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Obesity and Ayurveda!

 

Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Dr. Rupali Gondhalekar from OmVedic Heritage Centre as a guest writer in Women Lines panel. In this write up she is sharing about how Ayurveda can help to reduce obesity-

Obesity is one of the most common lifestyle disorders. It causes physical ailments and many psychological disorders as well. In the management of obesity, Ayurveda gives utmost importance to Lifestyle and Diet changes with ayurvedic medicines and a combination of Panchkarma treatment (Udwartanam, Abhyanga, Swedana) that helps to tackle this problem very effectively.

Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat. In Ayurveda, it is called as “Medoroga” or “Sthoulya” which is caused by the aggravation of kapha dosha.

Body is made of 7 body tissues (Dhatus )- They are Rasa (Lymph), Rakta(Blood), Maans (Muscle), Meda( Fat), Asthi (Bones), Majja (Nervous System) Shukra (Reproductive System).
Meda Dhatu is governed by kapha dosha. When Meda gets excessively nourished and other Dhatus get malnourished. Kapha dosha increases in an abnormal fashion, Fat metabolism gets hampered and the person becomes obese.
In a balanced state, kapha dosha gives nourishment to Meda Dhatu.(Fat tissue). However, when it is aggravated, Kapha leads to the production of toxins in the body. These toxins are heavy and dense in nature and accumulate in Medovaha Srotas (fat channels), causing their blockage. This leads to an increase in the production of fat tissue (Meda Dhatu). When the body produces more fat tissues, it causes an increase in weight.

We all know how obesity is measured by BMI and waist-hip ratio. But Here are some very simple signs of obesity explained in ayurvedic texts.

Symptoms of Obesity-

• Increased body fat (Excessive body fat is accumulated on the belly, buttocks, breasts, and thighs.)
• Breathlessness on exertion
• Lethargy, Fatigue
• Excessive appetite & thirst
• Excessive sweating with bad odor

Causes of Obesity-

• Lack of physical exercise
• Sleep during day time
• Excess intake of oily, sweet, carbohydrates and heavy to digest food.
• In diseases like- Hypothyroidism, PCOS, Cushing Syndrome, depression, stress
• In ladies- During pregnancy, lactation period, menopause, after hysterectomy surgery.
• Hereditary

Management- Diet and lifestyle changes are very important in the management of obesity.
Avoid causes of obesity.

Here is a list of Dos and Dont’s-

Dont’s – Avoid excessive intake of –

• Sweets, oily, fried and salty food
• Carbohydrates and fatty food ( pizza, pasta, noodles, cheese, butter, paneer, meat)
• Junk food, fast food, canned-packed food with preservatives
• Tea, coffee, carbonated cold drinks, ice cold water, cold food
• Yoghurt, chocolates, ice creams, cakes, pastries
• Bakery items (bread, biscuits, cookies), Snacks( chips, Maggi, kurkure etc)
• Drinking alcohol and smoking
• Overeating and high-calorie diet /heavy to digest food in large quantities
• Excessive water intake after meals
• Sleeping in daytime
• Sedentary lifestyle- “Seating is the new smoking”

Do’s-

• Drink plenty of warm water throughout the day, drink water before meals, take honey with warm water on empty stomach in the morning
• Limit intake of salt, sugar, and oil
• Increase intake of pungent, bitter and astringent tasting food in diet
• Replace refined flour with whole-wheat flour and rice with brown rice or parboiled rice.
• Increase intake of salads, sprouts, seasonal fruits (like watermelon, oranges, papaya, peach, pear), seasonal vegetables (like bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, ladies finger, cucumber, carrot, pumpkin)
• Eat freshly cooked warm food
• Do not eat food with wrong combination (Incompatible food) E.g. Mixing sour fruits and milk, fruit yogurts, honey and ghee in equal quantity.
• Eat three meals a day and avoid snacking and overeating. Take light dinner and eat only when you are hungry.
• Eating sequence: First eat carbohydrates or sweet taste, next eat salty, sour, pungent and bitter foods. Finally, eat astringent food
• Fasting or fruit diet at least once a week.
• Adequate rest and mental balance
• Exercise- Regular exercise such as walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming along with yoga and Pranayam should include in our daily routine.

Ayurvedic Panchakarma Therapies –

Udwartanam – It is special therapeutic deep tissue massage specially mentioned for obesity in ayurvedic texts. The massage stimulates hair follicles and fat tissues to break down fat storage. It reduces blood cholesterol, obesity and reduces skin problems.
Abhyanga – It is ayurvedic warm oil body massage. It pacifies the doshas, improves blood circulation, eliminates body impurities and helps in reducing weight by fat burning.
Swedan /steam– It is a process to induce sweating artificially in a patient after Udwartanam or Abhyanga. It helps to reduce water retention, removes toxins from the body and relieves heaviness of the body.

To know more about Weight management and Ayurvedic therapies contact our Drs at

Ayurveda Pharmacy @8, Belilios Lane, Tel-63415020
Ayurveda Pharmacy @ 55, Siglap Centre, B1-18, Tel-66528464
Om Vedic Heritage Centre@43, Tessensohn Road, Tel-62972670

Dr. Rupali Gondhalekar
M.D. (A.M.), B.A.M.S.
H/P- 81800984
Ayurvedic Consultant
Ayurveda Pharmacy
OmVedic Heritage Centre.

 

http://www.avpsingapore.com.sg

https://www.omvedicheritage.com.sg/

 

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