When individuals have a desire to eat only specific foods, they have a food craving. When people have a food craving, it is different than hunger. Actually, food cravings may not even be related to hunger, and the yearning for a certain food is more intense than actual hunger. Also, people may not crave a specific “food” but instead create the flavor of the food, such as sweet or salty.
Some people say that food cravings are psychological, and the regions of the brain do appear to be more active during actual thoughts and cravings of the specific foods. Studies show that the memory sections of the brain are responsible for individuals wanting certain foods. Stress, emotion and desire cause the craving for foods, and when anxiety hits the cravings get worse. Some foods trigger the serotonin in the bodies to make people feel calm and relaxed after these foods (especially carbohydrates) are eaten. The genes may also play a part in food cravings, as well. No matter the cause, longings for certain foods can be intense and very hard to resist.
How Acupuncture Can Help
According to Chinese medicine, there are the basic flavors of bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and pungent. The actual flavor cravings that have an effect on people are salty and sweet. When people crave these types of flavors, and they ingest more of them, health problems occur. Acupuncture focuses on the spleen and kidneys to help with sweet and salty cravings that many people have. With the rejuvenation of the spleen using the acupuncture pressure points, and the revitalization of the kidneys with these pressure points, the food cravings can cease and you can continue to live a healthy life without eating these foods. Also, acupuncture may be used in conjunction with specific herbs that the Chinese have found to be very effective in reducing specific types of cravings. If you want to stop eating the foods that you continue to crave for good, then acupuncture treatment may be perfect for you.