Many people around the world may be dealing with obesity and are struggling to overcome it. Unfortunately, there is no ‘miracle pill’ for losing weight. However, homeopathy has been a successful route in people trying to overcome obesity.
Causes
- Diet and lack of physical activity: Regular intake of unhealthy fatty food and insufficient physical activities are the primary cause of obesity in children, teens, adults and elderly. Also, overeating is a common cause of obesity. All over the world, people have been suffering from obesity due to sedentary lifestyle and consumption of junk food. Many people consume very less amount of fresh food, fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods and tend to eat more of fatty and sugary products which has led to this epidemic.
- Genetics: The amount of fat stored in the body as well as its distribution is largely determined by the genetic make-up of an individual.
- Family history: On account of having similar lifestyle and food habits, people from the same family may suffer from obesity of a similar pattern. If one or both of the parents are obese, a child’s risk of being obese is significantly higher.
- Pregnancy: Weight gain during pregnancy is a normal and essential phenomenon; however, some women may find it difficult to lose this excess weight after childbirth.
- Environmental/ psychological factors: Many people tend to eat more when they are emotionally disturbed. Excess stress, anger, sadness, loneliness, boredom, and other strong emotions force people to eat fatty junk food in order to feel good about themselves.
- Certain medications and diseases: Medications like oral contraceptives are one of the triggering factors for rapid weight gain. Medical conditions like hypothyroidism, diabetes, PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease), etc., are also major contributors to obesity.
- Hormonal imbalances: Hormones are important contributors to obesity. Women tend to gain more weight during pregnancy and menopause due to hormones causing drastic changes in the body.
- Psychological issues: It includes bulimia, emotional stress, anxiety, and depression that can lead to overeating thus contributing to obesity.
- Arthritis: Chronic arthritis or any other chronic pain may indirectly contribute to obesity since physical activities are reduced due to pain and the patient may tend to overeat to psychologically combat the pain.
Symptoms
Excessive weight gain and extra fatty tissue are obviously the major signs of obesity. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. However, BMI doesn’t directly measure body fat, so some people, such as muscular athletes, may have a BMI in the obese category even though they don’t have excess body fat. However, excess weight gain in obese people leads to multiple symptoms that manifest gradually over a period of time. As the disease advances, these become more and more prominent:
- Running out of breath – even with minor exertion sometimes
- Lethargy, tiredness
- Difficulty in sleeping and snoring
- Excessive perspiration
- Pain in weight bearing joints like knees, hips and also in the back
- Rashes in the folds of skin such as in the groins, between thighs, axilla, below breasts, etc.
- Depression
- Low self esteem
- Always feeling hot
- Daytime sleepiness
- Many other diseases are associated with obesity and patient may manifest symptoms of these diseases such as – heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, gallbladder disease, type 2 diabetes, etc.
Complications
Carrying a lot of weight has its own harmful effects in the long run. People in whom the fat builds up mostly around the abdomen (apple-shaped obesity) are at greater risk of developing complications as compared to those in whom the fat accumulates around the hips (pear-shaped obesity).
Some of the potential complications of obesity include:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Lipid abnormalities – high cholesterol and triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Depression
- Heart diseases
- Osteoarthritis (especially of the knees)
- Infertility, irregular menses
- Sleep apnea
- Cancer, including cancer of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, breast, colon, rectum and prostate
- Gallbladder disease
- Fatty liver disease
- Intertrigo – Soreness/irritation between two skin surfaces that are in contact such as under the breasts or between the thighs
- Impaired quality of life
- Sexual problem
- Social isolation and embarrassment.
Homeopathic treatment
The homeopathic treatment of obesity takes care of underlying medical, hormonal or psychological causes of obesity and can help in preventing complications of the same. Homeopathic medicines can help to lose weight by improving your digestion and metabolism.
Exercise is very essential for weight loss. Homeopathic medicine no substitute for exercise. In Fact, exercise along with medicine can accentuate weight loss. Controlling diet is a must for weight loss. Low Carb diet is suggested can be beneficial. Homeopathic medicines are not “fat dissolving” by nature. They work by stimulating your body’s metabolism to burn more fat. Homeopathy is the safest option with no side effects from the medicines.
Homeopathic medicines
Calcarea Carbonica
It tops the list of homeopathic weight loss medicines. This medicine is mainly given when there is excess fat in the abdomen and the metabolism is working at a very low pace, resulting in obesity and weight gain. A patient requiring this medicine is fatty and flabby. In order to be eligible to use this medicine to lose weight, the constitutional symptoms shown by the patient are given utmost importance. For instance, the patients who require this medicine usually have a tendency to perspire profusely, especially on the head. These patients cannot tolerate cold air. Certain peculiar eating habits are also found in these patients. The eating habits include craving for boiled eggs, and strange things like chalk, clay, pencils, lime, etc. Due to a sluggish metabolic activity, the patients are almost always constipated. This medicine can also be considered if the excess weight gain is due to thyroid problems.
Natrum Mur
Natrum Mur is also a significant remedy that is employed to lose weight. This medicine is recommended when there is an excess of fat mainly in the thighs and buttocks as compared to other parts of the body. This medicine gives wonderful results if the person has gained excess weight due to long-continued stress or depression. The constitutional symptoms are always considered in the case of this medicine as well. The important constitutional symptoms include excessive heat in the patient’s body and intolerance towards the heat of the sun. The patients who require this medicine usually suffer from anemia. Another important symptom seen in patients suited to this medicine is the craving for extra salts in the diet. In essence, a person eligible for this medicine comes across as a person with weeping tendencies, especially when alone, worsens when someone consoles him/her and reserved nature.
Lycopodium
It is one of the most useful homeopathic remedies for fat loss. This is also used mainly when the thighs and buttock areas have excess fat. The patients who require Lycopodium are chronic sufferers of gastric troubles like flatulence and constipation. They have a tendency to crave for sweet foods. They also indulge in hot drinks and hot food. They show a tendency to eat far beyond their capacity with resulting bloated abdomen and weight gain. Mentally, the person requiring this medicine is very irritable and easily roused to anger, especially on being contradicted.
Nux Vomica
Nux Vomica is recommended for persons who have gained excess weight due to sedentary habits. The first important symptom in persons requiring this medicine is that they are chronic sufferers of the most obstinate constipation. Such a person has a continuous urge to pass stool, but only a little stool is ejected at a time. The second symptom is intolerance to cold air. The third most important symptom is the eating habit – a person in need of Nux Vomica for losing weight likes spicy food, fatty food, and stimulants like coffee or alcoholic drinks. Mentally, the person is extremely sensitive to external impressions and gets angry to an extreme degree too.
Antimonium Crudum
This is mainly a prescribed for obese children in order to help them lose weight. A suitable candidate for this medicine is a child who possesses extreme irritability, very cross nature, and an aversion to being touched or be looked at. These children also have a marked aversion to cold bathing. The significant indicator of using this medicine to lose weight is craving for acidic things like pickles in the child. The child’s tongue in this case is usually thickly white-coated and the stomach is deranged with alternate diarrhea and constipation due to a habit of overeating.
Phytolacca berry
Phytolacca mainly acts by regulating the hunger pattern, and aiding proper digestion of food. It also balances the hormones and metabolic process of the body.
Fucus Vesiculosus
This is another excellent remedy for weight loss. This remedy is indicated when the weight gain or obesity is mainly due to thyroidism. It aids in weight loss by controlling the thyroid hormone. Fucus also helps to maintain the digestion and provides relief from constipation and flatulence.
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