Ancient Wisdom for Hormone Balance and Weight Loss


by Kenneth Hoffman D.Ac (RI), L.Ac. (CT) CCH


Paleodiets, Atkins, Weight Watchers, you have suffered and tried them all only to lose 1 -2 pounds. It can be a frustrating situation and when you tell your doctor, they usually think you may be cheat- ing and dipping into that chocolate cake too much.


H There are a lot of myths about diet of which the most common


myth is that if you could just exercise a little more, the weight would come off and while it is true the that the body needs to constantly move, exercise is only about 20% of the weight loss equation. In fact, over exercising can lead to more serious imbalances and worse weight loss problems.


After decades of working with thousands of patients, I have found that the principles of Chinese Medicine, especially Gynecol- ogy, is as relevant today as it was 4000 years ago when it evolved. Combined with modern and traditional exams and testing, my sys- tem of health restoration can fi nd the root cause of resistant weight loss and I will share it with you here.


What is Chinese Medicine? The art and science of Chinese Medicine itself dates back to the Huangdi Neijing also known as Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon. It is an ancient Chinese medical text that is almost 3000 years old. It is one of the fundamental sources of Chinese medicine still revered in its brilliance by doctors and used as a primary education for doctors studying the oldest medical system in the world. The text covers the theoretical foundation of Chinese Medicine and its diagnostic methods as well as a discussion of acupuncture therapy in great de- tail. It goes on to discuss the normal seven year cycles of hormonal changes that happen to women throughout life. It discusses the details of dealing with most every gynecological condition encoun- tered by modern women. Of course, as the complexity of Chinese medicine evolved, naturally, specialties began to emerge including the development of gynecologists. According to contemporary writ- ers on Chinese medicine, around 400BC, doctors who specialized in women’s health were called “dai xia yi” or doctors who treated conditions “below the skirt belt.” Later, around 200BC, they were called “Ru Yi” or breast doctors. This was the beginning of Chinese Medicine gynecology.


However, in relation to our modern understanding and goals of medicine, the doctor of Chinese Medicine had a much different


20 Natural Nutmeg - January 2016


ave you ever had the experience of trying to lose weight and you just can’t. “Doctor, I have tried everything and I can’t lose weight!” is a common thing I hear from many women.


purpose. The true art of the medicine was in detecting patterns of disharmony in the body or what we would call today, dysfunction, and correcting the body. So when it comes to Chinese Medicine, the ancient doctors had an understanding of most all conditions of human illness, disease and malfunction. In modern terms the evalu- ation of hormone function would be critical if you are resistant to weight loss.


Chinese Medicine for Weight Loss We do not treat “obesity” per se; rather we deal with the source of the malfunction that may have led to the excess weight. Once function is restored, the metabolism will process food properly and the body will fi nd its optimal weight provided one follows proper diet and lifestyle habits. No medicine can overcome a diet of cook- ies and soda.


Specifi cally, Chinese Medicine principles state that fat tissue is mostly due to phlegm and damp accumulation. The spleen is said to be at the root of all phlegm production and is involved in the transportation, transformation and absorption of foods. If the spleen becomes damaged by overeating too many sweet foods, getting too little exercise and even excessive worry it will fail in its functions. Instead these metabolic wastes will gather, collect and transform into damp accumulation in body tissue. If this is not repaired then over time, they will concentrate into phlegm, and become fat tissue. The spleen, in Chinese medicine, is also responsible for hormone function. One of the signs of Spleen malfunction is by a pale tongue, swollen in the center often coated white with scallops or teeth marks around the edge.


The organs of the Kidney and Liver are also involved in body metabolism and movement of fl uids. The kidneys can become ex- hausted due to stress, poor lifestyle habits and exhaustion. This will stagnate blood circulation through the liver, a vital organ and lead to the accumulation of toxins. We identify kidney defi ciencies by feel- ing the pulse which will be weak and deep. If the liver is stagnated, the tongue could have a red rim around the outer edges.


There are varieties of ways to determine the pattern you may be exhibiting and an examination by an experienced practitioner can fi nd out for you. After rendering a proper pattern diagnosis, certain herbal formulas and nutrients can be prescribed to regain balance, then the excess weight will melt off. In my practice this is combined with functional hormone testing and treated with a combination of the 5 disciplines of our medicine: Acupuncture, Tui na(a manual therapy), Dietary Therapy, Qi Gong and Herbal/Nutritional medicine.


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