Treating Weight Problems in China

The macho workout motto conjures images of sweat and brawn but the regime is somewhat pricklier at the Aimin Fat Reduction Hospital in northern China, where the chronically obese from Europe to Oceania come to poke away pounds with acupuncture. Aimin workout sessions look almost effortless: acupuncture in the morning and light dance aerobics in the afternoon, interspersed with well-balanced meals and counseling. The clinic has been a leading brand in an upstart industry popularizing Chinese medicine as a shortcut to slim down.

Chinese medical theory traditionally holds that overweight people have imbalanced digestive systems. And in the past two decades, the ranks of the imbalanced have swelled with the country's booming economy. As the affluent gorge on dozen-course banquets and their children munch on Kentucky Fried Chicken, entrepreneurial apothecaries are concocting diet teas and tonics to help Chinese fight the battle of the bulge. Some clinical studies have discounted the role of acupressure, acupuncture and reflexology in weight loss while doctors and dieticians in the West have condemned sham practitioners of hokum, "new age" treatments.

Shi Lidong, the director of the hospital indicates using the correct acupuncture points can help redress the body's imbalance by stimulating the metabolism and curbing the appetite. It effectively controls the desire for food and reduces hunger. At the same time it also speeds up the digestive system's ability to break down fat. The former military hospital's most celebrated case was a 23-year-old Chinese man who cut his weight from 473 pounds in June 2000 to 198 pounds by September 2001. Aimin has 260 beds and treats around 200 foreign customers a year from places like Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Switzerland. The clinic has also opened branches in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. But many journey to the former British concession of Tianjin to visit the original gurus.

There are many causes for weight gain and obesity. In order to successfully treat these conditions it is imperative that patients receive an accurate diagnosis. In this way a correct treatment plan can be designed specifically for them.

Meridian Harmonics