Weight Loss and Classical Chinese Medicine
Sarah Girard, L.Ac.

If you have ever struggled with excess weight, you know there is no “one size fits all” plan for losing it. The reasons people gain weight, and have trouble taking it off, are as numerous and as complicated as the individuals themselves. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) over 58 million American adults are overweight, with half of them qualifying as obese. Being overweight has been linked to many serious health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, acid reflux, and cancer. My belief is that the cause of the weight gain is the main problem and not just the weight itself. In order to effectively treat this health problem that has reached epidemic proportions, we absolutely must treat the root cause as well as the symptoms.

Going back to the root
I first became interested in Chinese Medicine in 1999 while studying how to heal the body using food as the primary therapy. This led me to Jung Tao school of Classical Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove, NC, where I was trained in acupuncture and the foundations of Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture has been practiced in China for thousands of years with some of the earliest written text dating back to 500 B.C.E. Acupuncture is one branch of Chinese Medicine that also includes herbal medicine, massage therapy (Tui Na), and dietary therapy. Chinese Medicine is designed to treat the whole person and not just their illnesses or symptoms. When a person comes in for treatment their whole life is taken in to account. You work on the root of the problem while simultaneously helping to alleviate the branch symptoms.

With a health problem such as obesity there are many causes, some of which are: poor diet and lifestyle, chronic pain preventing exercise, depression, eating disorders, inherited metabolic disorders, lack of energy, and some people who have never been taught how to eat healthy and exercise. There are also many misconceptions about what exactly is healthy. All of these things can lead to a multitude of other mental, physical or emotional disorders. Simply giving someone a diet and exercise plan to follow may not be enough; especially because many of the modern diet plans consider only weight loss while ignoring the person’s overall health.

Chinese Medicine is based on the concept of Qi (pronounced chee), which means energy, life-force, or vitality. This qi is thought to flow through our bodies via a complex network of channels. The channel system has many layers and reaches all levels of the body from the skin, muscles, and bones, to the internal organs. These concepts have been laid out in detail in countless books over the past 2500 years and practiced in a medical context on the world’s largest population for even longer. Environmental factors, food, emotions, and lifestyle are all said to effect the state of qi. When this Qi is blocked, or in a state of excess or deficiency, all manner of disease can take place, including weight gain. Acupuncture is able to affect the qi by inserting thin, solid needles into acu-points along the channels. These acu-points have very specific functions that were discovered and understood after thousands of years of testing their effects in many different situations.

How Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help someone who is overweight
When I work with someone who is struggling with their weight we first discuss their history. The client is able to lay out their past experience, starting with the initial weight gain and working up to where they are today. I then discuss with them other aspects of their health that may or may not be seemingly related directly to their weight. We cover everything from their sleep, digestion and stress levels to chronic pain, injuries, past surgeries, and any other diagnoses they may have. We also look in depth at what they are eating and how they are moving their bodies. Once we are able to determine what their main stumbling block for losing weight is, we can begin to work to overcome that.
If a person is in chronic physical pain, acupuncture can be helpful in alleviating the pain so that the person is able to return to, or start, an exercise routine. If they simply lack the motivation or energy to get moving, acupuncture can be used to help promote will power and help get the energy flowing. The in-depth assessment that accompanies an acupuncture treatment can help determine what a healthy and effective diet will be for the client’s over-all well-being as well as their weight loss. If they have certain food or other addictions, acupuncture can also be useful to help them overcome these problems. One of the main benefits that this mode of treatment provides is helping the client gain back control of their lives. Another main benefit is being able to simultaneously address the very serious health issues that often accompany being overweight. Acupuncture has been recognized by the World Health Organization to successfully treat the following health issues: digestive trouble (irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea); emotional problems (depression and anxiety); stress; addictions; sleep disturbances; and different types of pain – just to name a few.

With all of the popular diet fads, diet foods, exercise plans, and thousands of books it is nice to have an alternative that can be designed specifically for the individual, to address all of their needs and concerns. Taking control of your health and getting back on a healthy path is not always easy. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can provide direction and support.

Sarah Girard is an acupuncturist practicing in Winston-Salem, NC, and licensed by the state of North Carolina. She graduated in 2005 from Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove, NC. Sarah is currently enrolled at the Chinatown Wellness Center in NY, NY for a Chinese Dietary Therapy course taught by Jeffrey Yuen. She has also done many continuing education courses on topics such as: chronic pain, skin conditions, endocrine disorders, and obesity. For more information call Classical Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Clinic at 336.721.1559 or visit www.triadacupuncture.com.