But there is a point just in front of the ear that we needle to reduce cravings, I personally just apply what we call an ear seed which is a little BB sized ball that is attached to the point with some tape that looks like a Band-Aid. When the cravings hit, you press on the point and the cravings go away. The staple introduces the potential for infection, as does the ear seed, though the ear seed is more safe, I think. But that doesn't mean the staple isn't, I really don't know too much about it, though I've heard of it. This isn't something that acupuncturists do, and the fact that you were directed to the AAMA suggests to me that this something that doctors who practice acupuncture do.
Medical acupuncture is a very limited paradigm.
If they can't explain things in terms of hormones, neurology and western concepts, then it simply isn't true. But that's just me and my prejudice. Then again, I tutor MD's in Chinese medicine and once they begin to understand our paradigm, they wonder what the hell it is that the medical acupuncturists are really doing. You can't take acupuncture out of its paradigm and expect it to work as well as when it is truly understood. With that in mind, in regards to your question, yes, it can work, but it really does depend on what is causing the weight gain in the first place.