Clinical observations on laser acupuncture in simple obesity therapy.

A previous study has shown that laser acupuncture is a useful healing method for the treatment of visceral postmenopausal obesity in combination with a low-calorie diet. We observe and evaluate the therapeutic effect of laser acupuncture in subjects of simple obesity with a non-restrictive diet protocol. Subjects included 73 women and 22 men with simple obesity and body mass indices >/= 27 kg/m(2). Daily energy intake recommendations for obese females and males were 1620.0 and 1894.2 kcal in average, respectively. The gallium aluminum arsenide Handylaser Trion was used to apply 0.25 J of energy to each of the following acupuncture points three times per week for four consecutive weeks: Stomach, Hunger, ST25, ST28, ST40, SP15, and CV9. The subjects' body weights and body mass indices were recorded before treatment, and four weeks after treatment, and the percent reduction in each parameter was calculated. Statistically significant reductions in body weight and body mass index were detected after four weeks of treatment. The mean reduction and mean percent reduction in body weight were 3.17 kg and 3.80% (p < 0.0001), respectively. The corresponding values for the body mass index were 1.22 kg/m(2) and 3.78% (p < 0.0001), respectively. We concluded that laser acupuncture was found to exert a therapeutic effect on simple obesity by reducing both body weight and body mass index. Moreover, subjects showed good compliance with this comfortable and non-restrictive diet protocol.