Why I don’t offer weight loss treatments

I get a lot of questions if acupuncture can help with weight loss.

I don’t offer weight loss treatments for two main reasons.

First, for most people, it just won’t help in the way they want it to. Even if someone tries to have reasonable expectations, they tend to end up feeling very disappointed when they use a number on a scale as the marker of progress.

Weight is very complex and much of it is outside of our control.

You will see social media posts, or advertisements from other clinics, or news articles about acupuncture for weight loss.

If someone is reporting success on the scale from acupuncture, then most likely their practitioner is also strongly encouraging other changes like restrictive dieting behaviors – it’s rarely just acupuncture alone that is making the change.

Second, for those who might see changes in the number, these changes tend to be very short-lived and weight returns within the year.

This is called weight cycling and is not helpful to metabolic health. I don’t want to contribute to anyone’s weight cycling.

What I can do

I take a “weight neutral” approach with my patients. This means I don’t refer to the number on the scale.

Weight is not our center of focus, which is a very different message than you hear from most healthcare practitioners, social media ads, and every other commercial on TV.

It’s near impossible to remove all thoughts and wishes of weight loss, but we push that off to the side and focus on treatments and behaviors that can improve health and help you feel better, regardless of weight.

I can help with pain, with stress, with sleep, with mood, with cycles, with digestion.

And I can help with mindset and intuitive eating coaching.

I feel much more of service to my patients helping them break the cycle of dieting, and helping them learn to follow their own body cues on what feels right for their body in any given moment.

If you have any questions, you can reach me by email through the Contact page here.