturists for weight loss. It is a belief in Chinese medicine that food cravings can be controlled and manipulated through certain target points on the ear.

Numerous studies have also proven the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture for weight loss. It is due to the ear having a dense network of nerve endings that are linked across your body. Therefore, targeting these nerve endings carefully can reduce cravings, improve metabolism, and eventually help you lose weight. 

How Acupuncture Helps With Weight Loss

Now that you know about acupuncture’s role in aiding weight loss let’s go over how it makes this happen. Below you will find the many effects of acupuncture on your body, all of which come together to fight against obesity and help you lead a healthier life.

1. Better Digestion
   

   The biggest impact that acupuncture has on your body is by improving your digestive abilities. Acupuncturists do this by targeting the kidney and stomach acupuncture points, which makes it possible to improve how your digestive system functions. Through this form of acupuncture targeting, your body can also benefit from increased nutrient uptake.

   Moreover, acupuncture also prevents slow digestion. It works on improving your gut health and ensures that the GI tract works efficiently. This relieves any instances of constipation, stomach bloating, or any other gastrointestinal issues that could be causing you to lead a sedentary lifestyle. It also works to eliminate fat deposition in different areas of your body.

2. Eliminates Water Retention
   

   Another way that acupuncture helps with weight loss is by stimulating the nerves that lead to the endocrine system and kidneys. This reduces the retention of unnecessary water in the body, which helps in reducing any stomach bloating. With water retention eliminated, your body will have a lower chance of storing excess water. This is a quick way to shed those extra pounds and keep them off so you can look great.
   
   

3. Regulates Hormone Production
   

   If your body is releasing hormones in an imbalanced form, it will negatively impact many different bodily functions. From your immune system to digestive health, mood regulation, etc., everything is affected by hormonal imbalances.
   
   Luckily, acupuncture does a great job of regulating your body’s hormone production and ensuring that it returns to a balanced form. It allows different bodily processes, especially metabolism, digestion, and cognition, to function appropriately. Acupuncture of the ear and spleen are found to be particularly effective in balancing hormonal levels and helping you lose weight.
   
   

4. Diminishes Inflammation
   

   A major reason why people experience poor metabolism is due to gut inflammation. Any form of tension in the gut or even the muscles and tissues of your GI tract can lead to obesity. They can also affect your heart health and cause your body to suffer from poor digestion.

   When you decide to get acupuncture for weight loss, it works on relieving this tension in your gut. Acupuncture can do wonders to relieve inflammation in different parts of your body. This helps in promoting better digestive functioning while also improving your body’s immune response.

   Acupuncture for weight loss can also lower the levels of oxidative stress in your body. This creates an ideal body environment for you to lose weight and become fit.

5. Improves Your Mood
   

   It is a well-established fact that people overeat the most when they are stressed out, experiencing anxiety, or feeling poorly about themselves. Negative emotions cause us to chase whatever small amounts of high we can manage in our daily life, and this usually includes binge eating our favorite foods. Such unhealthy habits will eventually cause you to gain weight, and you are likely to end up feeling even worse.

   Acupuncture does a good job of targeting this issue by helping people with the root cause of their unhealthy eating habits, i.e., negative emotions. This traditional Chinese practice is known for its ability to regulate and improve your mood. Acupuncture can induce and control the release of endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones in our bodies. These hormones quickly eliminate any feelings of stress or anxiety in the body, giving you a better chance of fixing your unhealthy food patterns to lose weight.

6. Boosts Metabolism
   

   The last and perhaps most important effect that acupuncture has on your body is boosting metabolism. Your body’s metabolism directly determines how much of what you eat is used up as energy and how much of it is stored within the body, leading to obesity and fat buildup.

   The needles that prick your skin in acupuncture stimulate the thyroid area, instantly boosting the functioning of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland, in turn, increases the overall metabolism rate within your body, which increases the rate at which you burn fats and lose weight.