While social media discusses “ozempic-face”, practitioners are talking about ozempic-pulse. My patient demographic doesn’t include many fans of pharmaceuticals, but the side-effects of weight loss drugs are now coming through the door. The o-pulses I am feeling are almost carbon copies of each other. As many practitioners are finding, it’s an alarmingly lifeless pulse, largely absent, but when present: flat, with almost no height, very little width, and only every so often, a noticeable beat. I interpret that pulse to mean exactly what that drug promises: low gut motility resulting in little appetite. The variations in an individual pulse position are limitless in the populace, but the effects of the GLP-1 drugs seem to override so much function that the pulse has a certain identity. A man with one of these pulses came in this week. I asked him whether he had no appetite at all, except for one time a day, as that was simply what the pulse seemed to be saying. He answered that yes, he has no hunger at all until 6pm every day, and that is the only time he eats anything.
While a patient might be delighted at a sudden loss of weight, the gut-slowing effects of the GLP-1 drugs are a disaster for many essential functions. The movement of the digestive tract governs the manufacture and maintenance of fluids and blood, intelligence, emotional flexibility, intuition, interest, passion, ambition, drive, goal setting, optimism, planning, appetite, desire to be with people, and a hunger for life. Where are we without these things? What is life with an impediment to these things? How can the blueprint be carried out without these things in good form?
Regardless of the strength of this drug, the body will do its utmost to move qi in the gut since life itself, or at least a full life, depends on that movement. It will rail against the stagnating effect of the drug, resulting in a push and pull argument in the gut, manifesting as pain. The patient will then take another scheduled dose and slow the digestive tract again.
More than 3,636 people have banded together for MDL-3094, a Multi District Litigation to be heard in the federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs report the following:
- Inability to eat regular meals
- Loss of careers and social isolation due to constant illness
- The need for feeding tubes for total parenteral nutrition (IV feeding)
- Chronic pain and digestive distress that disrupts every aspect of daily living.
- Gastroparesis, a term which means delayed emptying of the stomach which results in severe and chronic nausea, persistent vomiting, feeling full after eating very little, abdominal pain, bloating, and acid reflux, malnutrition, dangerous weight loss, dehydration requiring hospitalization.
- Ileus: the temporary paralysis or severe slowing of the intestines: inability to pass stool or gas, severe abdominal distention and pain, vomiting, nausea, and the absence of normal bowel sounds. It can be life-threatening.
- Bowel Obstruction: A partial or complete blockage of the small or large intestine, resulting from severe gastroparesis or ileus, which can lead to perforation, sepsis, and death.
- Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION): sudden vision loss caused by a reduction of blood flow to the optic nerve which can result in permanent vision impairment or blindness.
These are all indicators of insult and slowing of the qi of the spleen, pancreas and the spleen channel itself, the transporter of nutrients. Vision loss can occur when the ascending function of the spleen is impaired as blood is not ascended to the sensory orifices. Spleen collapse also explains the reports of suddenly regaining the lost weight soon after stopping the drug.
What can we do? Treatment would involve tonifying and ascending the spleen channel to revive its function of transforming food, and stimulating the stomach to regain it transporting function. If working remotely, the two entire channels would be activated. If using needles, the two entire channels would be activated focusing on the transportation function of the stomach channel: ST-30 and ST-36, and on the transformation and ascending function of the spleen channel: SP-1, 3, 8. If kidney yang is weak, begin with the third branch of the kidney channel: KI-2 to SP-8. Needle both points and connect them together with intention. This brings yang qi to the spleen.
Also important in the restoration of the digestive tract is strengthening, a term that means to remove challenges. For the spleen and stomach these include cold and raw foods, over-thinking, staying up late, processed food, chemicals and sugar.
There is a lot we can do to turn this around using the acupuncture practice, but it is equally important to steer our young people away from advertised ideals and streams of impossible images. More about that soon.
Ann Cecil-Sterman
New York City
June 5th, 2026