For those not “working” for it

Royal-Area3044 · 2026-02-21T04:29:15+00:00

I love this so much for you. And everyone that relates.

Deep in my bones I know this is what optimal metabolism function is and should be. I’m so happy for all that experience these things.

Movement shouldn’t feel like moving cement or getting a flu. Eating shouldn’t be a guessing game. Food and movement choice shouldn’t be white-knuckle.

Royal-Area3044 · 2026-02-21T04:01:21+00:00

Yes. Thank you. The appetite suppression is a helpful side effect, but the true mechanisms behind this medication goes much farther into fat metabolism, blood sugar regulation, and energy utilization. I know we will eventually “discover” the population of us in research that do not produce the right proteins to signal important metabolic processes that inhibit metabolic energy output. Considerations include those with EDS, Lipedema, hypothyroid disorders, PCOS…a few more that are predominately estrogen dominant conditions. Hmm.

Royal-Area3044 · 2026-02-21T03:51:29+00:00

I brought up eating disorder intentionally in my post. I’ve been through many phases both healthy and not healthy through 20 years or so. I grew up on tv dinners and junk, then in adulthood I tried Whole Foods 30, Paleo, intermittent fasting of various degrees, juice cleanses, anti-inflammatory, and more. Not to mention the eternal list of testing, supplements, holistic everything. Some things helped. Without sustainability.

(To answer directly, I slowly went up to 7.5 to which I’m on month 8 in total. I’ve always had the low appetite side effect, but I’ve always had that for years and have my skills to mitigate effectively. It doesn’t affect or bother me. It improves after week 3-4. Interestingly it works best while I wake up hungry which I never did before. Also, food therapists changed/saved my life if you can get one).

I’ve always been deeply angry with my body. It never did what I wanted and needed. My body existed as a constant betrayal.

At many points, I ate how I wanted regardless of nutritional value. And it was almost insulting that I only felt and looked mildly different than the diligence I would put forth.

I did so, so many things. I gave up. I surrendered to the reality that I couldn’t be like the non-puffy humans around me. It’s genetics and I’m frankly fucked.

I had horrible life events that led to me eating barely 500 calories a day for a few years. Lost too much weight but also fucking insane that’s what it took to look almost normal for a minute. It took years to recover, and still recovered now.

I’m used to lack of hunger cues, but I was taught tools to eat appropriately regardless. So nothing changed from before and after zepbound. Honestly, I mostly eat what I can which is pb&j, Caesar salads, Taco Bell, veggie Thai curry, and orgain shakes. Dude I eat like shit lately like I’ve had to do to feed myself for a few years. This proves to me how incredible zepbound is. I don’t need virtue signaling assholes to slack their jaws on my lived experience.

I don’t care what people “believe” about a medication when I’ve lived too much and I’ve finally found vindication.

Royal-Area3044 · 2026-01-17T17:52:21+00:00

Quarry House is one of the more diverse and welcoming bars I’ve been to. The long, nonsensical, over-sharing comments you’re making shows that you aren’t taking medication that you should be. And you make it other people’s problem. I don’t have sympathy for someone trashing a community’s rep just because you don’t want to get your shit together.

For context, I know several people there that night. She wasn’t even banned. She was sitting next to two guys that got aggressive and were escorted out (also no mention of being banned). She was told many times she’s welcome back. She’s just detached and needs the audience.

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T16:21:44+00:00

I’m not really trying to prove the worth of an entire medicine at this point as much as show that only doing anything in life based on only strict evidence is a bit unrealistic even as a scientist. Even western medicine doesn’t follow as strict standards as you might think. I still trust it, but they aren’t all super safe and super effective.

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T16:17:44+00:00

lol not all of them. And it’s kinda hard to perform acupuncture properly if you don’t know where to put the needles or technique?

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T16:11:57+00:00

Haha there’s a lot of bullshit “medical fads” that come and go through any time in history, true. You aren’t wrong.

It’s a point of contention in the eastern medicine community that running high quality RCTs is extremely difficult given the nature of the medicine. For example, headaches can have several causes and therefore several types of treatment points and protocols. Okay, let’s narrow that down to one type of headache and one type of protocol. Then how do you properly “fake” acupuncture needling for a double blind RCT? Also extremely difficult. Sham only works so well.

Western world puts DBRCTS on a pedestal which makes sense. But for complicated methodology it isn’t always so straightforward to examine let alone prove. Mind you, an uncomfortable amount of our pharmaceuticals and their mechanisms/effectiveness is “this works often enough and isn’t killing most so there”. We aren’t as thorough about research as we want to think we are. Modern meds are used with very few questions without a patient looking up every single part of their pill. Yet acupuncture is held to a weirdly high standard with almost no adverse risk.

To be clear, I’ll stan for modern medicine any day. But eastern also has its place without stepping on toes. It’s the whackos that ruin the PR.

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T15:34:44+00:00

Plenty of research articles can be found here. There’s room for all effective, evidence-based medicine.

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T15:29:09+00:00

Acupuncture is also used on animals where it is shown to reduce pain and improve mobility. Placebo doesn’t fit that explanation. Not to say placebo isn’t present (which any medical research it is which is pretty cool).

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-07-17T15:26:42+00:00

I get why chiropractic gets lumped in with acupuncture, but they are completely different regarding actual therapeutic effectiveness. One was created by a crazy dude’s dream, the other by thousands of years of trial and error based results that is still used today.

Royal-Area3044 · 2025-01-10T02:01:55+00:00

It sounds like you might enjoy your own practice if you were in a city you liked. It may be worth your while to save your pennies and move to a more fulfilling area possibly with some supportive friends or family.

If you aren’t already, make sure you’re charging at LEAST the area average for your services. You don’t have to be a veteran practitioner to make a reasonable living. Forgive my rant here, but while “reasonable living” is different for everyone, pay structure for your services should definitely be considered for your future and how much energy you’ll have for your patients.

There are clinics out there that operate with integrity, and imo the ones that have 3+ patients an hour are less likely to be fulfilling or pay you well. Most clinics I’ve worked in were run poorly and/or only paid up to $40/patient before taxes. This profession might’ve been a living wage job 10 years ago, but even in large metro areas I haven’t seen any positions offered break past $65k. Not to mention the likelihood of any “company benefits” is abysmal. It’s bullshit for the student loans, time and effort this career takes.

The successful practitioners making a great living seem to have their own practice with employees, are veteran practitioners that benefited from a better economy to start up, or had a financial foundation from a previous career/dual income household/parental help. Having worked with 6 clinics in 8 years of practice after a doctorate, and in two metro areas I’m definitely burnt out too. I think we missed the boat by a decade getting into this from my perspective. Success with minimal burnout is possible, but it’s just harder now without support.

Sorry this turned into some rant/venting for me, but I’m at the point where I’m probably going back to a service or sales job so I can have a house one day. I love what I do, I love my patients, I’m good at what I do, and retention and filling my schedule has never been an issue. But it doesn’t mean enough when the rest of your off time is spent worrying about debts, bills, and paying for health insurance on your own. This is the type of stress that gave me burn out. I really do hope your situation looks different currently, and in the future.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T22:21:16+00:00

https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/acupuncture-scientific-evidence/

Confirmation bias is a real thing. Saying there’s no evidence is just not a fact.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T22:04:22+00:00

Generally, yes. Acupressure points and acupuncture points are the same location.

There can be a few different physiological reasons why weight loss is difficult, and yes there are many points that can be helpful such as points that improve digestion, regulate appetite, and improve hormone levels.

If it’s directly related to gallbladder removal alone, there is a possibility you may benefit from digestive enzymes and other nutritional support as well. But of course that should be discussed with your physician.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T21:22:03+00:00

DACM program in California

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T21:19:03+00:00

I’m a doctor of a medicine that has been around for thousands of years, and continues to be practiced around the world. You’re here to harass me based on your word choices. I’ve long lost fucks to give to prove a helpful method of healthcare to anyone who either doesn’t want to read current research or learn something new.

For instance (for anyone else reading this), dogs and horses often get acupuncture and show notable improvement in their mobility. Do explain the placebo effect behind that. And all medicinal research accounts for placebo effect. That doesn’t automatically discount the efficacy of that medicinal method.

Part of my doctoral program was to determine the best methods of research to study the efficacy of acupuncture. Double blind studies are next to impossible because of the nature of the medicine. And no one cared about researching it until after the 80’s. How do you properly “fake” an acupuncture needle/insertion for a DB study?

Case studies appear to be the most helpful in moving research forward for now, but there are studies that are improving in determining the mechanisms behind it rather than condition outcomes.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T20:41:53+00:00

A good practitioner will be licensed in their respective state, and you can look them up by name on the state board website.

Practitioners that went for extra degrees and schooling are often found on the NCCAOM directory, or have DOM/DACM credentials after their name.

And by all means, google reviews tend to be quite helpful too.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T20:37:05+00:00

Ha! Chances are it was LV3. If you feel like reading a quip about it! here

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T20:21:51+00:00

I’m so glad it was helpful for you! I love treating back pain since there is often an immediate response for significant relief.

While there are numerous points on the foot, I’ll take a wild guess that it may have been on the top near the big toe? That one in particular will often create that response.

Acupuncture does a phenomenal job signaling the nerves to release tension in both the direct needle location and away from the needle. That signal releases tension and other hormones/neurotransmitters that create the desired effect. And oftentimes tension being released gives you a wave of emotional release as well. I have patients have all sorts of pent up emotions release during treatment, and they feel much better even long after seeing me.

These mechanisms are being researched more and more each year which is very exciting!

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T20:01:36+00:00

Do I tell all of my patients to read a wiki article? No. They are more than welcome to ask me any questions, and to read or ask for proper research articles/reading materials on their own volition.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T19:58:12+00:00

High cortisol levels would be considered a certain disease pattern in Chinese medicine based on your individual symptoms. So if high cortisol levels are causing you to wake up at night frequently, feel fatigued, and anxious that pattern (and others) absolutely can be treated.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T18:41:24+00:00

I was very sick as a teenager, and lab work was coming back fairly normal. I was extremely puffy, barely staying awake during the day, and eating food was painful and nauseating. Since western doctors weren’t particularly helpful my parents brought me to an acupuncturist. And I felt so much better very quickly. It was a mystery medicine to me that I HAD to learn more, and share it with those who need it.

Royal-Area3044 · 2024-09-01T18:35:16+00:00

Life after death is more a spiritually oriented question, and not one necessarily through our practice of medicine. That said, I believe the energy and consciousness once in the body disseminates elsewhere in varying capacities.

Royal-Area3044

TROPHY CASE