According to traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, excessive appetite can indicate that your body is not getting the nourishment it needs for proper energy. Stress, poor nutrition and emotional or physical injury can block or drain your qi or vital life energy. Acupressure beads placed on key pressure points on the ear can help you stimulate the free flow of qi and may contribute to the success of a healthy weight-loss plan, according to TCM.
Types
Acupressure beads---tiny balls that stick to your ear over pressure points---come in several types. Some beads are self-adhesive. Some are magnetized, which according to some TCM practitioners enhances the effects of the beads. The tiny seeds of the vaccaria plant can also serve as acupressure beads, since the qi naturally carried by these seeds is a tonic for your blood and can help clear stale qi quickly, according to the website Yin Yang House.
Tips
Once they are attached to the right spots on your ear, acupressure beads are easy for you to use any time. However, to ensure that they are placed correctly, it's best to consult a TCM professional, such as an acupuncturist or acupressure therapist. In addition to giving you a full diagnosis and in-office treatment, a TCM practitioner can find the precise pressure points you'll need to stimulate in order to fight food cravings. In the U.S., acupressure practitioners can register with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The NCCAOM maintains an online database that you can search for a practitioner in your area.
Use
When you go to an acupressure practitioner for help with food cravings, he will place acupressure beads on key points on the ear. Most people wear the beads for several days at a time. When you press on the bead, you stimulate the acupressure point on which it sits. Your practitioner will probably instruct you to use the beads regularly to help balance your body. You can also press on the beads any time you feel a desire for an inappropriate food, according to the website The Natural Healing Centre.
Considerations
According to traditional Chinese medicine, one of the core causes of unwanted weight is spleen qi deficiency. The spleen is responsible for distributing the qi you get from food to all areas of the body. If you feel mentally "fuzzy" and you suffer from cravings for sugary or fatty food, chances are your spleen qi is depleted, according to Anasuya Batliner, an Asian bodywork therapist writing on the website My Body Wisdom. In addition to using acupressure beads for weight loss, you might benefit from eating cooked, easily digestible foods, avoiding sweets and lightening your schedule in order to give your spleen a chance to right itself.
Research
Two types of acupressure beads proved helpful for weight loss, according to an eight-week study of adolescents by Ching Hsieh of the Chang Gung Institute of Technology in Taiwan, published in the "American Journal of Chinese Medicine" in 2010. While the group who did not use beads gained 0.05 body mass index points, a group using magnetic bead acupressure lost 0.7 BMI points on average. The third group, who used vaccaria seeds, lost an average of 1.2 BMI points.
References
- Yin Yang House: Wang Bu Lui Xing (Vaccaria Seeds)
- National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine: NCCAOM Certification Registry
- The Natural Healing Centre: Auricular Acupressure
- My Body Wisdom: Spleen Qi Deficiency---A Nutritional Perspective
- "The American Journal of Chinese Medicine"; The Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Weight Loss and Serum Lipid Levels in Overweight Adolescents; CH Hsieh; 2010
Member Comments