Ayurveda And Chronic Diseases -Part-IV

OBESITY:
Obesity is the heavy accumulation of fat in your body to such a degree that it rapidly increases your risk of diseases that can damage your health and knock years off your life, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The fat mostly gets accumulated in the areas such as stomach, hips, thighs, buttocks, giving one a shape of either a pear, or apple.

The total fat of the body is calculated by various measures such as BMI(Body Mass Index), Fatometer etc. These tests determine the amount of unwanted fat in the body.

Obesity is one of the rapidly rising disorders in this era, which gives rise to various other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis etc.

One needs to get himself checked through the BMI, whether he falls in the overweight or obese category to prevent diseases associated with obesity.

Doctors use BMI because it compares your weight against your height.
Work out your BMI with the following formula:

Take your weight (kg) and divide it by the square of your height (m).
For example, if you weigh 80kg and are 1.7m:
1. Multiply your height by itself 1.7x1.7=2.89
2. Divide your weight by this figure.
3. 80 2.89= 27.7kg/m2.
27.7 is the BMI.


*You are in the normal range if your BMI is between 18.5 and 25 (kg/m2).
*You are overweight if your BMI is between 25 and 30.
*You are obese if your BMI is 30 or higher.
*You are morbidly obese if your BMI is 40 or higher.


AYURVEDA, believes that improper diet along with other factors such as sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, stress etc, blocks the minute channels all over the body. As a result, nourishment of the other vital components ceases and only fat goes on increasing, making the sufferer physically ungainly and weak.

An obese person is the one who, on account of inordinate increase in fat, is disfigured by pendulous belly and breasts, and whose increased bulk is not matched by a corresponding increase in energy.

Treatment of obesity is classified in to different categories which include external, internal treatment along with certain diet and deeds restrictions.

1) External treatment includes application of certain medicated powders and oil to burn the accumulated fat.
From time to time, mustard oil massage is helpful.

* Mixture of turmeric and pathani lodha powder applied before bath is beneficial.

* Dry massage by Haritaki, Shirish, Lodhra, Nagkeshar etc is found to be useful in reducing the fat as well as the bad body odour.

2) Internal treatment includes medications in th form of various formulationa, single drugs etc.

* Guggul is one of the common remedies used in treating the obesity. mostly combination of guggul are used.Triphala guggul, Medhohar guggul, Yograj guggul are the ones which are used.

* Arogyavardhini is the preparation which not only helps to reduce down the fat accumulation, but also maintains the overall health of the person.

* Drinking medicated water prepared by using certain herbs which are pungent and bitter in nature helps a lot.

3) The other type of treatment includes intake of healthy and low calorie diet and inculcating the habit of mild to moderate exercie in our day to day life.


NOTE: The above treatment should be undertaken only under medical supervision.