OBESITY
An
excessive accumulation of fat in the body is called obesity. In ayurveda
this condition is called Medo-roga. There are many places in the body where
excessive fat is accumulated. The most common areas are the abdomen
(Omentum), breasts and buttocks. The fat in the body is primarily drawn from
the oils, ghees and other fatty substances consumed through food and drink.
Normally this fat, during the process of meta bolism, produces energy and
heat. Fat also enters into the composition fo some tissue cells in the human
body. For example, the covering material over the nerve fibers contains a
type of fatty material. The tissue cells of the brain and the muscle also
contain fat. Nature has provided fat to accumulate in some of the joints to
avoid friction during movement.
Fat in the body is also synthesised
from the starchy material taken alongwith food. When fatty or strachy
ingredients of food are taken in excess, then fat in excess of the
requirement of the body gets deposited in the above-mentioned parts of the
body. This fat is consumed by the body, when, because of any disease or
starvation, the body does not get its normal fat requirement. If such
occassions do not arise, then the excessive fat goes on accumulating in the
body and causes many difficulties. A by-product of fat, called 'Cholesterol"
circulates in the blood vessels and gets deposited in the walls of the
vessels resulting in high blood pressure. Excessive fat may also impair the
function of the vital organs like heart, liver and the kidneys. It may also
results in diabetes. The most common difficulty the patient experiences
because of excessive fat is breathlessness on even slight exertion. Such
types of patients may even get afflicted by a serious type of asthma.
Causative
factors
Intake of fats and carbohydrates in excess results in
obesity. Less of excercise also helps in the accumulation of fat in the
body. Those who sleep in excess especially during day time are very likely
to get obesity. Lack of mental work helps in the synthesis of fat from the
carbohydrates taken throgh the food and instead of being consumed, they get
deposited in the body.
Treatment
The patient shold be
asked to take up physical as well as mental exercises and he should be asked
to give up sedentary habits. Persons working in offices should have a little
walk after taking their food. Guggulu (Commiphora mukul) is the drug of
choice for the treatment of this condition. The gum-resin extracted from
this plant is used in medicine. It is also-used for the purpose of incense
like Aggarvati and Dhup. Guggulu is purified by a special process before it
is adminstered internally. For the purification, this gum is boiled with the
decoction of triphala or cow's urine and then strained through a cloth.
Purification though cow's urine makes the guggulu more absorbable and it
works better for the reduction of fat in body. This is given in a dose of 15
grains four times a day followed by a cup of hot drink of choice. There are
many compound preparations to which guggulu is added as the principal
ingredient. The most important ones are Navaka gugglu and Triphala guggulu.
They are available in tablets of 2 grains each. Four tablets of this
compound preparation are to be given to the patient four times a day ( a
total of 16 tablets a day). After the intake of this medicine, some hot
drinks should be given to ghe patient.
According to ayurveda, the
body is composed of seven types of tissue elements. They are rasa (plasma),
rakta (red blood corpuscles) mamsa (muscle tissue), meda (fat), asthi
(bones), majja (marrow), and sukra (sperm). Each type of these tissue
elements has its own enzyme (agni) for synthesis and also for metabolism. If
there is impairment of these agnis, then that particular tissue element
increases in the body. In obesity, the agni responsible for the metabolism
of medas or fat is impaired. While treating such cases, attention is always
given to improve the power of the agni involved. Therefore, alongwith
guggulu, some other medicines like sunthi (Zingiber officinale), pippali
(Piper longum) and marica (Piper nigrum) are added.
The tree of
guggulu is available in India mostly inRajasthan and Gujrat. It is a thorny
plant of about 10 ft. height. The gum-resin of this plant is extracted by
making an incission on the trunk of the plant. Gugglu and its preparations
can be given to the patient even in a still highter dose. This drug is also
used as a cure for rheumatism and some other nervous disorders. It is also
used for healing of ulcers, especially chronic ones. If other dietetic
precautions are carefully observed, then the fat of the patient gets reduced
gradually and the patient does not feel weak.
Diet
The
patient should, as far as possible, avoid taking sweet and fatty things.
Rice and potato which contain a lot of carbohydrate should be avoided. Among
the cereals, wheat is better, and the patient can be given barely and maize
also. Bitter and pungent things are good. Vegetables like bitter gourd,
bitter variety of drumstick, patola (Trichosanthes dioica) are useful for
the patient. The patient can hbe given tea and coffee in good quantity
Intake of tobacco, for persons who are not habituated with it, helps in the
reduction of fat. This should be given to the patients only in small
quantity as a medicine because it has many adverse effects on the body.
Fruits normally contain more of carbogydrate and fructose. Therefore, they
should be avoided as far as possible.
Haritaki (fruits of
Terminalia chebula) are very useful in this condition. They helps in the
clearance of the bowels and work as a tonic for the body. Simutaneously,
they help in the reduction of fat in the body. The pulp of this fruit should
be made to a powder and given to the patient in a dose on one teaspoonful at
bed-time with a cup of hot water. The should be given daily, In the
beginning the patient may have loose motions. But after some time, his body
gets acclimatised to it and it no longer has purgative effect. Murabba
prepared from this fruit can be given to the patient everyday in place of
the powder.
Other regimens
The patient should resort to
physical and mental exercises and he should not sleep during day time.
Sleeping late at night and getting up early in the morning is very useful.
Guggulu
(Commiphora mukul)
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