‘LONGER THE WAIST LINE, SHORTER THE LIFE LINE’

 

Obesity is a very common nutritional disorder in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. The issue, i.e. the abnormal accumulation of fat in the stores of adipose tissue throughout the body is more than just a cosmetic concern. The condition can lead to many other serious maladies and health problems such as heart disease, arthritis,diabetes and high blood pressure.Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and experts view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the modern day decade.

The simplest yet thebest part is, even just losing a few pounds can improve or prevent the severe health problems related with Obesity. You can generally lose weight through making some changes in your life style especially by controlling diet and embracing physical activities.

In Ayurveda in order to reduce or prevent obesity, there are medications and therapies along with many lifestyle management methods.

Who is said to be Obese?

Obesity is spotted when an individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or higher. BMI is obtained by dividing body weight in kilograms by the height of the person in meters.

Below 18.5	Underweight
18.5 — 24.9	Normal
25.0 — 29.9	Overweight
30 & Above	Obese

 

Causes

The Obese conditionarises when you eat and drink more calories than that you burn through exercise and normal daily activities – Your body tends to store these extra calories as fat. Obesity usually results from a combination of causes and contributing factors, including:

• Inactivity:If you’re not very active, you don’t burn as many calories. With a sedentary lifestyle, you can easily take in more calories every day than you burn off through exercise and normal daily activities.
• Unhealthy diet and eating habits:Having a diet that’s high in calories, eating fast food, skipping breakfast, consuming high-calorie drinks and eating oversized portions all contribute to weight gain.
• Lack of sleep:Not getting enough sleep at night can cause changes in hormones that increase your appetite. You mayalso crave foods high in calories and carbohydrates, which can contribute to weight gain.
• Side-effects of medicines/drugs:Some medications can lead to weight gain if you don’t compensate through diet or activity.
• Medical problems: Obesity can rarely be traced to a medical cause but there are chances, polycystic ovary syndrome, Hypothyroidism, and other diseases and also conditions like pregnancy can lead to the said.

The Ayurvedic Perspective on Obesity:

Immune system mechanism of the body depends upon the Agni(enzymes) and dhastus. When first dhatu rasa is defective it affects the successive dhatu, because each dhatu is nourished by the previous dhatu.If we want to keep tri-doshas in a state of health and equilibrium, Ayurveda recommends a specific nutriment, dincharya (daily routine), ritu charya (seasonal routine) for any specific prakriti.If a person with kapha prakriti consumes food which is sweet and heavy in nature, and indulges in a sedentary life style, i.e.sleeps during the day and performs little or no exercise whatsoever.

• There is more nourishment of Meda dhatu.
• Increased meda dhatu creates Shrotoavarodha(Blockage of channels)
• No nourishment of further dhatus.

These three can cause for more accumulation of meda in your body.

The major health risks of Obesity are Stroke, Breathing problems, cardiovascular diseases, Fatty liver etc.

Treatment-

According to Ayurveda

“KARSHYAMEVA VARAM STHOULYAT”- being lean is always better than obese,

So it is always ‘Longer the waist line and shorter the life line’.

Here are certain things one should follow to reduce or prevent obesity:

Do’s

• Consume fewer calories: Eating less food but healthy food. Eat a healthy breakfast, a substantial lunch and a light dinner.
• Eat slowly and thoroughly chew your food.
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat fibre rich food, salads (lots of cucumber)
• Take Fruits- watermelon, papaya, orange.
• Include exercises in your routine such as – morning walks, jogging, swimming, yoga etc.

 

 Don’ts

• Skipping breakfast
• Consuming Fried foods, excess chocolates. sugared juices, cold drinks, ice creams, and food that have high quantities of sugar, alcohol
• Avoid intake of too much salt
• Evade Inactivity& sitting lazy

Along with the above management methods some therapies in Ayurveda also is great to avoid or cure the condition:

Ayurveda therapy–

Traditional authentic Ayurvedic therapies mostly concentrates on melting the fat and removing it from the body, tightening the muscles and detoxification. This can be done by Ayurvedic massage therapy, vasthi and virechana.

a)Abhayangam and Udvarthanam with special medicated oil suitable for the body helps to reduce weight.

b)Podikizhi

c)Vamana

d)Virechana

e)Vasthi

Note: Duration of treatment – It depends upon the level of Obesity.

Oral Medicines– (listing a few)

Varnadi kashayam, Varadi kashayam,Ardhavilwam kashayam,Punarnavadi kashayam etc.