By Qineng Tan, L.Ac., Ph.D. and Xiaomei Cai, L.Ac., Ph.D.
High blood pressure? Weight gain, especially belly fat? High blood sugar? These can be signs of metabolic syndrome (syndrome X). Acupuncture and TCM can help with metabolic syndrome and weight loss to reduce health risks associated with met syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is not just one condition, but a cluster of health problems that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The good news is that with the right approach, metabolic syndrome can be managed—and even reversed.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offer an alternative treatment that can support weight loss, manage high blood pressure, balance blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and improve circulation.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome (often abbreviated as Met Syndrome or Syndrome X) refers to a group of conditions that tend to occur together, raising the risk of serious cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
Doctors usually diagnose metabolic syndrome when a patient has at least three of the following risk factors: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and elevated fasting blood glucose.
Having metabolic syndrome doesn’t mean a person is sick right now, but it does mean their risk of developing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or fatty liver disease is much higher.
Because the condition is so closely tied to lifestyle, it is sometimes also referred to as metabolic syndrome and weight loss resistance, since many patients find it especially difficult to lose weight in the abdominal area.
Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome
People with metabolic syndrome may not notice clear symptoms at first, which is why it can go undiagnosed for years. The most common signs of metabolic syndrome to be aware of include:
- Increased waist circumference or belly fat
- Elevated blood pressure readings
- High fasting blood sugar or prediabetes
- Low HDL cholesterol levels
- High triglyceride levels
- Fatigue or low energy
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates
If these problems are not addressed, metabolic syndrome symptoms can progress toward more serious complications, including diabetes, kidney disease, heart attack, and stroke.
What Causes Metabolic Syndrome?
There isn’t one singular cause of metabolic syndrome. It develops over time, due to a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Insulin resistance (when the body no longer responds effectively to insulin and can’t regulate blood sugar properly) is considered central to the condition.
Other contributing factors include dietary choices, lack of exercise, chronic stress and high cortisol levels, increased visceral fat in the abdominal area, and sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. Hormonal imbalances arise, largely because of all of these factors.
In combination, all of these problems lead to a vicious cycle of weight gain, inflammation, high blood pressure, and increased strain on the cardiovascular system.
Treatment for Metabolic Syndrome
Doctors often recommend lifestyle changes as the first line of treatment: improving diet, losing weight, and increasing physical activity. When lifestyle modification isn’t enough, medications may be prescribed to address individual risk factors, such as:
- Antihypertensive drugs to lower blood pressure
- Statins to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides
- Metformin to improve insulin sensitivity
- Blood-thinning medications to reduce clotting risk
While these can help reduce complications, medications do not address the root cause of metabolic syndrome. This is why many people look for complementary therapies such as acupuncture and TCM to help restore balance and support long-term healing.
Can Acupuncture Help Metabolic Syndrome?
From a TCM perspective, metabolic syndrome is a result of underlying imbalances in Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang. TCM does not look at metabolic syndrome as a single disease, but rather as a collection of disharmonies that can manifest in different ways for different people.
Some of the most common TCM patterns associated with met syndrome include:
Spleen Qi Deficiency with Dampness: The body struggles to transform food into usable energy, leading to fatigue, bloating, and weight gain.
Phlegm-Damp Obstruction: Excess dampness and phlegm accumulate in the body, manifesting as belly fat, high cholesterol, and sluggish circulation.
Liver Qi Stagnation: Emotional stress and frustration disrupt digestion and metabolism, contributing to sugar cravings and insulin resistance.
Kidney Yin Deficiency: Over time, metabolic stress depletes the body’s reserves, causing high blood pressure, poor sleep, and heat symptoms.
By identifying the root imbalances, acupuncture and herbal medicine can be tailored to each individual’s needs.
Acupuncture works by regulating the nervous system, reducing inflammation, and improving circulation. For patients with metabolic syndrome, acupuncture can improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure naturally, reduce stress, and improve sleep.
An acupuncture practitioner will work with each individual to improve their dietary habits, according to their personal constitution. Acupuncturists receive extensive training in nutrition and are able to prescribe foods and herbs that will help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, support weight loss, and balance hormones.
A meta-analysis of studies that evaluated TCM treatment for metabolic syndrome found that TCM treatment compared favorably with conventional medical treatments, in terms of helping with controlling triglycerides, helping reduce waist circumference, and controlling blood glucose levels.
Lab studies showed that electro-acupuncture had a positive effect on metabolic processes by way of impacting the liver and gut health.
Another study showed that patients who received electroacupuncture treatment in addition to medication had improved outcomes, with decreased insulin resistance.
Acupuncture Near Me for Metabolic Syndrome in Los Angeles
At Art of Wellness Acupuncture in Santa Monica, we specialize in treating complex conditions like metabolic syndrome X, helping patients reduce risk factors while feeling more energetic and relaxed.
If you are concerned about metabolic syndrome or have struggled with weight loss, high blood pressure, or blood sugar imbalances, we invite you to schedule a consultation. Together, we can create a personalized treatment plan to help you regain balance and protect your long-term health.
*This article is for education from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine only. The education provided by this article is not approved by FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat and cure human diseases. It should not stop you from consulting with your physician for your medical conditions. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on Qi, which is an invisible force that usually cannot be observed by modern science. Because science focuses on testing ideas about the natural world with evidence obtained through observation, these aspects of acupuncture can’t be studied by science. Therefore acupuncture and Chinese herbs are often not supported by double-blind, randomized trials, and they are considered alternative medicine therapies in the United States.
