Relation between Treatment Course and Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture for Female Obesity of Different Types

OBJECTIVE: To observe the relationship between treatment course and therapeutic effect of acupuncture on female obesity in different types. METHODS: The 83 cases of obesity were divided into two groups: abdominal obesity group (AO, 31 cases) and symmetrical obesity group (SO, 52 cases). All of them were treated by acupuncture for 3 months, 1 month as one course. RESULTS: In Group AO, after one month of treatment, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and skin fat thickness (SFT) in the upper limbs (A), trunk (B) and abdomen (at locations C and D) were very significantly reduced (P<0.01); After 2 months of treatment, BMI, WC and SFT at C were also very significantly reduced (P<0.01), SFT in A and at D was significantly reduced (P<0.05), but no significant SFT difference was found in B (P>0.05); And after 3 months of treatment, no difference was found in any indices. In Group SO, all the indices including BMI, WC and SFT in A, B, C and D were reduced in the successive 3 months of treatment (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic effect of acupuncture on abdominal obesity was gradually lessened with the prolonging of treatment course, even without further advance after reaching the normal body weight range. But for symmetrical obesity, the effect was gradually advanced to reach the normal range. That their body weight in a normal range will be kept stable without further reduction remains to be studied further.