Fighting Obesity - an AYURVEDIC way

Definition of Obesity

Excess amount of body fat is Obesity.

Excess weight of muscles, bone, fat and water in the body (like body builders and athletes) is Overweight.

Over weighted persons are at increased health risk than normal persons. They are more prone to chronic diseases like heart diseases, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and few types of cancers.

An obese topless man on a motorcycle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is fat necessary to our body? 

Certain amount of body fat does the following function

1.      Heat insulation.

2.      Absorption of shock.

3.      Storage of energy. Etc.

Ayurveda describes the functions of body fat as

“Medaha sneha swedaudhrudatwam pushtim asthyancha”

This means in normal conditions the body fat keeps the body moisturized , causes sweating , gives energy to body (by storing energy) and  nourishes bones. (By protecting them from shock)

Distribution of fat 

Women have more body fat than men. In women usually the fat accumulates around hips giving them a pear shape. In men it accumulates around belly giving them an apple shape. The obesity related problems start when fat accumulates around waist.

In ayurveda the distribution of fat is described as follows.

Medastu sarvabhutaanamudarenvasthi thishtathi |

Ata evodare vriddhihi prayo medaswino bhavet ||

Fat gets deposited in and around belly in all living beings. It is also present in bone. Hence when a person becomes obese his stomach bulges out.

And also the characters of an obese person are described as

"Medo mamsa ativriddhatvaachalasphigudarastanaha"

Which means the hips, belly and breasts of an obese person sag and sagged parts flap as that person moves. An obese person will not be active.

Causes of Obesity

When a person consumes more calories than he burns then the excess calories get stored in the form of fat causing obesity.

1. Genetic factors–Obesity tends to run in families. If parents are fat then the offspring also show a tendency to accumulate fat. Even the diet and lifestyle habits which are practiced in family also contribute to obesity.

2. Environment. – A person’s eating habits and the level of physical activities a person has also contribute for excess deposition of fat. When a person eats food containing more calories and has a sedentary work then the calories consumed are more than calories burnt. The excess amount calories are stored as fat.

3. Psychological disturbances.- There is a tendency to over eat in response to negative emotions like boredom, sadness or anger. This leads to obesity.

4. Binge eating disorder.

5. Diseases and conditions like Hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, Depression, and certain neurological problems lead to overeating which in turn leads to accumulation of fat.

6. Medicines such as steroids and some antidepressants may cause weight gain.

Causes of obesity according to Ayurveda

The causes of obesity are very clearly explained in ayurveda. The following  reasons which are mentioned in ayurveda increase the deposition of fat.

Avayamadivaaswapnashleshmalaaaharasevinaha |

Madhuroannarasaha prayaha snehamedhovivardhati ||

According to ayurveda the causes of obesity are defined as :

1. Avyayama : Not exerting physically

2. Divaswapna: Sleeping in afternoon.

3. Shleshmala Ahara Vihara : The diet and life styles which increase Kapha

4. Madhura Annaha : Consuming sweetened foods .

Health risks due to Obesity 

Obesity leads to the following problems.

1. Type-2 diabetes

2. Heart disease.

3. High Blood pressure.

4. Stroke

5. Few types of Cancers

6. Gall stones

7. Liver diseases

8. Osteo arthritis.

9. Gout

10. Infertility

11. Irregular menstruation in women.

According to Ayurveda the obese persons are more prone to the following diseases.

1. Diabetes.

2. Kidney related problems.

3. Hepatitis.

4. Low libido.

5. Low energy levels.

6. Skin problems.

7. Fistula

8. Piles.

9. Filariasis . etc

Tips to reduce Obesity 

1. Determine with the help of your physician how much weight has to be reduced.

2. Set several short term realistic goals .

3. Reward yourself each time you make progress (Not food items)

4. Even small weight losses have shown to be beneficial.

5. Make gradual changes in eating habits.

6. You will lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. Hence eating less and being more active help in losing weight.

7. Sound eating habits keep you out of putting on weight.

8. Stay motivated to lose weight.

9. Slow weight loss is the safest and most effective. ( one to one and half pound per week).

10. Gradual weight loss, promote long term loss of body fat.

11. A person who is moderately active needs daily, 33 calories per kg of body weight to maintain his weight .

12. Reducing calories intake by 300 per day and increasing the physical activity to burn 200 calories per day results in weight loss of 400 Gms per week.

13. To satisfy basic nutritional needs eat a variety of foods every day. Choose from each of the five food groups milk, meat, fruit, vegetable and cereals. Balanced food plans  encourage making wise choices about everyday food choices. This type of diet helps  to stay at your proper weight for life.

14. Allow for an occasional treat.

15. Evaluate your eating pattern.

16. Try to cut down on foods high in fats and sugar.

17. Most successful weight – loss plans stress on reduction in both calories and the amount of fat eaten

Physical activity:

1. Determine the type of physical activity that suits your life style.

2. Regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging or swimming, is a key factor in achieving permanent weight loss and improving health

3. Health experts recommend exercising 30 minutes or more on all, days of the week for maximum benefits. The exercises should be moderately vigorous to be most effective but not exhausting.

4. Incorporate few simple measures to burn calories effectively. Like- taking an after dinner walk, using stairs instead of escalators or elevators, parking the car farther away to have a longer walk etc.

5. Exercises also improve sense of well being ,decreases stress and decreases appetite in some.

Ayurvedic tips to reduce Obesity 

Numerous tips to reduce obesity have been mentioned in ayurveda. The following ayurvedic tips help you to reduce the obesity.

1. Very good exercises. Exercises like brisk walking, jogging, playing out door games etc help to reduce weight.

2. Physical and mental exertion. Exerting physically like doing house hold works, walking to distant places to bring groceries, vegetables etc, walking long distances to bring the child back from school, walking to working place, climbing stairs etc are types of physical exertion. Exerting physically as much as you can help to burn more calories. Mental exertion like worrying or involving in finding solutions to problems  also restrict food consumption in some and there by reduces the intake of calories .

3. Having sex frequently is also a good physical exertion.

4. Consumption of honey. This is advisable for non diabetic patients. Consuming  2 tea spoon of honey with a glass of herbal tea which includes weight reducing herbs help a lot in weight reduction. Honey along with these herbs scrapes and dissolves  the Kapha and medha (body fat).

5. Sleeping for less hours. Avoiding sleeping in afternoons help to increase the burning of calories. This avoids slowing of  basal metabolic rate.

6. Avoiding the food and beverages which increase kapha  and medha. The foods which increase kapha and medha are sweets, sweetened drinks , large quantities of carbohydrates and oily food.

7. Consuming wheat products than rice products help to reduce obesity.

8. Using Green gram and horse gram help in reduction of kapha and medha.

---

---

---

Therapeutic uses of Honey in AYURVEDA

The FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as ‘the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or from secretions coming from living organisms feeding on plants, that bees gather, transform and combine with specific ingredients, store and leave to ripen in the combs of the hive.’

In Ayurveda honey is called as "Madhu". Its qualities are explained as follows.

“Vaatalam guru sheetam cha raktapittakaphapaham |

Sandhatru cchedanam ruksham kashayam madhuram madhu ||”

 “It has sweetness (madhura rasa) with added astringent as end taste (Kashaya anu rasa). It is heavy (guru guna), dry (ruksha) and cold (sheeta). Its effect on doshas is as follows It aggravates vata, scrapes kapha and normalizes pitta and rakta. It promotes healing process.”

Honeycomb of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) with eggs and larvae. 

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The contents of Honey are 

1. Sugars like fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides and trisaccharides.

2. Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids,

3. Volatile aromatic substances.

4. Ashes and water etc.

Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value.

The medicinal quality, taste, texture, color, aroma of honey differs according to the geographical area and the species of plants from which it has been collected.

Types of Honey:

Eight types of honey are described in ayurveda depending on the type of bee which collects it. They are Pouttika ,Bhramara .Kshoudra,  Makshika , Chatra , Arghya ,Oudalaka ,Dala  .

Pouttika - This honey is collected by very large bees from the nectar of poisonous flowers. It increases vata, causes gout and burning sensation in chest.It is also sedative and reduces fat.

Bhramara - This honey is collected by large bees and Sticky in nature.

Kshoudra -  (Honey collected by medium sized honey bees ) light and cold in nature. Dissolves Kapha.

Makshika - (Honey collected by small honey bees) very light and dry natured. Usefull in VataKapha diseases and kapha diseases

Chatra - Heavy and cold in nature usefull in gout, Leucoderma (Shwitra),

Arghya -  Good for eyes but causes arthritis .

Oudalaka -  Useful in skin diseases, and helps in modulation of voice.

Dala - Dry and reduces vomiting.

Amongst all the above "Makshika" is considered as the best type with immense medicinal properties.

Therapeutic uses of Honey:

1. As it contains sugars which are quickly absorbed by our digestive system and converted into energy, this can be used as instant energizer.

2. As it is hygroscopic it speeds up healing, growth of healing tissue and dries it up.

3. Honey acts as a sedative and is very usefull in bed wetting disorders.

4. Honey is very good antioxident which restores the damaged skin and gives soft, young looks.

5. Honey has antibacterial properties due to its acidic nature and enzymically produced hydrogen peroxide.

6. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

In Ashtanga Hridaya the great classic of ayurveda, the therapeutic uses of honey are explained as follows.

“Chakshushayam Chedi  tritshleshmavishahidmaasrapittanut |

Mehakushtakrimicchardishwaasakaasaatisaarajit ||

Vranashodhana sandhaanaropanam vaatalam madhu ||”

• Honey is very good for eyes and eye sight.

• It quenches thirst.

• Dissolves kapha.

• Reduces effects of poison.

• Stops hiccups.

• It is very useful in urinary tract disorders, worm infestations, bronchial asthma, cough, diarrhea and nausea -vomiting.

• Cleanse the wounds.

• It heals wounds.

• Helps in quick healing of deep wounds.

• Initiates growth of healthy granulation tissue.

• Honey which is newly collected from bee hive increases body weight and is a mild laxative.

• Honey which is stored and is old helps in metabolism of fat and scrapes Kapha.

Ayurveda explains another special quality of honey. Honey is called as “Yogavahi” . The substance which has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissue is called as Yogavahi.  When honey is used with other herbal preparations it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.

Precautions to be taken before using honey:

• Honey should not be mixed with hot foods.

• Honey should not be heated.

• Honey should not be consumed when you are working in hot  environment where you are exposed to more heat.

• Honey should never be mixed with rain water, hot and spicy foods, and Fermented beverages like whisky, rum, brandy etc, Ghee and mustard.

• Honey includes nectar of various flowers of which some may be poisonous. Poison has hot or Ushna qualities. When honey is mixed with hot and spicy foods the poisonous properties get enhanced and cause imbalance of doshas.

Few Home remedies with Honey

• Mix 2 tea spoon of honey with carrot juice and consume regularly. This helps to improve eyesight and is very helpful for those who sit before computer for long hours.

• In cold, cough and congested chest mix 2 tea spoons of honey with equal quantity of ginger juice and should be consumed frequently.

• A mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice in equal quantities, when consumed thrice daily help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.

• Regular use of one tea spoon of garlic juice mixed with two tea spoons of honey help to control blood pressure.

• One glass of warm water taken with two tea spoons of honey and 1 tea spoon of lemon juice in early morning reduces fat and purifies blood.

Consuming one spoon of honey daily help us to lead a healthy long life.

---

---

AYURVEDA regime for winter depression

Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or Winter depression. The exact cause for this depression is as of yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to sunlight as the reason for this disorder.

A 30 kHz bright light therapy lamp (Innosol Rondo) used to treat seasonal affective disorder.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat, craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain. 

Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is yes. Have they recommended any remedies? Yes, they have recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed according to seasons.

The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.

The response of human body to this season is very well explained in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their digestion capacity is increased .This is marked by increased hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which is supported by vata. Vata inside  body increases in winter because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer atmosphere.

The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body constitution. The cause for this type of change is longer nights of winter. 

Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues. Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability ,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda. 

Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the intensity of depression.

Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter depression. Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga)  to body and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly suggested ayurvedic remedy.

Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits high.

Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter helps to great extent.

The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.

1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.

2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga). Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila.). 

3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of  flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi)  in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing of natural oil from skin.

4. Consume hot soups.

5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram and jaggery. 

6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes

7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.

8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.

9. Always wear foot wear.

10. Indulge in sexual act.

11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you like.

---

---