Ayurveda Treatment for Weight Loss (Obesity)

Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic concern. This condition can increase your risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers.

There are numerous reasons why some people gain weight. It is usually the result of a combination of inherited factors, combined with the environment and personal diet and exercise choices. Even modest weight loss can improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity. Dietary changes, increased physical activity and behaviour changes can help you lose weight. With the right guidance, one can lose weight and regain lost health and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

According to Ayurveda, obesity begins with the intake of incorrect food or the development of improper dietary habits and lifestyle that result in problems with the digestive fire, which in turn increases ama (bio-toxins).

Ama disturbs metabolic processes to form more fatty tissue (MedaDhatu Agni) and blocks the formation of the furthermost tissues such as ashti (bones). The poorly formed tissue layers increase unwanted medadhatu (fats) and cause disturbances in the functions of kapha.

When ama blocks the channels of all body tissues, this creates an imbalance in vata. Vata keeps stimulating the central digestive fire (jatharagni), which causes an increase in appetite so the person eats more and more. However, due to medadhavagnimandya (weak fat metabolism), improper or abnormal medadhatu is formed, which is the root cause of obesity.

In Ayurveda, obesity is treated not only for weight loss, but also in terms of adjusting metabolic processes by reducing ama and the excess fat to regulate the function of kapha without vitiating vata.