Acupuncture for weight loss NYC

Weight loss acupuncture

If you’re struggling to lose weight, you may be considering acupuncture therapy. But what is acupuncture, and how can it help you achieve your goals? Let us explore the basics of acupuncture and discuss how it promotes weight loss. We’ll also look at some of the benefits of this treatment method, so you can decide if it’s right for you. Keep reading to learn more about acupuncture for weight loss!

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What is acupuncture therapy, and how does it help you to lose weight

Acupuncture is a versatile therapeutic system known for its remarkable ability to balance the human psyche and physiology simultaneously. For this reason, acupuncture is instrumental in helping people to lose weight. Acupuncture for weight loss helps you to lose weight by balancing your endocrine system. By stimulating specific acupuncture points, acupuncturists can trigger feelings of satiety. Acupuncture therapy also has unique protocols that can balance cortisol and insulin levels in your body, both of which affect how much energy your body stores as fat. When a person feels not hungry and more energetic, they can work out more and thus burn up more calories and build muscles. Another way acupuncture helps with weight loss is by working with the human psyche. Many people tend to overeat due to stress or some unresolved psychological conditions. Many of our patients report that they experience a feeling of well-being during the therapeutic session and can enter a trance-like state of mind that allows them to tackle their psychological issues and face the problem they try to distract themselves from by overeating.

 

Chinese medicine perspective on a diet

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views the world through the prism of the Five Element Theory. The Five Elements (五行) are the five energy fields or five different kinds of Qi (氣). The Five Elements play an essential role in all aspects of Chinese culture, including the way people eat. The Five Elements are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. 

The five elements are associated with our five primary organs:

  • Heart (fire)
  • Spleen (earth)
  • Lungs (metal)
  • Kidneys (water)
  • Liver (wood)

The Five Elements theory states that the balance of the Five Elements within the human body warrants good health. If the balance of these elements gets disrupted, this will result in health problems. Any deficiency or an excess of an element can lead to illness. Chinese medicine attempts to restore the equilibrium between the elements on many levels, including acupuncture therapy, herbal medicine, and diet.

The Five Elements in Chinese Cuisine 

But what exactly are the five elements of Chinese cooking, and how do they play a part in Chinese cuisine? In Chinese medicine and cooking, it’s believed that if you are weak or ill in certain parts of your body or organs, you should consume specific foods that belong to particular elements to improve your health. For example, suppose you have health problems with your kidney (water element). In that case, you should eat more food that belongs to the water element, and at the same time, restrict the food that belongs to the wood element because the wood element has a draining effect on the water element. 

 

Here’s a list of five-element foods:

Fire/Heart Food 

Carrots, tomato, sweet potato, strawberry, chili, red beans, red pepper, jujube, goji berry, dragon fruit, and apple are examples of foods that belong to the fire element.

Wood/Liver Food 

It’s good for your liver to eat green-colored meals. The list of green foods is long. Mung beans, Chinese leeks, wasabi, and other green vegetables and fruits are essential ingredients in Chinese cuisine.

Earth/Spleen Food 

Yellow color foods are beneficial for your digestive system and spleen. Sweet or baby corn, yellow sweet potato, taro, oats, pumpkins, butternut squash, peppers of various colors, soybeans, egg yolks, bean curd, ginger, orange fruit, star fruit, lemon fruit.

 

Metal/Lung Food

White-colored foods are beneficial to your lungs. Rice and noodles are examples of common white meals. Lotus seed, daikon, onion, garlic, bitter melon, winter melon, broccoli, bamboo shoots, white wood ear, soy milk, tofu.

 

Water/Kidney Food

The kidneys benefit from black and blue color foods. Ingredients include wood ear mushrooms, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, black beans, raisins, blueberry, black grapes, black sesame seeds, black tea, and other items.

 

Focus on what food to eat

In our experience, a weight loss plan should have a balanced approach between different food groups. To lose weight, we must burn more calories than we consume. At the same time, we should not allow our patients to feel hungry all of the time since this approach rapidly leads to defeat. As a result, we should be concerned about what to eat as much as what to avoid. We encourage our patients to eat more high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and green veggies, in addition to the five-element meal plan recommended in the individualized treatment plan. These meals take longer to digest and make you feel fuller. In our experience, with a balanced diet combined with regular acupuncture treatments and an exercise plan, patients claim to have more energy, better sleep patterns, and no food cravings. As a result, they steadily lose excess weight.

No pain, no gain - restricting your calories

Here’s the hard truth. Weight loss isn’t something that can be accomplished with a magic herb or acupuncture alone. To lose weight, we need to limit the number of calories consumed. Adherence to a weight loss plan is the most critical weight reduction regimen. People who drastically reduce their calorie consumption or cheat by not restricting suggested meals from the program are more likely to fail. The good news is that this calorie restriction does not have to be stressful when done the right way. With the help of your acupuncturist, you can set up a meal plan that will make you feel good and have no cravings. 
Those experiencing medical problems associated with weight gain, such as insulin resistance, PCOS, high blood pressure, can significantly benefit from our acupuncture program because acupuncture, herbal medicine, and diet therapy may help cure these issues at their source.

How many sessions will you need to see the results?

Ultimately, the number of sessions depends on your individual goals and your health in general. We design your program so that you should lose two pounds a week. We recommend our patients from 6 to 12 acupuncture treatments initially–that is 12 to 24 pounds of weight loss! Holistic health coaching is also part of our acupuncture treatment. That implies that we will keep track of your average weight and talk to you about dietary concerns, such as lightheadedness, cravings, depression, or other fat loss symptoms. It would be best if you visited our clinic regularly, once a week, at the beginning of your journey. Once things settle in places and you change your dietary habits, you can taper off your acupuncture and counseling. 

What should you expect during an acupuncture session?

We’ll work with you to get your preferred meals as soon as possible while also teaching you how to cook them at home. After your initial visit, we will provide a thorough diet plan that includes the timetable and quantity of individual components you need to consume each day. During each of your weekly acupuncture sessions, we’ll keep track of your average weight for the week, energy level, hunger, blood sugar levels in people with diabetes if necessary.
After the examination, we will perform an acupuncture treatment on you. Thin acupuncture needles will be inserted in your ear, hands, feet, back, or abdomen. The choice of points is determined solely by your symptoms. Acupuncture treatment is not a painful procedure, even if you are new to it. Most of our patients enjoy acupuncture as a relaxing experience. Once the acupuncture needles have been inserted at the acupuncture points, you will feel a mild sensation of pleasure due to endorphin production. We will then dim the lights in the room and allow you to relax for roughly thirty minutes.

Who is a qualified acupuncturist in NYC for weight loss

New York City has a lot to offer, and there are hundreds of acupuncture clinics in NYC. Yet to find the best acupuncturist for weight loss is not an easy task. Most acupuncturists in NY have high credentials and can conduct a competent acupuncture treatment. However, two criteria set a few practitioners apart from the rest. These criteria are experience and a comprehensive therapeutic program. 

 

First of all, make sure your acupuncturist has practiced for at least five years. Look for an acupuncture clinic that has been around for at least five years and has treated more than 1,000 patients at least. 

 

A comprehensive acupuncture weight loss program is the second criteria an acupuncture clinic should possess to be more qualified. Such programs should include, in addition to acupuncture, herbal formulas, and dietary counseling. Good acupuncture for weight loss program considers all aspects of health, not just acupuncture.

Why choose Acupuncture NYC 

When it comes to aiding you in losing weight with acupuncture, many people consider Acupuncture NYC one of the best acupuncture clinics in New York City. We have over two decades of expertise in weight loss acupuncture. We’ve seen thousands of patients with various physical and psychological problems that resulted in weight gain. We know what our clients want and tailor the treatments to their specific needs. We’ll work with you every step of the way for a long-term plan that will help you reach your goals in as little time as possible. Our greatest joy is to satisfy the demands of our valued clients, and we are dedicated to providing excellent service. Since its inception, Acupuncture NYC Clinic has consistently exceeded client expectations. We are committed to delivering high-quality holistic health care to our patients.

Get a consultation at our Midtown acupuncture clinic location to determine whether acupuncture therapy is the best treatment for you. Please get in contact with us to discover more about our acupuncture services.

Andre Yershov, L.Ac. Full body portrait
Andre Yershov, L. Ac., founder of Acupuncture NYC