Americans have been the butt of jokes in many countries of the world these days. There are a couple of reasons for this. Well, there’s this so-called US foreign policy that seems to be imperialistic and lawless in orientation. But we’ll not go into that. The other reason is that people think that we’re all fat. In fact, there are actually stores in France selling statues of fat people, and at the base of each one was engraved, ‘American.’
Yes. We have an obesity problem but we’re not the only one who has. It’s a global problem according to the WHO (World Health Organization). Global obesity or globesity, for those who love portmanteau words, oddly has its start with the original agenda of eliminating hunger and malnutrition. The world is a world awash with hungry people who live in poverty and in war-stricken nations. The United States is responsible for a lot of these wars and poverty and it’s also a land where people have too much to eat. From 2000 WHO figures, there are over 300 million obese people in the world which makes obesity indeed a global epidemic.
The Difference Between Being Overweight and Being Obese
If you are overweight your body weight is more than what should normally correspond to your height. Body water, fat, bone and/or muscles may constitute this excess. Obesity specifically refers to an extremely excessive amount of body fat in your body. You may not be obese when you are overweight but you are definitely overweight when you’re obese. A highly muscled athlete or a bodybuilder, are both examples of persons who are overweight but not obese. The best way to determine obesity or overweight is with a body mass index (BMI).
If you want to know how much your BMI is, go to this website: https://tinyurl.com/o2df8nl
if you’re good at math and to want to compute your BMI by yourself , divide your weight (in kilograms/pounds) by your height in meters/feet squared. These will help you determine if you are obese, normal, or overweight.
You are obese if your BMI is 30 and above. Overweight is measured at 25 to 29.9. So, not all overweight people are obese but all obese people are overweight.
The Obesity Epidemic
Besides having really a hard time getting dates, obesity can do much more harmful things. Some grim facts about obesity are listed below.
1. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), obesity is the second leading cause of death in the US, the first is tobacco smoking.
2. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) men who are severely obese are likely to die 13 years earlier than men with normal weight
3. The CDC reveals that obesity has caused the premature deaths over 300,000 people in the US each year compared to only 90,000 premature fatalities a year due to cancer.
The Weight Loss Industry
This industry is big business as each year Americans are shelling out more or less $50 billion just to lose weight. If you have observed, there are still a growing number of Americans who are still getting fatter, which means that the industry is a big failure.
What to do then? For people who have tried all forms of weight loss programs, they may need to think outside the box. Maybe Western solutions are not the answer. You need to try a different solution.
Weight Loss Acupuncture Treatment in Cleveland: Fact or Fiction?
Being a former “fatty” myself, I was really skeptical of the power of acupuncture in treating health conditions, let alone, obesity. But when I read articles that explained how it works and studies proving its effectiveness I decided to give the treatment the chance to prove its worth.
Acupuncture Weight Loss Treatment – Chinese Clinical Studies
The voluminous clinical data of thousands of years of Chinese Medicine may not be as solid as randomized controlled trials, and albeit although, imperfect, they do contain some importance, truth and validity in them.
In the 1980’s a study done by the U.S. government study revealed that Western medicine is not based on research, but instead is 85% based on clinical experience.
In Europe, Australia, and Taiwan there are good Chinese Medicine research works that American media and researchers choose to ignore. There are tons of Chinese research studies that haven’t been translated into English yet.
Weight Loss Acupuncture Treatment Studies
How does acupuncture work? Acupuncture stimulates the function of a couple neuro-endocrine channels that normalize metabolism and many other bodily processes.
What Does Acupuncture Do?
– Lowers menopausal weight gain
– Makes it easy to satisfy your hunger with less food by lowering excessive appetite
– Lowers lipid and insulin levels in the blood
– Lowers body fat and body weight
– In one study, this treatment helped eliminate 10 pounds off people’s weight in two months, potentially helping to remove 60 lbs in one year.
– When acupuncture therapy is combined with aerobic counseling and diet control, it may not only result in the shedding of body fat and pounds, it also keeps them off, more so with diligent with exercise.
Mislegislation and Ephedra Misuse
The misuse of Ephedra, which is actually a Chinese herb for boosting metabolism rather than for the treatment of cough and colds, as it was originally intended for, has led to a lot of deaths. This has forced the FDA to totally ban this herb and products containing it. This can be attributed to two factors:
1. The notion of using herbs for self-medication. This idea, regardless if it applies to the use of drugs or herbs, is risky. The ephedra fiasco is just one example of how deadly this can be.
2. Companies manufacturing supplements that prefer money over health. Of course, there are exceptions especially companies that offer formulations for weight loss.
Chinese herbs are usually available in formulas, not in single individual herbs. These formulas are always customized and safe to use. Licensed and qualified Chinese medicine practitioners first diagnose imbalances in the body and then prescribe these products. They will only prescribe Ephedra for specific types of coughs and colds and for patients who are able to tolerate the herb and would never recommend it for weight loss.
There is really no reason to ban ephedra or any type of traditional Chinese herb as it would prevent patients benefiting from them when properly utilized by Chinese medical practitioners.
Food Cravings
One cause of food cravings is enzyme deficiency. The imbalances in your body will determine the type of foods you crave. Medical scientists think that when your body is unable to digest a certain food, your body will crave more of it because you are deficient of the nutrient this food possesses. A vicious cycle then develops of eating too much the food you can’t digest and craving for that same food.
Another cause is low blood sugar. This is one other type of nasty cycle. You are unable to digest complex carbs, which causes blood sugar level s to decrease. So you consume simple carbs which helps boost blood sugar as well as insulin. The insulin, however, lowers your blood sugar. This leads to a cycle of eating simple carbs such as doughnuts which makes you fat, weak, and nutrient-deprived.
Solution: Chinese herbal remedies and enzymes to help your digestive system digest foods properly and break these two cycles.
If Done Naturally and Gradually, Weight Can Be Safely Lost
Do not take an easy solution to weight loss such as taking Bitter Orange (which is another grossly misused Chinese herb) and ephedra since besides risking stroke or heart conditions you’ll just be gaining your weight back.
With safe and natural means such as acupuncture and certain Chinese herbal formulas, you can lose a couple of pounds a week without having to regain it ever again. You can start right now by following these five simple things:
1. Join Overeaters Anonymous, Weight Watchers, or any weight gain support group: It’s much easier to stay on track when you have support from friends who have the same problem as you have. Members of Overeaters Anonymous claim that their group has a spiritual program that helped them gain a healthy perspective on the way they view food.
2. Exercise more, eat less: Breakfast should not be skipped. If possible, try to exercise at least one hour each day. You can do this by using the stairs or by just walking for an hour. Don’t overdo your exercise. Weigh yourself regularly. Get some private or public aerobic counseling and exercises.
3. Consider Acupuncture Weight Loss Treatment: Talk with a qualified Chinese herbalist or acupuncturist. Regulate your hunger, food cravings and metabolism by getting acupuncture treatment. Based on your Chinese pattern diagnosis, your acupuncturist may also prescribe herbs and also unique dietary recommendations to help balance your cravings and digestion. Enzymes and herbs can resolve your cravings for food.
4. Stay away from supplements that are sleekly and heavily advertised: A good alternative would be a qualified and experienced Chinese medicine practitioner (a qualified acupuncturist and/or Chinese herbalist). They produce better, more effective and safer results.
5. Devise plans and objectives with both your aerobics instructor and acupuncturist: Be sure these plans and goals can be achieved. If you fail, don’t be discouraged. Be at peace with yourself and when you’re ready to get back on track, resume your plans. A little progress is better than none at all.