Seeking the motivation to kick start a weight loss journey might seem impossible, but getting hold on a heterogeneous program is a wise approach.. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine theory address system imbalances that can cause weight gain and create hurdles in achieving a healthy weight with effective tools to control appetite, improve digestion, knock away unhealthy cravings, restore energy, and reduce bloating.

Your Spleen & "Dampness"

When the spleen cannot efficiently break down food, an excess of body fluid or mucus results. This is a condition known as dampness. Dampness also effects absorption of nutrients from food. Without proper nutrition, the body is unable to provide energy to its cells and in comes the onset of fatigue.

Moreover, dampness causes stomach distention and interferes with digestion. Just imagine, how heavy and difficult your movement can be while dragging through knee-high thick mud, and you can experience how difficult a weakened digestive system can become.

The "Spleen channel" enjoys regularity. Make sure to take meals at same time everyday Balancing the Spleen and Stomach channels will correct energy imbalances throughout the digestive system and result in a physical shift toward more natural energy and fewer food cravings.

Each acupuncture and Chinese Medicine treatment is customized to your needs and focuses on overall well-being, with the objective of correcting imbalances, increasing circulation, stimulating metabolism, and calming the nervous system. Techniques and points vary at each session, depending upon the symptoms or factors you are feeling at that time. For instance, you may need help addressing a desire to overeat during your menstrual cycle or increased stress one week.  

Deep breathing with visualization can strengthen willpower and be used as a tool to curb hunger and cravings. Most patients report a marked decline in appetite and cravings with acupuncture treatment alone, but healing foods and exercises can definitely enhance the results.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are powerful tools for achieving a healthy weight, by itself or as a supportive treatment for other weight management programs.

Identifying Imbalances Through Cravings

It is quiet difficult to eat healthy meals when junk food is widely available. It only takes a little sight or mere thought of a sweet treat or salty, savory snack for a sharp craving to kick in.

With time, an unregulated binge eating results in weight gain, exhaustion, confusion, emotional instability, and etc.

According Chinese medicine, a balanced meal consists of foods that represent all five tastes—sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent. Every taste is linked with specific organ channel. By understanding their connection, you can move toward maintaining a healthy appetite.

The five tastes are:

Pungent
Connected with the Lung and Large Intestine bitter tastes include the dry and warm taste of garlic, ginger, and onions needed by lungs to properly transport energy within the whole body.

Sweet
Sweet tastes are linked with the stomach and spleen.Fruits, sweet potatoes, and some vegetables like carrots aid in digestion and reduce the toxicity of all foods.

Sour
Sour tastes are linked to Liver and Gall Bladder. Sour foods such as pickles or vinegar will help your body burn fats better.

Bitter
The bitter taste found in dark chocolate, radish, and bitter gourd removes excess heat from the Heart and Small Intestine helping them function better and pacify negative emotions.

Salty
The Kidney and Bladder are linked with salty foods which has a big impact on lubricating hard bowels and controlling their movements. Fulfilling your craving means knowing which organ is out of energy. If there is an intense craving for sweet and salty, this means the Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, and Urinary Bladder. The need for processed foods can be associated with  the Liver and Gall Bladder.

Since the Spleen and Stomach are associated with obsession, which can certainly be the case in an inability to restrain oneself from devouring all cookies and chips in the kitchen, these are usually the culprit behind every craving. An acupuncture therapy usually involves points that boost lagging Spleen and other sluggish organ.

If you want to learn more about Cheryl or her practice, visit her website Island Acupuncture & Massage.

Cheryl Blankenship, LAc., is a North Carolina-based acupuncturist practicing at Island Acupuncture & Massage. She received her Masters Degree of Oriental Medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine in 2001. She offers patients a holistic approach to wellness, taking the best that traditional Chinese medicine has to offer and combining it with effective modern approaches.