Miss Zhang, a 52-year-old woman, experienced significant weight gain after entering menopause. During her consultation, she weighed 97.6kg with a height of 170cm. Due to her large food intake and a tendency to engage in emotional eating, she sought the expertise of Dr. Zhou Shuyu, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner at China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital. Through pulse diagnosis and consultation, Dr. Zhou identified her as having a constitution characterized by qi deficiency and dampness accumulation. With a combination of Chinese herbal medicine for tonifying qi and thread embedding, her weight decreased to approximately 80kg over a span of six months, resulting in a successful weight loss of about 18kg. She is currently undergoing ongoing treatment for weight management.
Dr. Zhou explained that Miss Zhang's constitution involved qi deficiency and dampness accumulation, which manifested as edema in the legs, fatigue, loose and sticky stools, as well as troublesome leukorrhea. By employing herbal formulas such as Fangji Huangqi Tang and Linggui Zhugan Tang, which strengthen the spleen, promote diuresis, and eliminate dampness, along with herbs like hawthorn and lotus leaf to aid digestion and fat metabolism, successful weight loss was achieved. Additionally, she was able to overcome her habit of emotional eating, and her symptoms were alleviated. Miss Zhang also underwent thread embedding, a procedure that involves burying absorbable surgical sutures into the body using needles, which disrupts and breaks down surrounding fat cells to achieve a sculpting effect.
Dr. Zhou emphasized that when it comes to weight loss and fat reduction, selecting the right foods, controlling portion sizes, avoiding late-night snacking, and reducing processed food consumption are crucial dietary considerations. Incorporating exercise can increase metabolism and enhance the effectiveness of weight loss. Adequate sleep is also essential, as insufficient sleep can lead to elevated levels of hunger hormones and increased appetite. Furthermore, inadequate sleep reduces the concentration of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite and promotes fat burning. Insufficient leptin secretion can increase appetite and decrease energy expenditure.
Dr. Zhou reminds the public that weight loss should not be pursued hastily. The effectiveness of weight loss can vary depending on factors such as diet, exercise, lifestyle, age, and degree of obesity. On average, a safe and manageable rate of weight loss is around 0.5-1kg per week, which allows the body to adjust without causing discomfort.
