Losing weight and keeping it off is hard. We get it. But knowing why it’s so hard and understanding some of the factors that are working against you can boost your chances of success. While you may have learned that eating less and exercising more is the simple formula for losing weight, some people do exactly that and don’t lose, or may even gain weight. At BodaHealth, we recognize that losing weight can be complicated, but we can help you in a number of ways.
Our practitioners of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine view excess weight as an imbalance within your body, usually caused by issues related to your spleen or liver organ systems. Your spleen is responsible for taking in food, digesting it, and converting it into the energy and nutrients your body needs to function. Problems with your Spleen can result in symptoms such as fatigue, slow metabolism, water retention, loose stools, constipation or an overall sensation of heaviness.
Your liver’s job is to keep the flow of your body’s energy, blood and emotions running smoothly. A fast-paced lifestyle and chronic stress can impair your liver’s ability to function properly, which can actually suppress your spleen, digestive system, and metabolism. An example of a disharmony between your liver and spleen would be depression or an emotional upset that affects your appetite or upsets your digestion.
Using acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Bodahealth’s practitioners can help you lose weight in several ways:
- Both acupuncture and Chinese herbs are important treatments that can maximize your digestion. This includes absorbing the foods you eat and converting them into energy and the nutrients that are your body’s building blocks. In addition, acupuncture and herbs can be effective in relieving any digestive symptoms you may be experiencing, including acid reflux, GERD, IBS, constipation, or diarrhea.
- A sluggish metabolism may be the reason why you struggle to lose weight. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been shown to have positive effects on your endocrine system and metabolism.
- Auricular (ear) acupuncture is often used to effectively decrease the frequency and intensity of food cravings.
- Stress and mood have a huge impact on your appetite, cravings, and digestion. Scientists have discovered that acupuncture affects your brain to reduce stress and elevate your mood by increasing the circulation of feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins.
- Our practitioners are skilled in Chinese dietary therapy, which entails prescribing foods that are appropriate for your unique needs and are based on the properties of specific foods and their ability to heal.
At BodaHealth, our naturopathic doctors are committed to helping you with your weight loss goals too, and offer a complementary approach to acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine. One of their primary objectives is to understand how your gut microbiome affects your digestion and ability to lose weight.
Your digestive system is home to trillions of microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These organisms are known as your gut microbiome, and are important in keeping you healthy by supporting your immune system, the health of your heart, maintaining your brain function and mood, promoting digestion, and maintaining your weight. Your gut has beneficial microbes and ones that promote disease. Your health, as well as the ability to maintain or lose weight, depend on having a healthy balance between the good and harmful microbes. Our naturopaths are able to assess the makeup of your gut microbiome and prescribe foods, nutrients, and supplements to help restore its balance if necessary.
In addition to gut health, a hormonal imbalance may be affecting your ability to lose weight. The hormones made by your thyroid gland affect your body’s metabolism, which is your ability to use and burn energy. Our naturopathic practitioners can assess thyroid imbalances and prescribe supplemental hormones if needed. Stress and adrenal fatigue may also be hampering your ability to lose weight, which may also be tested and addressed if appropriate. In addition, our naturopaths can identify nutrient deficiencies and treat food allergies and insulin resistance in cases of diabetes or prediabetes.
The foods we eat can become our own worst enemy in the form of pesticides, additives, and toxins. These chemicals affect your gut microbiome in a negative way, including your weight loss efforts. At BodaHealth, our naturopaths can test for chemicals that may be affecting your health and prescribe strategies for detoxification.
Our naturopathic doctors are committed to assisting you in losing weight as naturally as possible. They are able to prescribe dietary strategies, herbs, vitamins, and supplements to address any imbalances or health issues that may be affecting your weight loss efforts.
At BodaHealth, we understand that successful weight loss isn’t about the current diet fad. We’re here to help you understand the underlying factors that may be working against you as well as implementing strategies that will contribute to your success. If you feel like you’ve tried everything to lose weight without success, give us a call to see how we can help you.
