Terms Related to Weight Loss:
Cachexia; Loss of Weight

Symptoms & Signs
Weight loss or weight reduction is a major concern of a large number of world population as the obesity is becoming very common health problem. According to Ayurveda obesity or over weight occurs due to imbalanced vata, pitta, and kapha systems. Chief cause of obesity is overeating, irregular eating habits and not

following the rules of eating or mixing non-compatible food items in one meal. To reduce the excessive body fat in healthy way three things are must; controlling eating habits, regular exercise, avoiding the causes of weight gain.

General Ayurvedic Treatment for all Body Types:
To reduce weight one should have the food that helps to reduce Kapha and fatty tissue but at the same time have anti – Vata propertyalso. This means that all the food substances should be dry and light in quality, without oils and fatty substances. (However care must be taken also that Vata does not get aggravated at the same time). One should drink warm or hot water, which should preferably be treated with herbs having pungent and bitter taste. Regular massage with dry herbs and decoction enemas also help to reduce excess fat from the body. He should also be ask to take proper exercise every day. Remaining awake late at night and sex also helps to reduce fat and Kapha. Treatment should be based on 4 factors: proper diet, exercise, meditation and use of proper herbs having hot and penetrating qualities. To increase the tissue fire of fatty tissue, herbs like guggulu, Carthamus tinctoris, Careya arborea, and shilajatu are used. Formation of ama is treated by toxin burning herbs like trikatu and catechu. Aggravation of vata is treated by medicated enemas of cleansing type. Channel blocking is treated by fat reducing – lekhana – herbs, which have scraping action to open channels like chitraka and barberry. Externally the same herbs are used for massage with Acorus calamus.

Advisable Dietary and Physical Practices
Eat regularly old rice, green gram, kulattha, bread of yava, kodrav, horsegram, old honey, lentil, alcohol, tirkatu, iron oxide, all dry food substances, sarshapa and sesame oil, application of agaru paste on the body, drinking warm water before meals and consuming shilajatu regularly and perform lekhana basti repeatedly. Regular active exercise every day until there is perspiration on forehead and axillae is a must. It can be in the form of cycling, swimming, jogging, running, or outdoor activities.Chinta, shrama, ratri-jagarana, sexual activity, langhana, exposure to the sun, horse – riding is advisable.

Precautionory Measures
Avoid all fried heavy foods, chocolates, sweets, butter, cheese, paneer, red meat, as well as cold drinks and preserved foods. Light diet is recommended to provide only the necessary energy. Avoid bathing with cold water, taking rasayana herbs, new cereals, sedentary job, consuming milk and its products, jaggery, salty food and drinks, drinking excess water after meals, eating meat and fish, day sleep snehana and vamana karma.