Acupuncture for Body Weight Control

Acupuncture for Body Weight Control: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

In this study, a 18-week, single-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, efficacy and safety of acupuncture on weight control in Hong Kong.

This is a pilot single-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. 72 participants will be randomly assigned to acupuncture group or control group. The duration of the treatment will be 8 weeks with 2 sessions per week and the follow-up period will be 8 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged between 18 and 65 years old;
• body mass index (BMI)≥25 kg/m2;
• having not received any other weight control measures or any medical and/or drug history within the last 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

• endocrine diseases;
• heart diseases;
• patients with pacemaker;
• allergy and immunology diseases;
• having bleeding tendency;
• pregnant or lactating women;
• having impaired hepatic or renal function;
• stroke or otherwise unable to exercise.