By Cheryl Tan

The claim is that a few pokes of an acupuncture needle can help you lose weight quickly. A lot of weight.

But what the advertisements for acupuncture slimming centres do not say is that you would need to go hungry at the same time.

Customers are advised to go on a low-carbohydrate diet, or even to eat no carbs at all. So they will need to give up bread, rice, noodles and potatoes - all of which belong to a food group which provides energy and helps one feel full.

The little 'catch' has not stopped Singaporeans from signing up for treatment, many paying more than $1,800 for a package of 30 sessions.

Desperate to slim down his grossly overweight 111kg frame after having tried other methods such as slimming pills and exercise, stockbroker Ivan Kwa signed up for acupuncture treatment two years ago.

He was initially sceptical that it was a drug-using weight-loss method, but decided to 'try it out' anyway. After he saw his weight drop by up to 1.5kg after each acupuncture session, he got hooked.