Care World

Management of Obesity

2019-10-08T00:13:00.003-07:00

Management of Obesity

Through Yoga and Naturopathy

Introduction

Obesity is supposed to a gift of modern Lifestyle. It is a disease of people who have no place for hard work. People get obese due to faulty lifestyle, wrong eating, living and thinking. The increase in number of obesity patients are due to getting away from Mother Nature and the faulty changes in our life style. Now-a-days, most of children, youth, adult male and female are suffering from obesity. Obesity can be managed effectively by balanced use of Yoga Therapy and Naturopathy treatments.

Features of Obesity

The main symptoms of obesity are as under:

· Fatty and disproportionate body (imbalance between height and weight)

· Breathlessness after work

· More perspiration

· Pain in body

· Laziness, fatigue

· More sleep

Causes

According to Yoga and Naturopathy, Obesity is product of the changes in our lifestyle. The main causes behind this may be as under:

· Digestive disorders

· Lack of hard work

· Inactive and sedentary lifestyle

· Lack of exercise

· Imbalanced diet

· More intake of heavy and oily food items

· Food intake without requirement

· Improper assimilation of food

· Heredity

· Lack of drinking water

· Artificially colored, flavored, processed, preserved, deodorized, bleached, hydrogenated, refined food, white flour.

Sometimes, use of some medicines also increases fat. The irregularity in the secretion of Thyroid gland hormone is also a cause of obesity in some cases. Obesity also increases the possibility of some other diseases like High blood pressure, Heart disease, Arthritis and Diabetes. The tendency of obesity in children id increasing day by day due to more intake of fast food and junk foods which are evidenced by various studies. Lack of exercise and sitting before computer/television is also one of the major cause of obesity.

Yogic Therapy

Yogic therapy is highly effective in the controlling and management of obesity. Such patients should practice Kunjal and Shankha Prakshalana. Regular practice of Tadasana, Kati Chakrasana, Padahastasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana, Paschimottanasana, Matsyasana, Ardha-Matsyendrasana and Ushtrasna along with Surya Namaskara is highly beneficial for such patients. Suryabhedi and Bhastrika Pranayama are also found useful in obesity. Such patients should start their daily routine from early morning brisk walking.

Naturopathy

Patients should give adequate place to hard work and exercise in their daily routine. From Naturopathic point of view such patients are advised to take mud pack on abdomen, Enema, Steam bath twice a week and Hip bath. In addition to this full tub bath, mud bath, sun bath, and whole body massage are also useful. Swimming is very much useful in reducing the weight.

Diet Therapy

The best way to reduce the weight is ‘Eat less and Exercise more’. The obesity patients should re-design their daily routine according to the above principle. Such patients should start their treatment with liquid diet. During liquid diet 400ml of water mixed with one lemon juice should be taken 3 to four times a day. After liquid diet, one time fruit diet and one time porridge and vegetable should be taken for a week. Thereafter whole wheat Roti and boiled vegetable should be taken with plenty of salad. This process should be repeated after every fifteen days. Such patients should prefer fruits and vegetables, salad, sprouts and should restrict use of sweets, heavy and oily foods. Leaving these items will be better. A diet schedule may be prepared for weight reduction as under.

Diet Schedule for Obesity

Ushapanam: Drink half liter of cold/neutral water

Morning: One glass water with lemon juice+2 tsp honey

Breakfast: Sprouts (Moong+Methi) or any one seasonal fruit or fruit juice-1 glass

Lunch: Whole wheat Roti-1 or 2 or Rice, Boiled green vegetables without spices, Salad, Butter-milk 1 glass

Evening: One glass water + lemon juice + 2 tsp honey or vegetable Soup-1 glass

Dinner: As in Lunch by 8:00 p.m.

Avoid: Potato, White flour (Maida), Hydrogenated Oils, Cold drinks, Ice Cream, Sugar, Sweets, Milk.

Reduce: Salt, Fried Foods, Fats, Pulses, Carbohydrates, Mango

Precautions

1. Obesity can be controlled effectively with the combined approach of Yoga and Naturopathy. The only think required is to make positive changes in eating living and thinking habits.

2. The simple measures for weight reduction are daily morning brisk walk, jogging, practice of yoga, balanced and controlled natural diet and daily routine full of hard work.

3. Drink water at every 2-3 hours gap that is 3-4 liter daily. Don’t drink water during meals. Drink water about 1 hour before and 1 hour after meals.

4. Yogasansas and Naturopathy treatments may be done at home under the guidance and supervision of an experienced Naturopathy/Yoga therapist. However it will be beneficial if the above treatments are taken first in a neuropathy Hospital.

5. Sometimes the patients of obesity also suffer from other disorders like Bronchial asthma, Diabetes, Heart disease, High blood pressure etc. in such conditions the patient should be first investigated thoroughly and thereafter the treatment and diet plan should be advised to him accordingly.

Handwritten by: Madhav Pandey

Sprouts - The Panacea for Life

2019-10-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Sprouts – The Panacea for Life

Introduction

Sprouted seeds are a basic source of life and have been a major factor of nutrition for thousands of years. Sprouts are believed as miracle food, a prime source of nutrients having high food potency.

In Naturopathy sprouts are treated as living food. Being alkaline in nature sprouts help in improving health, purifying the body and rendering it to immune disease. It increases the nutritional value of our daily diet. Naturopathy believes that our diet should consist of 20% acidic and 80% alkaline food chiefly containing large quantity of raw foods and sprouts etc. for preserving health. The overall impact of sprouts on total health so wide that Naturopaths propagate sprouts as medicine.

What is Sprouts?

Sprouts are germinated seeds of grains or legumes that have in the process of germination acquired the properties of preserving and growing a life that is the particular plant of the seed. That’s why it is believed that they have rejuvenating and health promoting qualities.

Why Sprouts?

In modern way of living people specially living in cities is becoming more and more dependent on acidic, junk and fast food etc. Which lead to serious health problems as well as obesity. It is believed in naturopathy that the cause of the most of the disease are wrong eating habits, wrong living habits and wrong thinking habits. Therefore sprouts may be a right answer to the wrong eating habit.

Introduction of sprouts as part of daily food may balance the ratio of acidic and alkaline food requirements which is important in maintaining health.

Who can take Sprouts?

Everyone can take sprouts but it should be taken in small quantity in the beginning and properly chewed too. Cucumber, tomato, green chilly coriander leaves and lemon etc. may be added to sprouts to enhance taste. By adding these items it can be made more nutritious too. Sprouts are not only high in nutritive value but are also cost effective. If an ill person consumes right raw diet, he can come out of his problems more swiftly. If a healthy person takes it regularly he can prevent himself from a number of diseases and promote his positive health.

Which seeds can be sprouted?

Seeds of sunflower, moth, moong, methi, alfalfa, gram, soyabean, and wheat etc can be sprouted and may be taken as per the requirements of an individual as per the advice of a Naturopath. In germinating wheat special care is required to be taken to avoid cathing of fungus. It is advisable to use glass jars for germinating wheat and expose them for sunlight in morning.

The Benefits of Sprouts

i. Sprouts are natural, fresh and completely living food. They are more easily digestable, less fattening, more palatable and nutritious.

ii. The amount of availability of Vitamin C, Iron, Riboflavin, Niacin and Phosphorus increases after sprouting certain seeds. In this way they are excellent sources of Vitamins and minerals.

iii. The amount of non-nutritive substances as Oligosaccharides etc. decreases after sprouting.

iv. The starch present in these food substances convert into glucose, fructose and maltose. They improve the taste as well increase the digestibility. The process of this conversion appears gradually in pulses and quickly in grains.

v. Sprouts are quickly and easily assimilated by the body and provide quick energy.

vi. They are easy to prepare and the cost effective, therefore, may suit to every budget.

vii. They give new and natural taste to our meal.

viii. Sprouts are complete and rejuvenating food without any contamination.

ix. Sprouts are generally taken uncooked, therefore, save fuel too.

x. They fulfill requirements of the body for preserving life and hence crave for several types of addictions and health harming food items are diminished very soon. Sprouts are suited to drug addicts and alcoholics as well in getting them rid of addiction.

Cooking of Sprouts

The eating of sprouts in cooked form instead of raw reduces the quantity of nutritive elements and quality of nutritive value. Therefore, cooking, frying, and roasting of sprouts is not advisable. However, one can steam the sprouts. For aged persons who are having problem in chewing, the sprouts may be grinded in a grinder and can be used as a paste with same benefits.

How to prepare Sprouts?

The sprouting of moong, Fenugreek (dana methi), gram and such other seeds can be done easily in jars or with wet clothes. First of all the seeds should be washed thoroughly with water several times and broken seeds should be removed. Thereafter, put them in a jar and fill with four times of water. After soaking whole night it should be washed next morning and kept in a small bag of clean cotton cloth. It may be hanged at some suitable place. In summers cold water should be sprinkled over it several times so the moisture could be retained. Next day small sprouts appear. Generally sprouts appear quickly in summers while late in winters. They can be sprouted in glass jars also by sprinkling cold water at intervals as may be needed.

It is not advisable to eat sprouts kept for long period. Therefore they should be used soon after sprouting. Stale, stinked and dull sprouts should not be used. Sprouts should be again cleansed thoroughly with water before eating.

Precautions

For sprouting the seed selected should be fresh, new, clean, disease free and untreated with chemicals. Old and diseased grains could not produce good sprouts. The seeds should be washed thoroughly and gravels, mud, etc. should be eliminated before sprouting. Germinated sprouts should be washed again and cleansed before use. During the process of sprouting, some seeds remain unsprouted, they should be picked up and removed.

Commonly Used Sprouts

Moong Bean (Vigna Radiata)

Moong bean is probably the easiest seed to sprout. It has a fresh flavor and adds taste to other foods. It is quite tasty to eat on its own. It is rich in vitamin A, E and C.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

The flavor of this commonly known dana methi sprout is spicy and slightly bitter. It is having some curative powers. It can be used in the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Gram (Cicer arietinum)

Gram is commonly used to sprout since very old days. It is believed that eating of a handful soaked or sprouted grams increases vigor and vitality. It also provides vitamin and minerals to the body.

Sprouts are instant food and can be prepared fresh everyday on our own. Preparing the sprouts may give us an internal pleasure of creating something new for health of our own family in our own kitchen. No costly equipments are required for it. The only thing required is the will to adopt natural food for health, vigor and vitality.

Handwritten by: Madhav Pandey