OBESITY — JIAN FEI

Overweight, or obesity, is the condition where the human body has an excessive accumulation of fat and the body weight is above 20% of the standard weight. Obesity is mostly seen in patients over 40 years old. Chinese medicine believes obesity is caused by overeating fatty food, or it may occur when the patient has a disease that causes a spleen and stomach dysfunction accumulating water, or the patient lacks physical activity resulting in Qi and blood lack of circulation that becomes stagnant, causing obesity.

Western medicine refers to this condition as obesity, which may be related to a genetic determinant or disease.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Differential Diagnosis :

1. Central Yang excess: Overweight, excessive appetite, gets hungry easily, eats large amounts of food, red face, high voice, red tongue with a white, sticky coating, and a slippery, fast pulse.

2. Damp-phlegm obstruction: Overweight, low energy, lack of sleep, no appetite, bland taste in the mouth, scanty menstruation or amenorrhea for women and impotence for men, a swollen and big tongue with teeth marks, and a deep, soft, or slippery pulse.

3. Blood stasis: Overweight, chest and hypochondrium area pain, palpitations, dizziness, dark red tongue with dark spots on the side of the tongue, pale coating, and a deep pulse.

Micro-Acupuncture Therapy
Ear Acupuncture
1. CHINESE AURICULAR THERAPY
Points:
Shen Men
Mouth
Stomach
Esophagus
Small Intestine
Endocrine
San Jiao
Hunger
Spleen
Excitation

2. EUROPEAN AURICULAR THERAPY
Points:
Zero
Sympathetic Autonomic
Stomach
Master Cerebral
Large Intestine
Small Intestine
Abdomen
Esophagus
Thalamus
Endocrine
Antidepressant
Aggressivity

Technique: Use 30 to 34 gauge, 0.5 cun (15 mm) long sterilized filiform needles. Select a few of the most tender points from the list for each treatment. You can use pressure or an electrical point finder to help locate points. Use Betadine to pre-clean the ear surface, and follow up with 70% alcohol to clean the ear. Use the thumb and index finger of one hand to hold the ear and the other hand to insert the needle in the selected point, using a quick jab and twisting to a depth of 1.0 to 2.0 mm. The needle should be inserted deeply enough to hold firmly. The direction and needle angle will be determined by where the point is located. Use the slow rotation technique to stimulate, and retain the needle for 20 to 30 minutes.

Electro-Acupuncture Ear Therapy: Insert the filiform needles into the selected point. Select the wave and frequency desired for the treatment. Use micro-gator clips to connect the inserted needles to the electro-machine, and slowly turn the machine on to the appropriate amount of stimulation. Maintain the current for 10 to 30 minutes. Treat the patient one to three times a week for 2 to 10 weeks.

Embedding Needles: Select a thumbtack-type intradermal needle. Use Betadine to pre-clean the surface of the ear, and follow up with 70% alcohol to clean the ear. Hold the ear with one hand and stretch the skin taut if possible. Use the other hand to pick up the intradermal needle with a hemostat and insert the needle quickly into the skin. Then use adhesive tape to cover the needle and press the needle in to its full depth. The needles may be retained for 3 to 5 days at a time.

Auricular Seed and Magnet Pressing Therapy: Use herb seeds, stainless steel, silver, gold, or magnetic balls to stimulate ear points. Use 70% alcohol to clean the ear. Hold the ear with one hand and apply the ball with adhesive tape using the other hand. Apply pressure to stimulate the point and obtain Qi sensation. The balls may be retained for 3 to 5 days, and the patient should be instructed to apply pressure to the balls two to three times daily. Five treatments constitute a course, with 1 to 2 days of rest between courses.

The active Qi treatment is a very important technique in the ear acupuncture therapy. It can increase local vessel expansion to improve blood circulation. Ask the patient to take deep breaths, or use deep abdominal breathing, perform a swallowing movement, listen to therapeutic music with different rhythms that match the patient’s breathing, and look at different colors on a picture that creates psychological, physiological, and pathological changes in the human body. The practitioner also uses spiritual support, suggestion support, and behavioral support to encourage the patient. This is an important step in building up the patient’s confidence to continue to receive treatments.

Tongue Acupuncture
Points:
Lung
Stomach
Spleen
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
San Jiao

 
Technique: Use fresh water to cleanse the patient’s mouth. Use 30 to 34 gauge, 1.0 to 1.5 cun long filiform needles. If needles are to be inserted on the surface of the tongue, ask the patient to stick his or her tongue out. If needles are to be inserted underneath the tongue, ask the patient to curve up the tongue with the tip of the tongue touching the incisors of the supramaxilla. Quickly insert the needle and use mild lifting, thrusting, and rotation techniques to manipulate the point. Retain the needles for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, use a three-edge needle to perform fast spot pricking on the tongue to release a few drops of blood. For the spot pricking technique, use fast insertion at the local point to a depth of 0.5 to 1.2 cun.

Back Shu Acupuncture
Points:
UB 13 (Fei Shu)
UB 18 (Gan Shu)
UB 20 (Pi Shu)
UB 21 (Wei Shu)
UB 25 (Da Chang Shu)
 

Technique: Use standard clean needle technique. Use 30 to 34 gauge, 1.0 to 1.5 cun long filiform needles. Insert the needle at an oblique angle on the upper back and a perpendicular angle on UB 25 (Da Chang Shu) then push the needle in to a depth of 0.5 to 1.2 cun. Use the rotation technique to elicit Qi. Retain the needles for about 15 to 30 minutes. Treat the patient every other day with 10 treatments to a course.

Abdominal Acupuncture
Points:
Ba Gua Zhen
 

Technique:
Ba Gua Zhen Technique: The Ba Gua technique divides the abdominal area into eight sections. Each section indicates one organ disease. This system is based on the post heaven Ba Gua. Choose 32 to 34 gauge filiform needles and select the insertion area from north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Each needle has 45 degrees between and use an oblique insertion toward the umbilicus or needle from the umbilicus and insert toward the outside. Gently manipulate the needles and use the waiting Qi, moving Qi, and increase Qi technique. Retain the needles for 30 minutes.

Hand Acupuncture
1. KORYO HAND THERAPY
Points:
A 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 16; F 5, 7, 19; N 5, 18; M 28; D 7

 
Technique: Choose a comfortable position for the patient with the hand in a loose, relaxed position. Use a very fine, sharp, and short Seo Am needle, which is usually 0.5 cun in length. Using a needle dispenser, place the dispenser on the point to be needled. Release the dispenser lever and the needle will penetrate the skin at a very shallow depth (approximately 0.5 mm). Alternatively, use a Sooji needle that is inserted with an automatic needle dispenser for a nearly pain-free insertion. Ask the patient to take deep breaths, or use deep abdominal breathing, perform a swallowing movement, listen to therapeutic music with different rhythms that match the patient’s breathing, and look at different colors on a picture that creates psychological, physiological, and pathological changes in the human body. The practitioner also uses spiritual support, suggestion support, and behavioral support to encourage the patient. This is an important step in building up the patient’s confidence to continue to receive treatments. Retain the needles for an average of 30 to 40 minutes.
 

Koryo hand therapy often uses pellet therapy for a longer duration of treatment. The pellet is made of an aluminum plate with one or more protrusions. The plate size can be chosen according to the width of the application area. Detach the pellet with its adhesive tape and place it on the point. The pellet can remain in place for several hours to a few days.

SUMMARY:
Using acupuncture and micro-acupuncture to lose weight has been proven effective in the clinic. From research, it has been determined that acupuncture stimulation on the points can decrease appetite and hunger sensations. In addition, it adjusts nerves and the endocrine system so it can change metabolic activities to help the body absorb less fat from the diet and eliminate extra body weight. Acupuncture and micro-acupuncture have better results for the patient with a simple type of obesity, but for the patient who has obesity due to family history or genetics, it is less effective. Patients should control their food and total calorie intake each day. Patients who are overweight should consume low-calorie foods and fewer carbohydrates and sweet foods, such as candy, cookies, and soft drinks, and fewer fatty meats and deep-fried foods. The patient should eat more vegetables and lean meat. Limit intake of foods that contain high carbohydrates, such as potatoes, rice, and starchy foods. Ear, mouth, back Shu, and abdominal acupuncture have been proven to have better results in the clinic.

Source:

MICRO ACUPUNCTURE IN PRACTICE, by  Yajuan Wang