Positive Health Online

Abstract

CABYOGLU and colleagues, Department of Physiology, Selcuk University, Faculty of Meram Medical, Konya, Turkey, have also reviewed (37 references) specifically the treatment of obesity with acupuncture. Abstract: It has been reported that acupuncture is effective in procuring weight loss in the obese. It can affect appetite, intestinal motility, and metabolism, as well as emotional factors such as stress. Increases in neural activity in the ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus, in tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach and in levels of enkephalin, beta-endorphin, and serotonin in plasma and brain tissue have also been observed with the application of acupuncture. It has been found that acupuncture to obese people increases excitability of the 'satiety centre' in the brain. Acupuncture stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus 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. In addition to these effects, it is thought that the increase in plasma levels of beta-endorphin after acupuncture can contribute to the body weight loss in obese people by mobilizing the body energy depots through increased breakdown of fatty tissue.

Background

Methodology

Results

Conclusion

References

Cabyoglu MT, Ergene N, Tan U. The treatment of obesity by acupuncture. International Journal of Neuroscience 116 (2): 165-175, Feb 2006.

Comment

The above studies regarding the clinical application of acupuncture reveal both effects, as well as possible mechanisms behind acupuncture's mode of action.