Obesity Through The Eyes Of Ayurveda

The longer the belt, the shorter the life!!

Obesity may be described as a condition characterised by excessive deposition or storage of fat in the
body, or being more than one fifth overweight as compared to the normal weight range.

Ayurveda calls it as Atisthoulya or Medoroga and Charakacharya has included this category of people
under Ashta ninditha purusha (undesirable constitution). A person belonging to Kapha prakruthi is most
likely to experience this trouble. According to Ayurveda, obesity is regarded as Kooposhana janya
vyadhi, which means various types of manifestations caused due to improper or abnormal nourishment.
Obesity is a condition caused due to over nutrition.

Causes of Obesity may be summarised as

Excessive intake of food (both qualitative and quantitative)

Excess intake of heavy, sweet,cold,oily food

Lack of physical activity

Sedentary lifestyle

Lack of indulgence in sexual activity

Day sleep

Total absence of mental stress/always being joyful

Being relaxed physically and mentally

Genetic factors

Pathogenesis

Amongst the 7 dhatus( rasa,rakta,mamsa,meda,asthi,majja and shukra),only medas(fat) gets nourished,

remaining other dhatus get malnourished.

Food having sweet taste, if consumed more ,it creates medo dhatu agni maandhya(low enzyme
of adipose tissue)

Aama or toxins develop in the body

Aggravation of abdominal adipose tissue

Vayu/ vata changes its normal direction

Subsequently vayu enters into the digestive tract(abdomen)

It kindles the digestive fire(jaatharagni) in excess

Followed by excess or abnormal appetite

Excess heat digest and absorbs food faster than usual

Hence more food intake

It disturbs adipose tissue

Further tissues (asthi,majja and shukra) are not nourished properly

Finally, abnormal fat tissue is formed and accumulated in the body

Lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle also leads to improper food digestion in turn leads to medo
roga( obesity)

Signs and symptoms of increased medo dhatu (obesity):

1.

Prominence of gluteal region,abdomen and mammary gland and its free movement due to
excessive deposition of fat

2.

Incapable to do any physical activity (efficiency decreases)

3.

Exertional dypnoea

4.

Excessive thirst

5.

Excessive desire for food

6.

Excessive sleep

7.

Sudden development of breathing problem

8.

General debility

9.

Excessive perspiration (bad odour)

10.

Absence of libido

11.

Lowered life expectancy

Upadrava (sequelue) obesity leads to:

Diabetes

Paralysis

Heart disease

Loose body

Lack of energy

Joint problems

Treatment Principle and Line of Management:

Guru cha apatarpanam cheshtam sthoolanam karshanam prati -Charaka sutra stha

-The person is advised to take heavy food which does not have any nutritive values (which can cause
weight reduction). He is advised to take food which is heavy to digest so that it reduces the hunger of the
person and function of the digestive fire.
-Dietary articles which will reduce vata dosha, meda(fat) and sleshma(kapha) are selected as these are
opposite to the causative factors.
-Dry, hot and hard properties are best to treat this condition.
-Decoction made of guduchi (tinospora), devadaru,musta along with triphala is beneficial in treating
obesity
-Slightly sour butter milk is good.
-Barley+powdered amla+honey is a good herbal combination to treat this condition
-Person should take food only after he gets hungry or only after digestion of the previous meal
-Barley, horse gram, grains like ragi bajra are useful
-Drinking hot water is advised.
-Exercise is a must!
-Pancha karma procedures like niruha basti, virechana will be helpful. Also dry powdered massage
(udvartana).

Some herbal formulations to combat obesity:

Triphala kashaya
Mustadi kashaya
Varadi kashayam
Varanadi kashayam
Navaka guggulu
Medohara guggulu
Triphala guggulu
Arogya vardhini vati
Medohar Active Capsules

Pathya (food items which are indicated):

Green grams, lentils, cow gram, brinjal, butter milk, lemon juice, cabbage, tomato, millet hot water

Apathya(harmful)

Day sleep
Black gram
Sweet food
Heavy food
Dairy products

Yogasanas to combat obesity:

Surya namaskara
Paschimothasana
Bhujangasana
Shalabhasana

Halasana
Sarvangasana

Remember, long term treatment along with proper dietary restrictions and appropriate physical activities
and yogasanas may lead to controlled status of obesity.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF FLAXSEEDS
The Flaxseed Weight Loss Diet
Here is an easy, natural and healthy way to lose weight. It's Mitra's Three Step Flaxseed Diet. There are
only three steps involved.You can eat as much as you wantbut if you follow these three steps strictly for
one month, you are bound to lose a lot of weight. Moreover, this weight will be lost naturally, and will stay
off for good if you continue a healthy eating program.

In the first month, you will likely see dramatic weight loss. In the following months, the ideal weight loss
is best limited to four to six pounds per month, unless you are obese, in which case the ideal number will
be higher.

Here is the simple Three Step Flaxseed Diet:

Step One: Consume one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds per day.

Step Two: Eat as much as you like throughout the day but eat only from the 100 healthiest foods. Try not
to eat anything which is not on this list especially anything with white flour or sugar in it, or any kinds of
processed foods.

Step Three: Burn a minimum of 1,000 calories in aerobic exercise per week. This is equivalent to
walking about ten miles over one week. You can spread it out into four 2.5 mile walks per week or any
other combination you prefer. You can walk at any speed you like, but brisk walking is better.

That's it. That is all the info you need to lose weight naturally and quickly.

More details about the three step flaxseed diet:

Step One: A one pound bag of ground flax seed should cost you less than four dollars. You can also buy
whole flax seeds and grind them yourself in your coffee grinder. But don't eat the whole flax seeds without
grinding them. They are hard to digest and you would be missing out on their nutritional benefits as they
passed whole through your digestive system.

Flaxseeds are very rich in fiber and omega-3 fats. They are filling and will satiate your appetite. The
omega-3 component will be very good for your mental mood and health.

You can mix them into your cereal (remember, only use the natural cereals such as oatmeal recommended
in the 100 healthiest foods list). Or you can just blend them with hot water as your first morning drink.
You can also stir them into your scrambled eggs, yogurt snack or any other more complicated dish you are
preparing. They have a nutty taste and will not spoil the goodness of your meal.

Step Two: You truly can eat as much as you want, but it must be limited to the 100 healthiest foods listed
at the bottom of the page at The World's Healthiest Foods website. This exceptional and non-profit
website also provides simple recipes for cooking with these foods. Ideally, if you are hungry beyond your
three meals, you will make up the extra eating from the vegetable and legume categories on this list. Keep
the dairy products to a minimum.

Don't deny yourself as much food as you care to eat. If you are currently very obese, there is likely an
emotional hangup with food as part of your struggle with weight loss. This program is bound to change
that. By keeping you off white flour, processed foods and sugar, this program will change your
relationship and dependence on the wrong kinds of food. Give it time, and go ahead and help yourself to
as much as you want of the right kinds of foods for the first month. Your appetite for food will soon
regulate itself as you begin to feel better.

Step Three: Get out there and burn a minimum of 1,000 calories per week. It's easy to do once you've
established a routine. This moderate amount of exercise will help rev up your metabolism. If you are
fortunate enough to be able to do it outside, all the better as this will ensure you get the Vitamin D
necessary for your well-being (from sunlight) and the fresh air will help invigorate you.

For some inspiring stories about healthy weight loss see Weight Loss Success Stories.
Rathi Manmadha Ayurvedic Bath Powder

This is a herbal bath powder formula, which Maharshi says will bring glow to your skin and makes you
beautiful. I have already posted various herbal bath powders previously including Chandamama Sunni
Pindi, Kanthi Karini, Body Paste For Skin Glow, and a remedy for Good Skin Complexion, which you may
find helpful.
Ingredients:

Flax seeds powder 50 g

Black gram / Urad dal (Hindi) powder 50 g

Long pepper / Piper longum powder 50 g

Wheat flour 50 g

Preparation:
Mix all the above powders and store in a glass bottle.
Usage:
Take the required quantity of the powder and add ghee to it. Make a mix and apply it to the whole body.
After it dries, take bath.
Kolakulathadi Choornam Benefits, Ingredients, Side Effects
Kolakulathadi Choornam is an Ayurvedic medicine in herbal powder form used for external application. It is quite
commonly used in Ayurvedic procedure called Udvartana (powder massage).
Usage of Kolakulathadi Choornam:
It is used for dry powder massage (Udvartana) to reduce fat.
It is soured by vinegar and warmed up to make an ointment, used to balance Vata to
relieve pain and inflammation, in cases of paralysis, facial paralysis, rheumatoid arthritis,
Joint Pains, Back Ache, shoulder pains, sciatica, lumbago, muscular sprain and inflammation
etc.

How long to use?

Usually Udvartana treatment (powder massage) is done as part of anti obesity treatment
program, for a period of 7 10 days, depending upon the nature of the program.
As an ointment, it can be used for a very long period of time.

Kolakulathadi powder side effects:

This medicine is used for external application only.
There are no known side effects / allergic reactions noted with this product on external
application.
It can be used in children and lactating mothers.
It is best avoided during pregnancy.

Store in a cool dry place, avoiding direct sunlight.

Expiry date: 6 months from the date of manufacture.
Manufacturers: Nagarjuna, Asoka Pharmaceuticals, Mukti Pharma, Sitaram Pharmacy
Dietary recommendations:
According to the Ayurvedic principles there are things which if you incorporate in your diet ,will not only fill
your stomach, but also will help you lose and maintain weight. Here are some of them:

Vegetables :Bottle gourd, bitter gourd, bean sprouts, bell peppers, bitter melon,
broccoli , cabbage, cauliflower, cilantro, onions, eggplant ,green peppers, leafy lettuce
greens, pumpkin, sunflower sprouts, sweet peas, turnips, zucchini, carrots, squash
(yellow), okra , corn, , onion, spinach and radish.

Spices - Cardamom, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, fennel, turmeric, Asafetida,

black pepper, celery seed, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger (dry), and sesame seeds.

Grains Barley, corn flower, bran or jawar.

Fruits: Papaya, Indian gooseberry, pomegranate.

Drinking lukewarm water continuously could get you rid of the sweet craving or
snacking after or in between meals.

Indian chapattis made of whole meal wheat bran and barley or plain rice/brown rice
is a much better alternative to bread (and other bakery foods) which have yeast in it and
are made of white flour which lacks fiber, thus making digestion sluggish resulting in
bloating, acid peptic disorders or IBS.

Avoid Frozen or processed (pre- prepared) food as it lacks freshness and

energy (Prana or life) in it, and becomes very heavy to digest helping in creating Ama
(Toxins) in the body. Re-heating refrigerated leftovers would also have a similar effect.

Avoid Yogurt, as it has a property to create blockages in various channels in the

body, thus aiding in sluggish digestion and formation of Ama.

Agni Gayatri
Om Vaisvanaraya vidhmahe
Lalelaya dhimahi
Tanno Agnih pracodayat