South
Korean researchers have found an easy way to shed holiday weight or body
fat. No, they are not recommending any new kind of diet chart or
exercise regime, but suggesting you prick your ears.
Researchers at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea have found
ear acupuncture (auricular acupuncture therapy) to be effective in
weight loss. Obese participants were able to reduce their Body Mass
Index (BMI) by six percent within eight weeks. Plus, they had low body
fat and a smaller waist.
One of the various treatments relating to ear acupuncture
administered during the study involves inserting needles 2mm deep on
five points around the outer ear and a second one just targets a single
spot called the 'hunger' point.
The auricular acupuncture therapy is based on the fact that the outer
ear represents all parts of the body. Dr Paul Nogier from France first
used the treatment in 1956 to cure a patient's backache.
For the study, researchers asked 91 overweight adults to follow a
restrictive diet, one that is not intended to slim down, and also
forbade them from engaging in any form of physical activity for two
months (observation period). Among the participants, a third of them
were given the five point treatment, 30 people were assigned the 'hunger
point' method, while the rest (15) were given a 'sham' treatment.
The researchers found that, participants, who belonged to the first
group, saw their BMI go down by six percent, while people in the
one-point group were able to reduce their BMI by 5.7 percent. Those, who
were given the five-point treatment, were able to shed the 'spare tyre'
more effectively than the other participants.
The finding has been published online in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
Previous studies suggested that traditional methods increase
metabolic rate but cause hormone imbalance and suppresses appetite by
releasing natural painkillers.
Many experts said that the findings were unreliable.
"It is hard to think of a treatment that is less plausible than ear
acupuncture. Consulting an acupuncturist will reduce your cash but not
your body weight," Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine
at Exeter University, said, Daily Mail reports.
Sumber : http://www.universityherald.com
