Dr Ping’s Weight Loss Program: Why do I struggle to lose weight?
Dr Ping Wang has for many years been interested in various weight loss methods and finally created this program to help her clients to lose weight.
This method is not only based on traditional Chinese medicine theories, but also on diet and lifestyle modifications based on Dr Ping’s own experiences both in the clinic — and on herself.
This article will share with you some of the most common reasons for gaining weight and why it is so difficult to lose it.
1. The Causes of Weight Gain
In the past, many people have questioned me, “why do I struggle to lose weight although I eat well, exercise and have a regular lifestyle?”
From the diagram below, you will understand that weight gain is not always from overeating or lack of exercise, there are other causes from the view of traditional Chinese medicine.
Dr Ping’s Weight Loss Program is especially for those people who have already tried diet and exercise to lose weight without success.
Poor circulation due to Liver weakness
Poor circulation is a common cause of weight gain because of stagnation and blocked circulation in the channels. Some of the most common symptoms besides weight gain are:
- body pain and stiffness
- puffiness (oedema) in the body
Weak Spleen and Kidney organs
Spleen and Kidney Deficiency (weakness) will cause retention of fluid and dampness in the body which causes weight gain. Some of the most common symptoms besides weight gain are:
- tiredness
- bloating
- sluggish bowel movements
- puffy face, knees, ankles, arms and legs
Weak Bowels with Heat and Toxins
Weak intestinal and bowel function leads to the accumulation of heat and toxins in the digestive tract which causes weight gain. Some of the most common symptoms besides weight gain are:
- bloating
- acne or dry skin
- insomnia and vivid dreams
- smelly and sticky stools
2. How do we find out your individual cause(s) of weight gain?
In traditional Chinese medicine we aim to find the cause the problem rather than just treat the symptoms.
As we aim to identify and target the underlying causes of your weight gain, the results are usually more effective than simply dieting or exercising alone.
During your initial consultation, our practitioners will check your pulse and tongue combined with traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis methods to find out which specific organs are unhealthy and which channels are blocked.
Through a combination of acupuncture, cupping and Chinese herbal medicine, we aim to:
- Improve Liver circulation and clear body pain symptoms
- Clear Stagnation (heat and toxins) from the intestines
- Clear excess dampness and fluids
- Strengthen and re-balance the internal organs
Dr Ping’s Weight Loss Program also includes some specific Chinese medicine diet and lifestyle advice which is easy to follow.
Importantly, our program doesn’t require you to fast or follow any diet or meal plans. Our approach is to help your body lose weight naturally and not forcibly.
If you recognise one or more of the reasons for gaining weight mentioned in this article, you can consult with our team of Chinese medicine practitioners who are able to help you with Dr Ping’s Weight Loss Program.
What Does The Research Say?
The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Acupuncture for Weight Loss.
2020 Postgraduate Medical Journal
Acupuncture is an effective therapy for simple obesity rather than a placebo effect.
The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that acupuncture could improve body mass index, body weight and waist circumference, suggesting that acupuncture is effective compared with sham acupuncture for the treatment of obesity. However, due to the small number of included studies and limited sample size, our conclusions remain to be confirmed by further high-quality RCTs.
Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for simple obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis Zhong YM, Luo XC, Chen Y, Lai DL, Lu WT, Shang YN, Zhang LL, Zhou HY
2020 Integrative Medicine Research
The effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when acupuncture treatment is combined with lifestyle management in patients with overweight.
We found 27 trials involving 32 intervention arms and 2,219 patients. Acupuncture plus lifestyle modification (LM) was more effective than LM alone and sham acupuncture plus LM, whereas acupuncture alone was not more effective than sham acupuncture alone and no treatment. Auricular acupuncture, manual acupuncture and pharmacopuncture favoured weight loss. Finally, acupuncture treatment was effective only in subjects with overweight, not in subjects with obesity (body mass index ≥30).
Our study suggests that the effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture or pharmacopuncture treatment is combined with LM in patients with overweight.
Effect of acupuncture and intervention types on weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis SeoyoungKim
2019 Medicine
Acupuncture is effective in the intervention of overweight/obesity in Asians.
Our meta-analysis demonstrated that acupuncture was effective as an intervention for overweight/obesity in Asians; however, relative to exercise alone, acupuncture plus exercise had no effect on the change of BMI or waist circumstance. The evidence is weak due to the low quality of the included studies. Long-term, high-quality studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for weight loss.
Acupuncture and weight loss in Asians: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis Yao J, He Z, Chen Y, Xu M, Shi Y, Zhang L, Li Y.
2018 Obesity Reviews
Unlike herbal medicine and lifestyle modification, acupuncture treatment may be more effective in patients with overweight than in patients with obesity.
This systematic review and meta-analysis involving 32 intervention arms and 2,219 patients suggests that the effect of acupuncture on obesity may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture, pharmacopuncture or catgut embedding treatments is combined with lifestyle modification. Acupuncture treatment alone may be not effective on weight loss. Unlike herbal medicine and lifestyle modification, acupuncture treatment may be more effective in patients with overweight than in patients with obesity. Further studies are required to overcome the limitations of small number of RCTs, short-term effect and low methodological quality.
Effect of acupuncture and intervention types on weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis Kim SY, Shin IS, Park YJ.
2017 The American Journal of Chinese Medicine
Our results indicate that acupuncture is an effective treatment for obesity both alone and together with lifestyle modification.
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of acupuncture treatment alone and in combination with lifestyle modification. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL and Chinese Biomedical Literature Databases for relevant publications available as of 24 October 2015 without language restriction. Eligible studies consisted of randomized controlled trials for acupuncture with comparative controls. A total of 23 studies were included with 1808 individuals. We performed meta-analyses of weighted mean differences based on a random effect model. Acupuncture exhibited a mean difference of body mass index reduction of 1.742 kg/m2 and 1.904 kg/m2 when compared with untreated or placebo control groups and when lifestyle interventions including basic therapy of both treatment and control groups. Adverse events reported were mild, and no patients withdrew because of adverse effects.
Acupuncture and Lifestyle Modification Treatment for Obesity: A Meta-Analysis Fang S, Wang M, Zheng Y, Zhou S, Ji G.
Scientific References
Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on Acupuncture for Weight Loss. It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.
2020, Sep 6
Effect of acupuncture and intervention types on weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Integrative Medicine Research Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine
Our study suggests that the effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture or pharmacopuncture treatment is combined with LM in patients with overweight
SeoyoungKim Full Article
2020, Apr
Acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for simple obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Postgraduate Medical Journal Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
The review suggests that acupuncture is an effective therapy for simple obesity rather than a placebo effect. This potential benefit needs to be further evaluated by longer-term and more rigorous RCTs
Zhong YM, Luo XC, Chen Y, Lai DL, Lu WT, Shang YN, Zhang LL, Zhou HY Full Article
2019, Aug
Acupuncture and weight loss in Asians: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis
Medicine
Our study demonstrates that acupuncture is effective in the intervention of overweight/obesity in Asians; however, compared with exercise alone, acupuncture combined with exercise had no effect on the BMI or waist circumstance in the short term. Long-term studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in weight reduction in Asians.
Yao J, He Z, Chen Y, Xu M, Shi Y, Zhang L, Li Y. Full Article
2018, Nov
Effect of acupuncture and intervention types on weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Obesity Reviews World Obesity Federation
Our study suggests that the effect of acupuncture on weight loss may be maximized when auricular and manual acupuncture or pharmacopuncture treatment is combined with LM in patients with overweight.
Kim SY, Shin IS, Park YJ. Full Article
2017, Jan 23
Acupuncture and Lifestyle Modification Treatment for Obesity: A Meta-Analysis
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine
Adverse events reported were mild, and no patients withdrew because of adverse effects. Overall, our results indicate that acupuncture is an effective treatment for obesity both alone and together with lifestyle modification.
Fang S, Wang M, Zheng Y, Zhou S, Ji G. Full Article
