Experience demonstrates that diets don’t work for long term weight loss. Successful and lasting weight loss usually requires a general lifestyle change. These changes include learning: which foods are truly healthy, which foods to avoid to prevent systemic inflammation, where to obtain the most nutrient dense foods, how to manage cravings and adjust your taste buds to love healthy foods, and how to incorporate a reasonable exercise program.

In addition, acupuncture therapy can serve as an adjunct therapy to weight loss by boosting metabolism and correcting organ malfunction. Acupuncture has been found to be more effective than dietary restriction alone in weight loss. Electro-acupuncture increases beta endorphin levels (feel good chemicals) that decrease emotional eating and increase leptin (satiety hormone). Experts think leptin contributes to acupuncture’s effectiveness for weight loss. Another study found “Acupuncture stimulates the auricular branch of the vagal nerve and raises serotonin levels. Both of these activities have been shown to increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach, thus suppressing appetite. Among other things, serotonin enhances intestinal motility. It also controls stress and depression via endorphin and dopamine production.

The body stores toxins in fat cells (usually in the abdomen) to protect the vital organs if the load on the liver is too high to metabolize them. This makes these fat cells very difficult to burn. An initial cleanse process, designed to remove theses toxins, can jump-start most weight loss programs. A food sensitivity elimination program can also remove these accumulated toxins. Incorporating several days of detoxification reduces the work load on the liver, which allows the liver to begin to metabolize the fat cells containing toxic accumulation.

If you have ‘tried everything’ with frustrating results, consider adding more fruits and vegetables, decreasing processed foods and inflammatory fats, and try acupuncture and a food sensitivity elimination program.

Chelsey Croskeys Dodd, AP, DOM, CCN can be contacted at Indian River Acupuncture, 1345 36th St, Suite B, Vero Beach. 772-564-8383 or visit AcuWellSolutions.com.