Acupuncture is often used to treat weight loss, but treatments will vary widely based on the true causes of weight issues. These causes can range from addictions, to thyroid conditoins, to depression, to poor lifestyle habits and often involve multiple factors. This ability to take into account these factors is what makes acupuncture an effective adjunctive treatment to lifestyle and dietary change for weight loss. Researchers from the Guangzhou Medical College in Guangzhou Chine recently conducted a study evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture simple obesity (or that simply resulting from lifestyle habits with no known underlying medical issues).

Researchers recruited 118 cases and divided them into an acupuncture group (n=76), a sham acupuncture group (n=42) and a healthy control group (n=30). The acupuncture treatment group and the sham acupuncture group both received a restricted diet. Within the acupuncture treatment group the following points were used.

• CV 12
• CV 3
• ST 34
• ST 36
• along with others points as appropriate.

BMI, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, BUN (urea nitrogen), and uric acid levels were all measured before and after treatment.

Researchers found that the BMI in the acupuncture group was lower than in the sham acupuncture group. The acupuncture treatment group also had better scores on total cholesterol and glucose with no significant changes in other measures. The researchers conclude that along with dietary change acupuncture is an effective and safe alternative technique to add into a weight loss regimen.