Nupur aged 25 years young software engineer consulted me for her weight loss treatment .She had already tried all kinds of weight loss measures gym, diet, pills etc. She was very desperate to lose weight and was thinking to go for surgery. Before taking a decision for surgery she thought to try homoeopathy. I gave a patient listening to her and during our conversation I came to know that she was under tremendous stress due to the pressure from her parents for marriage as well as work. These kinds of cases are very common where patients come with expectation of instant solutions.
Being overweight is somewhat different from being obese. Overweight refers to excess body weight as compared to normal standards however obesity is defined as an excess of body fat. Obesity/overweight is assessed by BMI (body mass index) and in terms of its distribution via the waist circumference. But sometimes using a scale and measuring BMI can be deceiving as some people have elevated BMI but they have more muscle mass and less fat.
- BMI 25-29.9 (overweight)
- BMI 30-39.9 (moderately overweight) class 1 obesity
- BMI 35.0-39.9 (obesity) class 2 obesity
- BMI 40 or above (morbid obesity) class 3 obesity
Factors contributing to weight gain
The process of weight gain is gradual and if the person does not take precaution in her/his daily lifestyle it results in weight gain.
Diet –Regular and excessive consumption of high calorie foods such as-fast food, oily food, soft drinks, candy, desserts etc and not burning it off with adequate exercise. Over the years most Indian diets have become richer and unhealthy.
Sedentary life style—consistent Inactivity or decreased physical activity lead to weight gain.
Psychological factors– Overeat to cope with stress, loneliness, boredom. Recent research shows that stress releases certain hormones in the body that can contribute to weight gain.
Hereditary – Genes may affect the amount of body fat.
Age– as the age advances our metabolism is decreased. This means requirement of calories by body is less. Therefore if we don’t reduce our calorie intake one is likely to have weight gain.
Cigarette smoking
Pregnancy
Medications- overuse of drugs such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs and some hypertensive drugs lead to weight gain.
Medical problems– low thyroid production, excess production of hormones by the adrenal gland or other hormonal disturbances such as PCOD (poly cystic ovarian disease).
Health risks related to being overweight
According to new research people who are overweight have less chances of having following health
risks as compared to obese people.
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol
- Osteoarthritis
- Diabetes
- Thyroid disease
- Cancer
- Fatty liver disease
Lifestyle Changes
- Increase physical activity
- Low calorie diet, small portion of food
- Avoid over the counter (OTC) drugs, supplements for weight loss
- Keep long term goal for weight loss and not the instant results.
- Meditation
Homoeopathy for weight loss
Approach of homoeopathy towards weight loss is holistic. It is a combination of detailed case history of patient as well as his diet, lifestyle and counselling. A qualified homoeopath takes the present, past and family history of the patient to ascertain the underlying cause of weight gain. Patient’s regular diet and his lifestyle play a very vital role in evaluation of the case. Homoeopathy treats the patient as a whole. There are no specific homoeopathic pills for weight loss. Homeopathy supports the patient to correct imbalance at physical as well as emotional level. It attempts to improve metabolism and helps in easy elimination. These medicines enhance the process of burning of fat tissues. Homoeopathic medicines are safe, gentle and natural substances and do not have any side effects.. They treat the root cause and emphasise on improvement of overall health of the patient. Sometimes people become successful in achieving their goal of weight loss on scale but in this process they lose many other things .They become lethargic, their concentration levels go down and they become nutritionally deficient. Homoeopathy is a very good choice for reducing weight. However in the process of weight loss I firmly believe if people can imbibe the habit of eating right, thinking right and restrain themselves from excess will definitely help them to keep them away not only from gaining weight but from many other diseases..
There are several homoeopathic medicines which help in reducing weight. These medicines are case specific and are prescribed according to the constitution of patient.