My “ancient Chinese Secret” To Lifelong Weight Loss

I remember the first time I took Chinese nutritional herbs. One of my patients told me “You look really tired – Here take these!” and handed me a bagful of different colored packages. It hurt to have it put so bluntly, but it was true, I was building a business, working long hours and feeling a bit drained, so I listened and took them home to use that night. One was a peach green tea that tasted like the Snapple I had been drinking earlier that day, one was an “interesting tasting” dark green liquid which I took with an OJ chaser and the third was a powder that I mixed up with OJ, water and soy milk to make a citrus smoothie. Not bad I thought, for Chinese nutritional herbs… And then something amazing happened. I felt full for the first time in my life! Little did I know at that time I had been given the key to a weight loss and energy that I still maintain 15 years later.

I had struggled with staying thin since childhood.


I had never felt full before in my life. I had learned when to stop eating in order to not gain weight; I knew all kinds of tricks like drinking water before a meal and getting up and walking away from the table. I looked at each new “diet trend” and I had eliminated all those “bad carbohydrates” from my diet and lived at the gym – and I ended up thin and tired all the time. I even tried dexatrim (I may be dating myself – does any body else out there remember that?) and ended up a yo-yo dieter. It was like I was in a constant battle with my body and my weight.

In this process of trying everything I had never before felt this feeling of being satisfied. I loved it! So I used the herbs for a few weeks and then I proceeded to talk myself out of taking the herbs – too expensive, etc… and promptly got tired and sick, went back on them – stopped and got sick and tired again, repeated it a third time and then I got the message that these herbs were doing something really good for my body.

Then to my surprise, six or so months later I dropped 20 pounds

without changing anything else in my life. I even began to eat more without gaining weight like I used to. I had a lifetime of struggling with my weight and I was amazed at how these “little packages of herbs” were changing my life. I would never have expected that these nutritional food-herbs would help me lose weight. I was so intrigued that I ended up going to Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine School to learn more. That was my door into the world of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture weight loss and I’m excited to share this with others who might be searching for something different like I was.

Overweight people have imbalanced digestive systems

according to traditional Chinese Medicine theory or they may just be eating the wrong kinds of foods, or too much food. By stimulating the digestive system through acupuncture and nutritional herbs, it works better and nutrition is more bio-available so the person feels fuller. This is what happened to me when my metabolism came into a better balance. Other theories are that acupuncture mainly helps reduce appetite. Our standard American Diet is sorely lacking in a wide variety of vegetables and herb foods such as stems, twigs, leaves and different plants. When the diet is rich in a wide variety of plants – cravings for sweets and "bad foods" are reduced and sometimes disappear. Sun Si Miao - the Father of Chinese Nutrition says...

When a person is sick, the doctor should first regulate diet and lifestyle (in most cases) these changes alone are enough to effect a cure, over time…..

only if these are not enough should the doctor administer other intervention, such as internal medical treatment and acupuncture”

This is how I have set up my practice as well.

So what are acupuncture treatment options for weight loss?

There is acupuncture, on the body and/or the ear, herbal nutritional supplements and gentle exercises called Qi Gong. How successful are they in helping you losing weight? Currently there are no published research studies in peer – reviewed journals, only case report is a few journals, case reports from clinics and personal success stories.

Medical literature says all of the following are important…

lifestyle choices such as daily exercise, smart diet and food choices as well as dealing with your “inner eating demons”. Others are important but haven’t gotten quite as much press – proper breathing, body balance & flexibility, and constitution. Let’s face it we all come in as a unique individual with our own DNA, personality profile and favorite foods. First is the decision to lose weight, next is the right support - something we’ll stick with. Some people have to work a bit harder at it…. That’s just how life works out.

This is where I believe Chinese Medicine, nutritional herbs and acupuncture for weight loss are powerful supporting tools, to help us find our own individual paths to healthy living. It is a slow gradual reduction method. It takes time as the body rebalances. It worked very well for me and it has worked for others if you know of someone who has struggled with their weight and might like to know about an “ancient Chinese secret” like I did - pass along the word. I'm grateful each day they shared it with me.

By: Debra Clydesdale

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Debra Clydesdale LAc DNBAO is President of the Oriental Med SPA. She has been helping people improve their inner and outer beauty, lose weight and lead healthier lives for over 15 years offering specialized anti-aging, acupuncture facial renewal treatments, products and services with roots in Oriental Medicine and Chinese Nutrition. She is a highly regarded teacher and has been published in the Acupuncture Peer Reviewed Journal. She can be reached at www.OrientalMedSPA.com.

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