Obesity

Author posted a number of messages on or touching obesity issue. Here he summarizes his overall view, so that members who may be interested in particular aspects may discuss the issues further.

People gain weight when the body takes in more calories than it burns off. Those extra calories are stored as fat. When this pattern keeps repeating for months and years, obesity develops.

Genes - small parts of the DNA that people inherit from their parents and that determine traits like hair or eye color - can play an important role in this weight gain. Some of our genes tell our body how to metabolize food and how to use extra calories or stored fat. Some people burn calories faster or slower than others do because of their genes. The weight gain driven by genes can run in families, but just how much is due to genes is hard to determine. Many families eat the same foods, have the same habits (like snacking in front of the TV), and tend to think alike when it comes to weight issues.

Doctors notice that some people are always active and wish to take up some activity without tiring out. They may not have hefty bodies or muscles but they are active. These persons are whom ayurveda classifies as "pitta" dominant. On the other hand, people with hefty or large bodies, heavy weights are sluggish in movements and would not like to take up physical work. They are inherently lazy, move like an elephant: slow and in rhythm. They are "kapha" dominants, but slow and steady wins the race. "Pitta" type can win running race if it is for a short time. Their energy develops in "spikes" on a graphical curve, when plotted against time.

The importance of "prakruti" in weight loss approaches was recently brought out by a scientific study too: For obesity reduction Atkins  diet was popular. While Atkins may suit some, one size does not fit all. In this study,



all persons for whom Atkins does not give any advantage got included. For some, Atkins may indeed be the ideal approach, but it isn't necessarily right for everyone. The other key, which Atkins seemed to stumble upon almost by accident, is that his diet eliminates most of the processed foods that are the most likely cause of weight gain in the first place.


Steps to reduce obesity

root treatment of obesity lies not in cutting out or reducing some portion of dietary component, but in balancing the diet in harmony
with the region in which a person is living.




Obesity can develop due to stress too. Instead of taking medication, natural ways to reduce such obesity are discussed at: Cravings are often a result of nutritional deficiency, a leading cause of stress related obesity:




Praval/Godanti Bhasma and drinking oxygen rich spring or mineral water with a high pH factor, combined with minerals and other elements,  can help provide our body the natural ability to fight off disease. Prvala pishti greatly increases the oxygen level in the body, thereby allowing the body to rid itself of toxic waste that continues to build up. That's why when we eat "junk food" or heavy to digest fat/protein rich non vegetarian food, the body diverts oxygen away from the primary metabolic functions and works overtime trying to digest our high caloric intake. That's why when we eat junk food or large meals we feel sluggish afterwards. Body literally slows down its metabolism to compensate for the overload. The "pot" bellies, central obesity, a major factor in developing metabolism related diseases like CAD, Diabetes, is not due to carb rich foods but tendency to have large two meals, especially the night meal at late overnight hour and sleep thereafter.

Poor oxygen in cells gives rise to muscle aches, poor digestion, dizziness, depression, irrational behavior, weakness, irritability, memory loss, circulation problems and stomach acidity too,(Message#7272) (Messages # 6242, 6308, 6394) gave breathing techniques which discussed increasing the lung capacity and making lung function more efficient, increasing blood circulation so that the chance of atherosclerosis or arterial plaques are reduced. Increasing cellular oxygen was also shown to take care of obesity among many other benefits. The effect of breathing, through balancing of glands also helps in balancing hormones and taking care of obesity, as demonstrated by several cases by Baba Ramdev.



Aamlapitta. Or Vidagdh ajirna. Modern science calls this Gastritis. In ayurveda, amlapitta does not mean only accumulation/reflux of acidic fluids in stomach, but also a swelling on stomach. The part of stomach which tapers off and joins duodenum gets swelling. This ultimately leads to truncal obesity and loss of longevity as recently discussed in post#6958, 7107, 7216.

However, research indicates the distribution of fat below navel is considered not only healthy but leading to longevity:



The truth of this was mentioned by ancient sage Vatsayana who wrote Kamasutra, coining the term "hastini" for women with massive hips and thighs. They are described to have good fertility and become good mothers.

If you can not use several difficult exercises for weight loss and if you are a victim of hypothyroidism use the color blue to control obesity.



Obesity is a lifestyle disorder. Less food together with adequate sunlight exposure appears to be a key to lack of obesity.

The salaried class havine sedantary lifestyle, spending 10-11 hours daily in fluoroscent lights and airconditioned offices/cars if they develop obesity, it is but natural. Weight gain occurs during the night. Those who sleep early and well, get up fresh and early in the morning, are far less likely to suffer from obesity than those who do not get to sleep until late and wake up with a headache, uneasiness or fatigue, traditional signs of pitta vitiation and the most likely candidates for obesity. The circadian rhythm specifies 11pm to 1 am as the local time in which liver does considerable food processing. If it receives considerable energy in this time, food will be reduced to dhatus properly, else meda (fat) will accumulate.
See:




Yogurt, curd and other dairy products can promote obesity:

Contribution of bad industrial and processed food to obesity is discussed at:



Most Indian regard rice as causing obesity, since easy to digest and has good number of calories. But this is myth as shown at





Most women have to put up with obesity as a result of hormone disturbance either due to HRT or to post pregnancy hormone disturbance. The contribution of C-section to obesity has been already discussed in many posts on ayurvedaonline.






Some ayurvedic remedies aimed at post-partum obesity control are discussed at:



Obesity in such cases is due to stopping of production of higher dhatus. Lack of higher dhatus leads to infertility. obesity and infertility are connected, as observations have shown. Also well known connection between insulin resistance and polycystic ovaries, a major enemy of fertility proves that accumulation of blood sugar as a result of insulin resistance and development of gestational diabetes during pregnancy can  reduce the fertility of baby in the womb.



Ayurveda classifies obesity as a majority "Vata" disorder and therefore requires long time actions to cure or control the disease in tune with all vatic disorders. . its origins can all be traced back to nutritional deficiencies.



Global epidemic of obesity, requires that fat stored in liver be reduced first, in order that obesity reduction methods show success.



Even fertility and sex life is governed by liver to some extent. The 8 day detox programme mentioned in message# 5820 does help in liver detoxification to some extent and represents a simple `home detox' if Basti+Enima is omitted. In medical astrology, liver health is assumed to be governed by planet Jupiter, satvic in nature. Also govern progency, thus indicating how fertility is connected to liver health. While strong stomach acids may enable one to digest heavy proteins and fats in non-vegetarian foods, ultimate benefit will be decided by ability of liver to convert the food nutritional content to higher dhatus.


 
Couples which take treatment for infertility have to go through three liver detoxes individualized for each person in authors practice. Though obesity could be reduced with use of bio-identical hormones in some cases, author found that Panchkarma techniques were very helpful. Combination of these herbal medicines together with panch karma treatments such as swedan, virechan, vaman were found to accentuate the cure rate.



Chemical poisoning by vaccines, modern potent drugs and antibiotics may cause teenager obesity, precocial puberty, hypertension and diabetes in our children where our most attention is focused in middle age. Possible approaches for this cases also involve chelation and cleanses, as used for middle aged peri-menopausal women.



Lastly a wonderful natural liquid available all across globe can tackle obesity as well as skinny body, where weight gain is desired.


Dr Bhate