Study confirms acupuncture as a viable tool for weight loss

Could a few pinpricks make someone thinner? Evidence weighs heavily in favor of that proposition, according to the results of a new study to be presented at the Pacific Symposium in San Diego this week. The groundbreaking study, "The Effects of Acupuncture on Weight-Loss in Over-Weight and Obese Adults Over 24 Years Old," reports that 95 percent of its subjects lost weight in a six-week period after receiving regular acupuncture treatments. Of those subjects, another 50 percent continued to lose weight after treatments stopped.

Dr. Edward Lamadrid, a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine (DAOM), conducted the study and authored its findings. As one of the country's approximately 100 DAOMs, Lamadrid has treated thousands of patients with a variety of problems and health conditions, and he has long suspected that acupuncture assists in weight loss. However, it wasn't until this controlled, scientific study that the Chicago-based expert could positively confirm a more formal hypothesis and the positive conclusions.

"What's particularly interesting and somewhat shocking about the study's findings is that weight loss occurred across the board without much exercise or dieting, something everyone believes is essential to trimming down," Lamadrid says. "I certainly don't want to discount the importance of healthy habits such as good fitness and eating nutritionally, but this study confirms that acupuncture is a viable tool for successful weight loss."

Key conclusions found that 81 percent of participants in Group A, which received three weeks of acupuncture treatments, lost weight, averaging 2 lbs. per week for men and 1 lb. per week for women. After the treatments ceased, 54 percent continued to lose weight. Meanwhile, 79 percent of those in Group B, the control group, which didn't receive acupuncture, gained weight over the three-week period. At the end of those three weeks, this control group then received regular acupuncture treatments, and 77 percent then lost weight at a rate similar to Group A.

Feedback from the subjects noted significant improvements both physically and emotionally. Said Wanda T., "The study helped with my energy levels and with my appetite. I now sleep soundly and wake up refreshed." And Nancy S. commented, "I feel much more balanced, focused and positive!"

"Patients understand the importance of preventative medicine and a holistic approach to treatment," Lamadrid says. "This body of evidence on the acupuncture-weight loss link is groundbreaking for the worldwide healthcare and fitness community, considering obesity is now a global epidemic."

Because of his comprehensive and integrated background - everything from bodywork to energy therapies, professional consulting and even Feng Shui - Lamadrid is considered a renaissance healer. Bridging the ancient and contemporary medical systems, he continually strives to represent his practices with the highest degree of integrity and understanding.

Lamadrid's Pacific Symposium presentation, covering his recent acupuncture and weight-loss study, takes place November 4, 7-9 p.m., at San Diego's Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa. For details, visit http://www.pacificsymposium.org.