Is Obesity weighing you down?

Is Obesity weighing you down?
Get the Perfect Solution with Ayurveda

Why do so many people fail at losing weight? Is it because they are addicted to food? No. Is it because they are lazy? No. Is it because they aren’t good at exercising? No. Failure at weight loss stems primarily from ignorance – about the risks of being overweight and the reasons we actually gain weight.

The condition of being overweight, known as Obesity in medical parlance, is soon becoming an epidemic. With more than 500 million clinically obese people worldwide, incidences of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and high cholesterol associated with Obesity are also on a constant rise. According to global estimates, Obesity is the reason for about 80% of type 2 diabetes, about 70% of cardiovascular diseases, and 42% of breast and colon cancers.

The Alarm Bells are Ringing!

• In 2008, 1.5 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
• 65% of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
• Nearly 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2010.
• Unless action is taken, by 2020 there will be 5 million deaths attributable to overweight and obesity, compared to 3 million now.
• According to a 2007 survey, approximately 12% males and 16% females were Obese in India.

What is Obesity?

Obesity or being overweight is a condition characterized by excessive storage of fat in the body. When the body’s calorie intake exceeds the amount of calories burned, it leads to the storage of excess calories in the form of body fat. Some of the common symptoms of this disease include increased body fat, breathlessness on exertion, lethargy, excessive sweating with bad odor, and fatigue.

The Overhyped Solutions

Due to the expanse of the media, there is so much misinformation on fitness and weight loss that it becomes hard for a person to cut through all the junk and find out what really works. Also, what works for one person might not work for another, since everyone's body and lifestyle is different.

Frustrated because of their inability to lose weight, most people end up opting for the overhyped solutions – slimming programs, crash diet courses, weight loss instruments, surgical operations, etc. that ‘assure’ you will lose a certain number of kilos in a certain number of days. These programs have been designed to help you lose weight fast. However, in the long-term, they cause health complications such as weakening of the immune system, heart palpitations and cardiac stress, overexertion, loss of heart muscles, and damage to blood vessels, among other problems. These unhealthy ways of losing weight are short-term solutions that ultimately end up weakening the body from inside.

So, what do you do? Where do you turn for help? Well… Ayurveda presents the perfect solution to your problem.

The Ayurvedic View

In Ayurveda, Obesity is known as Medorog, a disease caused by the aggravation of Kapha. Kapha is an Ayurvedic humor representing Water and Earth; it is dense, heavy, slow, sticky, wet and cold in nature. It governs all structure and lubrication in the mind and body apart from controlling weight and formation of all the seven tissues - nutritive fluids, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and reproductive tissues.

In a balanced state, Kapha gives nourishment to these tissues through various micro channels. However, when it is aggravated, Kapha leads to production of toxins in the body. These toxins are heavy and dense in nature and accumulate in weaker channels of the body, causing their blockage. In the case of an obese person, toxins accumulate in Medovahi Srotas (fat channels), thereby leading to an increase in the production of fat tissue (Medo Dhatu). When the body produces more fat tissues, it leads to an increase in weight.

According to Ayurveda, the treatment of Obesity cannot be generalized for every patient. The identification of the root cause of disease is paramount to providing a long-term solution.

Know your Obesity Better – Prakriti or Vikriti

Ayurveda says, Obesity can be the result of Prakriti (your nature) or Vikriti (an imbalance). Once you understand the real cause behind your problem, you will be in a better position to deal with it.

Prakriti

There are two distinct, yet inter-related, classifications of a person in Ayurveda. The first relates to the body, and the second to the mind. Your nature is determined by this combination of body and mind types, and is known as your Prakriti. Knowing your Prakriti helps you to tailor a personal diet and lifestyle that can prevent disease and physical disorders, and obtain peace of mind. It provides you with an understanding of your basic physical and psychological nature, and how to keep it in balance with your surroundings. This is the key to maintaining health.

Every human has varying degrees of the three doshas or Ayurvedic humors – Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (water). People with a predominant Kapha Dosha tend to have a heavy or large build. They are often overweight, gain weight easily and have high muscle development (a plump and round structure). These people have a tendency to put on weight easily; in fact, they can put on weight simply by drinking excess water! People of the Kapha type can never be skinny, as opposed to Vata people, who are lean and fit by nature. Even if a Vata person eats six meals in a day, he will not put on too much weight.

Before you jump onto conclusions about your excess weight gain, it is important for you to know your predominant dosha. You can do so simply by taking the VPK Test. Once you know you have Kapha prakriti, you can be sure that Obesity is not a disease for you. Never forget that it is not possible for you to change your elemental nature, and so there is no point of being so worried about your weight. People with a Kapha body type can easily keep their weight under control by taking care of their diet (eating more of fresh food items, fruits and vegetables, etc.) and exercising regularly. Read more about dietary guidelines for Kapha.

Vikriti

In this case, Obesity is caused due to Vikriti or an imbalance in the body. A common myth amongst people is that this disease is the result of excessive consumption of heavy foods or sweets. In reality, a balanced intake of heavy or sweet foods is absolutely acceptable to the body when your digestion is healthy. On the contrary, if your digestive power is weak, your body will not be able to digest even light foods. These undigested food particles lead to creation of ama (toxins) in the body. Accumulation of these toxins in the fat carrying channels finally results in Obesity. In patients suffering from this disease, any food that is consumed eventually converts into fat, aggravating the problem even further.

At the Mind Level

According to Ayurveda, in certain individuals, Obesity can also be the result of disturbances at the mind level. Depression, anxiety, emotional trauma and stress often prompt people to eat more than they need (referred to as ‘comfort eating’). Eating more leads to indigestion and formation of ama. It also increases Tamas (ignorance) in the mind, making the person lazy, sleepy and inactive, and reducing the ability to think clearly and take intelligent decisions.

The Perfect Solution

Ayurveda provides the perfect solution to the problem of Obesity. The treatment starts with cleansing of fat accumulated in the body’s channels using herbal medicines. It then focuses on maintaining the body’s digestive fire. Regular exercises are recommended to keep the body fit and mobile. Ayurvedic treatment therapies, known as Panchakarma, can also be quite effective in eliminating toxins from the body. At the mind level, the solution to this problem lies in enhancing Sattva (purity) by eating fresh foods and thinking positive. Additionally, the patient should try to remove the cause of depression by having a personal counseling session with a doctor.

Certain Ayurvedic products, such as the Jiva Sattva Obesity Healthcare Pack, have been specifically created for Obesity patients. The pack contains herbal powders, tablets and teas that not only clean the fat carrying channels, but also work at the mind level to provide long-term relief to the patient.

Diet & Lifestyle Advice

• Avoid high carbohydrates like polished rice and potato.
• Avoid oily and fried foods, processed foods, fatty foods like butter, cheese, whole-milk yogurt, cream, chocolate, etc.
• Have more bitter vegetables like bitter gourd and the bitter variety of drumsticks
• Replace refined flour with whole-wheat flour and rice with brown rice or parboiled rice
• Increase intake of fruits, salads and vegetables.
• It is very important to engage in daily exercise in the form of walking, jogging, swimming or any other physical activity that is not competitive.
• Try to take a walk in the morning and again in the early evening, working up to 30 minutes or more each time. Increase physical activity by doing more physical chores during the day.

Some Home Remedies

• Take 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon each of lime juice and honey and a pinch of black pepper. Have this on an empty stomach twice a day.
• Mix powdered long pepper, black pepper and dried ginger root in equal quantities. Have ½ teaspoon of this twice a day with lukewarm water.
• Boil 7-8 mint leaves in 1 cup of water for five minutes, and let it cool. Add 1 teaspoon honey and a pinch of black pepper to the cooled mint water and drink it. You can have this preparation 2-3 times a day.

Want to treat your Obesity? Contact Jiva Today!

Are you looking for a long-term solution to Obesity? Call the Jiva TeleMedicine Center at 0129-4088152 (only for patients in India) or write to us at info@jiva.com for a free health consultation from a Jiva Ayurveda doctor.