WEIGHT LOSS • LIPOLYTIC • SLIMMING • DIET PLAN • MASSAGE • PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Less Weight,
More Health
Balance Your Emotions and Lose Weight Healthily and at Your Own Pace!
Integrative Acupuncture · Weight Management · Lisbon
Weight Management with Chinese Medicine
Every person is unique. Your weight management journey should be too.
Recognised by
WHO · Integrative Medicine
Certified
ACSS · ERS No. 39558
Location
Marquês de Pombal, Lisbon
The Problem with Diets
Why Do Diets Alone So Often Fail?
Have you tried diets, calorie counting, food restrictions — with results that never last or never arrive? You are not alone. Science confirms what many experience: excess weight is rarely just a matter of calories. It is a complex condition, influenced by hormonal imbalances, chronic stress, disturbed sleep, anxiety, individual predisposition and life stage.
Conventional diets focused exclusively on calories and exercise ignore these factors. When cortisol is elevated, when sleep is insufficient, when anxiety is chronic — the body actively resists weight loss, no matter how disciplined the diet. It becomes a battle against your own metabolism.
Traditional Chinese Medicine — a complete medical system recognised by the World Health Organisation — approaches weight management differently: it treats the root cause of the imbalances that sabotage metabolism and builds a personalised plan for each person, respecting their constitution, life stage and emotional context.
Interview
Dr. Fernando
Fernandes
“Losing Weight with Acupuncture — why choose Chinese Medicine for weight management?”
Lux Woman Portugal · Read the full interview →
Scientific Evidence
What Science Says about Acupuncture and Weight Management
Acupuncture for weight management is today one of the most researched areas within Chinese Medicine. The results are consistent: it works better as part of an integrative approach than in isolation — and that is precisely what we do at Five Clinic.
Meta-analysis 2024 · PubMed
A review of 64 studies (ScienceDirect, 2025) demonstrated that acupuncture significantly improves body weight, BMI, waist circumference and metabolic markers. Acupuncture combined with lifestyle changes results in additional weight loss compared to isolated interventions.
Systematic Review 2024 · 25 RCTs
An analysis of 25 controlled clinical trials with 2,018 patients (Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, 2024) concluded that acupuncture as a lifestyle adjunct is effective in reducing body weight and improving glucose and lipid metabolism.
+1.72 kg
additional loss with acupuncture vs. lifestyle alone (meta-analysis, 2024)
2.57×
greater likelihood of obesity remission with acupuncture vs. lifestyle (RR, PubMed 2024)
64 studies
analysed confirming improvement in BMI, waist circumference and metabolic markers
Mechanism
How Acupuncture Acts on Weight Management
Acupuncture does not promote weight loss “by magic”. It acts through precise physiological mechanisms — on the neuroendocrine system, the gut-brain axis and the autonomic nervous system — which modern scientific research has been documenting in increasing detail.
01
Hunger Hormone Regulation
Acupuncture modulates leptin (the satiety hormone) and ghrelin (the hunger hormone), improving leptin sensitivity and reducing appetite spikes. The practical result: less hunger, greater satiety, less tendency to overeat.
02
Cortisol and Stress Reduction
Elevated cortisol promotes abdominal fat accumulation and increases food cravings. Acupuncture regulates the autonomic nervous system, reduces sympathetic activity and lowers cortisol levels — breaking the vicious cycle of stress and weight gain.
03
Improved Insulin Sensitivity
Electroacupuncture has demonstrated improvements in insulin sensitivity and reductions in fasting blood glucose — key factors in weight loss resistance, especially in people with pre-diabetes, PCOS or metabolic syndrome.
04
Sleep Regulation
Insufficient sleep alters ghrelin and leptin levels, increasing cravings and caloric intake. Acupuncture improves sleep quality by activating the parasympathetic system — and restorative sleep is, demonstrably, one of the most impactful factors in weight control.
05
Emotional Hunger Control
Auricular acupuncture — in particular the Shen Men point — is particularly effective in controlling anxiety and emotional eating. By reducing the activation of stress neural circuits, it diminishes the impulse to eat as a form of emotional regulation.
06
Metabolic Optimisation
Stimulation of specific points activates the sympathetic nervous system in a regulated manner, potentially increasing basal metabolic rate and thermogenesis. Preliminary studies suggest a possible 5-8% increase in resting energy expenditure with acupuncture protocols.
Our Approach
What We Do at Five Clinic — Beyond Acupuncture
At Five Clinic, weight management is treated as a multidimensional and deeply individual process. There are no standard protocols — because no two bodies are the same. The approach is built on four complementary pillars:
Pillar 1
Systemic Acupuncture and Auriculotherapy
Personalised acupuncture protocol based on the TCM energetic diagnosis — identifying patterns such as Liver Qi Stagnation (chronic stress, emotional eating), Spleen Deficiency (slow digestion, fluid retention) or Stomach Heat (excessive hunger, compulsive eating). Auriculotherapy is used in parallel for appetite control between sessions, with seeds that remain on the ear for several days.
Pillar 2
Personalised Chinese Dietary Plan
Chinese dietetics goes beyond calories. Every food has an energetic nature — hot, cold, neutral — and a specific effect on the organs and metabolism. We develop a dietary plan adapted to the person’s constitution, life stage (post-partum, menopause, andropause, occupational stress) and TCM energetic pattern. Nourishing and regulating nutrition — without deprivation or obsessive calorie counting.
Pillar 3
Anxiety and Stress Management
Anxiety and chronic stress are two of the greatest obstacles to weight loss — and rarely addressed by conventional diets. At Five Clinic, we actively work on emotional regulation: acupuncture for cortisol reduction, breathing techniques for moments of intense craving, and Yang Sheng nervous system management strategies that can be practised daily.
Pillar 4
Sleep, Rhythms and Yang Sheng Lifestyle
Sleep is a fundamental pillar of metabolism — and frequently overlooked. We provide practical guidance on sleep quality, circadian rhythms and Yang Sheng practices (the “nourishing of life” in TCM) that optimise the hormonal and metabolic environment. Small routine changes — bedtime, food temperature, meal timing — that make a proven difference to the weight management process.
What Sets Us Apart
The Difference from Conventional Diets
We are not against healthy eating or exercise — they are essential pillars. What we offer is a different, complementary layer: treating the internal imbalances that make weight loss so difficult for so many people.
Conventional Diet
Focuses on calories — ignores hormonal and metabolic imbalances
Does not address chronic stress or emotional eating
Same protocol for all ages, life stages and constitutions
Ignores the role of sleep and circadian rhythms in metabolism
Results that frequently do not last over time
Five Clinic Approach
Treats the root cause — hormonal, metabolic and emotional imbalances
Actively addresses stress, anxiety and emotional eating
Fully personalised plan — constitution, age, life stage, context
Integrates sleep, circadian rhythms and quality of life into the protocol
Sustainable results — habit change, not temporary restriction
Yang Sheng · Nourishing Life
Yang Sheng Tips for Natural Weight Management
Yang Sheng — the art of nourishing life — is the foundation of the lifestyle in Chinese Medicine. Small daily practices that, when consistently integrated, create the internal environment favourable to natural weight loss and lasting health.
🌅 Sleep before 11pm
The Liver regenerates between 11pm and 1am. Sleeping before this hour optimises hormonal metabolism — including leptin and ghrelin levels that regulate appetite the following day.
🍲 Warm, cooked foods
Cold and raw foods weaken the Spleen’s digestive fire — leading to slow digestion, fluid retention and accumulation. Soups, stews and casseroles nourish the body and activate metabolism gently.
🥁 Managing stress is losing weight
Elevated cortisol activates abdominal fat storage. Meditation, diaphragmatic breathing and regular acupuncture are protocols as effective as diet — and rarely given the same attention.
🚶 Moderate, regular movement
In TCM, excessive intense exercise depletes Yin and Essence — potentially increasing cortisol and hindering weight loss. Daily walks, Qi Gong or yoga are preferable to exhausting training when the body is in imbalance.
🥮 Digestive teas after meals
Ginger, cinnamon or roasted barley tea activates the Spleen and Stomach Qi, improving digestion and reducing bloating. Replacing cold drinks with warm teas after meals is one of the simplest and most impactful changes.
🌿 Eat according to the season
Chinese dietetics values seasonal and local foods — easier to digest and more aligned with the body’s needs at each time of year. Eating in harmony with nature is one of the most profound ways to nourish metabolism.
Free Guide
Yang Sheng — 12 Practices to Nourish Life
Receive our free Chinese Medicine guide with ancestral practices validated by science — to transform your daily routine, regulate metabolism and recover vitality.
Five Clinic · Chinese Medicine Lisbon
Who It Is For
Is This Approach Right for You?
Weight Loss Resistance
You have tried diets without consistent results. The body seems to resist even with caloric restriction. There may be underlying hormonal or metabolic imbalances.
Stress and Emotional Eating
You eat more when anxious, stressed or bored. Food serves as an emotional regulator. Elevated cortisol is frequently the hidden factor.
Post-Partum / Menopause
Life stages with profound hormonal changes that make weight loss particularly challenging with conventional approaches.
PCOS and Insulin Resistance
Acupuncture has demonstrated reductions in insulin resistance and cycle regulation in women with PCOS — one of the most difficult patterns to treat with diet alone.
Sleep Disorders
You sleep poorly and wake up with more appetite. Insufficient sleep directly alters appetite hormones — and is as important a factor in obesity as diet itself.
Weight Plateau
You have lost weight but reached a plateau you cannot overcome. The body has adapted to restriction — and needs a different approach to progress again.
Method
The Five Clinic Approach
At Five Clinic, we understand that weight management is a unique process for each person. Diagnosis through tongue, pulse and clinical history allows us to identify the specific patterns of imbalance underlying the difficulty in losing weight — and build a plan that respects your constitution, life stage and context.
We do not promise quick results or magic solutions. We promise rigorous, personalised and empathetic support — treating the body as an integrated system, not a caloric equation.
The Five Clinic Integrative Weight Management programme is coordinated by Dr. Fernando Fernandes, Clinical Director — Chinese Medicine Professional Licence No. C-006569 and Acupuncture Professional Licence No. C-0500378, issued by ACSS. All team specialists hold ACSS-certified licences. The clinic is registered with the Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) under number 39558/E166752. Address: Avenida Duque de Loulé No. 47, 3rd Floor Right, 1050-086 Lisbon.
Next Step
Begin Your Process
The first consultation lasts approximately 45 to 60 minutes and includes a full Chinese Medicine diagnosis, identification of imbalance patterns and a personalised integrative weight management plan.
Our Brands
About Us
Specialist clinic in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, located in the heart of Lisbon. Since 2012, we have offered personalised treatments with certified professionals.
ERS Registration
No. 39558/E166752
Follow us
Useful Links
Contacts
📍 Address
Avenida Duque de Loulé, 47
3rd Floor, Right
1050-086 Lisbon · Portugal
✉️ Email
[email protected]🌐 Website
www.fiveclinic.pt/enOpening Hours
Monday to Friday:
10:00 — 13:00
14:00 — 19:00
Saturday:
09:00 — 13:00
Newsletter
National & International Associations
📋 Professional Credentials
Company
FIVE CLINIC by FIVEDIRECTIONS
HEALTH & WELLNESS LDA
VAT No.: 513248889
Clinical Director
Dr. Fernando Fernandes
Chinese Medicine Licence: C-006569
Acupuncture Licence: C-0500378
(Issued by ACSS)
ERS Registration: 39558/E166752 | All practitioners hold ACSS professional licences
