Inches Off, Eat Right: Can Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Help with Weight Loss?

This is a question frequently asked by many patients. The answer is “yes”, but it all depends on how serious you are about making some eating and lifestyle changes. There are a number of weight loss programs out there and the majority of them work well to help you loose weight. It is easy to loose weight regardless of what type of diet you are on. But the question comes down to “can you keep the weight off?” This is the struggle I see in many patients. Weight loss programs are great in helping with portion size control and knowing when and what not to eat. They are also great at providing a support system while you battle through the challenges of dropping a few pounds. But here are some reasons these programs do not help with keeping the weight off. Programs are standardized and in some cases have rigid protocols which are difficult to maintain in your day to day life. Also the goal of these programs is geared to helping you loose weight fast, which physiologically is not an efficient way of doing things. When we loose weight fast we do not loose pounds of fat, we loose pounds of muscle mass, when we loose muscle mass we slow down our metabolic rate which means our ability to gain weight is enhanced, which means we end up back on the program again a few months down the line. “Inches off, eat right” refers to the weight loss nutritional program we offer at the Tao of Wellness, which is based on Chinese nutritional principles. Chinese nutrition, like acupuncture is based on balancing the body’s energetic system. Yes! Through diet we are able to balance your body’s physiology and energy so it may function more efficiently. It is also a program which caters very much for the individual and his or her specific needs. Not everyone is built the same way, so why should our diet and eating habits be the same. The weight loss nutritional counseling we offer differs from traditional Western nutritional assessment as it does not focus on counting calories, making rigid dietary plans, or giving out processed bars! Our focus is to educate you on the energetic properties of food and how these complement you as an individual. All food is composed of a particular taste: sweet (sweet potato), salty (seaweed), pungent (ginger), bitter (arugula) and temperature: hot (lamb), warm (cherries), neutral (artichoke), cool (asparagus) and cold (lobster). Based on the Traditional Medical diagnosis of your specific condition, your nutritional counseling will be tailored to what most appropriately suits your body energetically. When you ingest foods that are energetically fitting to you, your body will respond better naturally. With the dietary recommendations that we give you not only will you be feeling more energized, but within a short period of time you will notice you are shedding the pounds at the same time.

Losing weight is not just about the image anymore; it is about preventing future disease. Losing weight and keeping it off can help prevent obesity related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and joint pain to name a few. The goal here is not only to help you loose weight; it is also to stay healthier for years to come.

What will I expect in my first nutritional counseling session?

• Setting goals together
• Go over foods that are energetically fitting to your body type
• Go over menu plans
• Recommendations on foods to avoid
• Recommendations on how and when to eat, lifestyle tips

How many sessions do I need?

• Usually once a week for a couple of weeks, then every other week for another two weeks and once a month afterwards. Nutritional counseling varies depending on the patient and their goals

What else should I do besides nutritional counseling?

• In order to receive optimal benefits, acupuncture/cupping and herbal therapy once a week is highly recommended
• Daily exercise routine
• Daily qi gong exercise (which will be taught during nutritional counseling)
• Meditation