Weight loss is truly weight management. Your first goal is to lose weight in a healthy way; your second is to maintain that target weight. In my weight-management work in Dumbo, Brooklyn (Blue Phoenix Wellness), I often use one, two or three components: acupuncture, light hypnotic trance and supplement therapy. How does each one work?
1) Acupuncture does three main things in weight loss:
- Releases endorphins, which have a calming effect and can reduce the sort of stress, frustration and anxiety that trigger overeating and bingeing.
- It helps rebalance the hormonal system, stimulating metabolism
- Reduces cravings.
When using acupuncture alone, we analyze the client’s goals for losing weight, the speed at which they want to lose, and their commitment to keeping the weight off. If the overeating is severe, four treatments the first week is appropriate, which in the second week may taper to three times, and the third week to twice a week. For the average patient who wants to lose between five to thirty pounds, two treatments a week until they reach their goal is optimal. After that, a booster treatment once every two weeks for a limited amount of time is appropriate. For long-term weight loss, other modalities may need to be addressed, as well. These include:
2) Light Trance. Ever eat something you ‘shouldn’t have’ and get ‘eater’s remorse’? Ever wonder how it happens? The answer is oddly simple. We have a conscious mind, which dwells in the realm of Desire: (I want to stop eating junk/fattening foods); and a subconscious mind, which dwells in the realm of Need: (fattening food makes me feel safe, happy, and takes away nasty, anxious feelings. You’re not taking it from me!).
In the battle of Need versus Desire, guess who wins. That’s right. Need. It’s no wonder that our ‘will power’ seems so…lacking, sometimes. By relaxing the client mentally and physically and then accessing his/her unconscious urges, we strive to integrate both needs and desires so they are in agreement. In this way we create a sustainable path to change that both ‘parts’ can work toward.
3) Supplement Therapy.
50 years ago, a brilliant Dentist named Royal Lee succinctly identified the dilemma thusly: “We are overfed and undernourished”. It’s truer now than ever: Essential enzymes and nutrients are missing from our food, and our environment/food has become toxic due to pesticides, environmental pollutants, etc. It should come as no surprise that our body is rebelling, and we have undesired cravings!
At Blue Phoenix we muscle test to discover what supplements the body needs (and wants), in order to diminish, or even eliminate, cravings. At the same time we identify any toxic chemicals, heavy metals or immune suppressors in your system. In leaching those out, we clear up problems such as IBS, acne/hormonal issues, fatigue, sexual problems, menstrual issues, etc.
Finally, it needs to be acknowledged that any responsible program must include attention to diet, along with some sort of physical activity.
Happy Holidays to all. Daniel at Blue Phoenix Wellness.