Obesity Through The Eyes Of AyurvedaThe 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 factorsPathogenesisAmongst 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 fat2. Incapable to do any physical activity (efficiency decreases)3. Exertional dypnoea4. Excessive thirst5. Excessive desire for food6. Excessive sleep7. Sudden development of breathing problem8. General debility9. Excessive perspiration (bad odour)10. Absence of libido11. Lowered life expectancyUpadrava (sequelue) obesity leads to: Diabetes Paralysis Heart disease Loose body Lack of energy Joint problemsTreatment 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 ofguduchi(tinospora), devadaru,musta along withtriphalais 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 kashayaMustadi kashayaVaradi kashayamVaranadi kashayamNavaka gugguluMedohara gugguluTriphala gugguluArogya vardhini vatiMedohar Active CapsulesPathya (food items which are indicated):Green grams, lentils, cow gram, brinjal, butter milk, lemon juice, cabbage, tomato, millet hot waterApathya(harmful)Day sleepBlack gramSweet foodHeavy foodDairy productsYogasanas to combat obesity:Surya namaskaraPaschimothasanaBhujangasanaShalabhasanaHalasanaSarvangasanaRemember, long term treatment along with proper dietary restrictions and appropriate physical activities and yogasanas may lead to controlled status of obesity.HEALTH BENEFITS OF FLAXSEEDSThe Flaxseed Weight Loss DietHere 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 simpleThree 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 the100 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 the100 healthiest foodslisted 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 seeWeight Loss Success Stories.Rathi Manmadha Ayurvedic Bath PowderThis is a herbal bath powder formula, whichMaharshisays will bring glow to your skin and makes you beautiful. I have already posted various herbal bath powders previously includingChandamama Sunni Pindi,Kanthi Karini,Body Paste For Skin Glow, and a remedy forGood 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 gPreparation: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 EffectsKolakulathadi 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 PharmacyDietary 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 watercontinuously could get you rid of the sweet craving or snacking after or in between meals. Indian chapattismade 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) foodas 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 vidhmaheLalelaya dhimahiTanno Agnih pracodayat