The psychiatric hospital carried out a study with 45 patients who had psychoactive-drug-induced obesity and 44 obese patients not taking such medication.
Randomly they received either ear acupuncture, sham acupuncture or ear acupuncture plus physical exercise sessions.
In both the drug and no-drug induced obesity groups, those who received true ear acupuncture lost weight (2.6kg average) while those who received the sham acupuncture gained an average of 0.6kg. Those who combined the ear acupuncture with physical exercise lost the most weight, 4.3kg.
(Eich H et al. Acupuncture in the treatment of psychoactive-drug-induced obesity – an experimental study.
Dtsch Z Akup 2005; 48: 6–11).
