Obesity‧肥胖

Obesity is a condition that describes when one's body weight is in excess of what is considered healthy. It occurs you have a much higher amount of body fat than lean muscle mass. 　　Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, and kidney and gallbladder disorders. The higher the obesity level you have, the greater the health risk to you. Being obese is different than merely being overweight. When one's body weight is more than twenty percent for men and twenty-five percent for women that which is considered a desirable weight, one is considered obese. In the United States, 17% of children are obese and 20% of all adolescents are obese. 80% of obese teenagers are likely to grow into obese adults. (Standard Weight: kg = (height cm – 100) X 0.9) 　　Acupuncture not only focuses on an individual's problem areas but it also balances the whole body. It will not melt fat away but it most certainly does address the health issues that accompany obesity and that lead to becoming overweight. Stimulation of the endocrine system can regulate not only the metabolism but many other functions of the body. Traditional Chinese Medicine is profound and powerful because it generates a real balancing of your body and gives you the motivation to take an active role in your own well-being.

　　肥胖是體重超過標準體重20%以上，且多伴有頭暈乏力、神疲懶言、少動氣短等症狀，其是由於先天遺傳因素、過食油膩、久坐久卧或運動不足等引起的氣虛痰濕偏盛的症狀為主的一類病證。

(標準體重：kg = (身高cm – 100) X 0.9)

　　本病的中醫辨證分型，可分為「虛」、「實」二大類。如果肥胖伴有皮膚白皙、肌肉鬆軟、疲倦、氣短、自汗、畏寒或怕熱、便溏或腹瀉，有時下肢還會出現浮腫者，就是屬於「虛胖」體質；「實胖」則是體內脂肪積聚過多所致的肥胖，其體格較為結實，且常伴有便祕、高血壓、高血脂等症。

　　從中醫角度來看，肥胖是因為「脾氣虛弱，痰濕內停」的內因，或是飲食過量，運動不足的外因或兩者兼具所造成。其主要病位在「脾」，脾主肌肉，能運化食物中的營養，以滋養全身。但若脾陽不足，導致脾失健運，身體運化功能失常，就容易產生中醫所說的痰濕（脂肪）積存於肌膚之中，形成肥胖。所以，中醫治療肥胖常以健運脾氣，燥濕化痰為主，以循序漸進的方式，針對每人不同的體質，找到最合適的方法來進行。

　　在對肥胖的治療上，中醫除了配合調整內分泌的中藥也使用針灸，來有效調整肥胖體質。最常被使用的減肥針法，有耳針及體針兩類。耳針可有效的降低過盛的食慾，減少卡路里的吸收，使消耗的熱量，比吸收的熱量多，進而產生減肥的效果。而體針的針灸穴位，則可改善體內的新陳代謝，消除及分解積存於身體內的多餘油脂，以達到瘦身的目的。針灸減肥，約有百分之九十的成效，而且沒有心悸、失眠、貧血等副作用。