Losing weight is something that more and more people are trying to do with varying degrees of success. Auricular therapy, which is based on the ancient Chinese healing technique of acupuncture, is an alternative medicine that can reduce food cravings, controls appetite and helps strengthen your will power. It has been an effective aid in losing weight for many people.
Why Lose Weight?
Obesity has become a problem in America and it contributes or causes the death of nearly 300,000 Americans each year. Obesity is a contributing factor or risk factor in diabetes, gallstones, liver disease, sleep apnea, hypertension, coronary disease, stroke, restrictive lung disease, osteoarthritis and hyperlipidemia. Being overweight can also create self-esteem problems when you look at yourself in the mirror. By losing weight, you can actually eliminate some of these problems.
How Auricular Therapy Works
Auricular therapy is a form a acupressure or acupuncture involving light stimulation either by pressing the ear with the fingers or by inserting tiny needles (sometimes called "ear seeds") into the outer ear at specific points. It is not known exactly how auricular therapy works. It has been theorized that the therapy stimulates nerves that send a signal to the brain which, in turn, creates the response the therapist is seeking. An auricular therapy session will take about 1/2 hour and there are no known side effects.
Weight Loss and Auricular Therapy
Auricular therapy is said to block messages to the brain that call for more food or eating. Other points strengthen the will power. This creates ideal conditions for losing weight if you follow a reduced-calorie diet, such as Weight Watchers or South Beach. The diet is what actually allows you to lose the weight, but auricular therapy allows you to stick to the diet much more easily then you normally would.
Other Uses of Auricular Therapy
More than 200 specific sites have been charted on the ear relating to various diseases and conditions. Besides aiding in weight loss, auricular therapy has been used to treat other ailments. By targeting different pressure points, auricular therapy is useful in treating depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Some people have used it to quit smoking or to treat drug and alcohol addiction. It can soothe pain from arthritis or in the lower back and reduce your blood pressure.
Tags: losing weight, Auricular Therapy, auricular therapy, Weight Loss, will power