Obesity Treatment in Ayurveda

The major causes of obesity include:

• Unhealthy eating behaviors like eating more calories than you use, consuming too much saturated fat and foods high in added sugar
• Lack of physical activity and also excessive screen time
• Not getting enough or quality sleep
• High amounts of stress 
• Ailments such as metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome
• Genetics
• Medicines like antidepressant, antipsychotics, birth control and insulin hormone jabs
• Your environment 

Obesity is a grave health concern that not only affects the physical body but also the mental wellness of the patient. This condition also increases the risk of chronic ailments. these include Diabetes, Ischemic Heart Disease, Hypertension, Ischemic Stroke, Osteoarthritis, and Cancer.

Apart from the diseases, a patient dealing with obesity is often unable to carry out their day to day activities because of constant fatigue.

Ayurveda describes obesity as a condition caused by imbalance in body Doshas, and to be specific the Kapha and Vata Doshas.  When these Doshas are in excess or imbalanced, the body accumulates excess fats.

Obesity treatment in Ayurveda therefore aims to remove the extra fat and toxins from the body to achieve a healthy body balance.

The treatment involves consumption of a good diet, yoga and ayurvedic massages with herbal therapies and plant based ingredients.

A patient is required to make specific dietary and lifestyle changes that are advised in Ayurveda for the treatment to work.

When you are diagnosed with obesity, it is advisable that you seek help as soon as possible. Visit an Ayurvedic physician for consultation who will assess your situation. Depending on your body type, the consultant will help you settle on the suitable ayurvedic treatment for you.
After consultation you can then embark on the treatment to lose the extra fats.

Here are a few ayurvedic practices that may help manage obesity:

1. Fasting

Fasting is very important because cutting down food consumption minimizes the calorie intake. The body is always burning calories regardless of whether you consume food or not. Fasting therefore forces the body to burn existing calories in the body. You should however regulate your fasting as long hours of fasting may cause dehydration and lack of nutrition.

2. Low Calorie Consumption

While calories are very important in one’s diet, to manage obesity one should lower the amount of calories and fat they consume.  To do this effectively, you should keep count of the calories in every diet you take and avoid foods with high calories.

3. Yoga and Pranayama

In Ayurveda, yoga and Pranayama are considered to be among the most effective weight loss methods. Pranayamas also improve your overall stamina and help in cleansing the respiratory system.

4. Heathy Lifestyle

A disturbed sleep cycle and routine also causes obesity.  These habits may influence you to take in more calories during the day. Also a disturbed routine alters with the digestive system and general body health, leading to constipation, indigestion and other digestive disorders. Adapting a healthy lifestyle with regular routines brings the body to balance and helps in solving digestive problems.

5. Low Carbohydrate Vegetables Intake

Vegetables with high carbohydrates like potatoes, rice and corn contributes to obesity. Avoiding such foods or at least limiting the intake will help you treat the condition.

An obese patient is given herbal medicines and supplements to help in losing weight. Here are the common ayurvedic medicines for weight loss:

• Triphala – A blend of three fruits to improve digestion and metabolism
• Guggul – A resin that aids in burning fats and lowers cholesterol
• Medohar Guggulu -  A herbal formulation that reduce reduces fat accumulated in the body and improves metabolism
• Shilajatu
• Brahmi
• Garcinia cambogia

These medicines should be taken with guidance from an Ayurvedic practitioner. Curry leaves, turmeric, mint and spices like ginger, cinnamon, black pepper also help in reducing weight.

After following the ayurvedic practices mentioned above, you need to purify the body and remove the excess fat and toxins.
For effective purification, Panchakarma therapy is applied to cleanse and detoxify the body and mind.

Detox procedures that can be used to eliminate the toxins from the body include:

• Vamana therapy, also known as therapeutic emesis or medical induced vomiting cleanses the body by removing excess Kapha Dosha.
• Virechana
• Basti therapy 

Even after treating obesity, if you are not watchful, the condition may reoccur. To avoid such, you need to be mindful of your lifestyle and diet so that you can maintain a balanced BMI.

Below are some ayurvedic tips that you can follow to maintain a balanced body and avoid reoccurrence of obesity:

• Avoid rice, refined wheat flour, fat rich foods including milk products like butter, paneer and cheese
• Eat only when you are hungry and stop eating when you feel full
• Avoid snacks in between meals because most of them are unhealthy.  When hungry eat fruits or nuts.
• Follow a regular routine for waking up, going to sleep, eating food and also for physical activities.
• Sleep for 6 to 8 hours every day to refresh and allow effective body metabolism.

Ayurvedic diets are very healthy since they include, whole grains, lean protein, natural fats, fruits and vegetables.