Ayurvedic Remedies For Weight Loss: Where Obesity Turns Obsolete Naturally

Obesity has become a common phenomenon and is spreading like forest fire among the younger generation. Numerous studies have revealed that unhealthy and irregular eating habits and lack of physical exercises are the two major reasons sowing the seed for the tree of obesity to attain its fuller growth. If unchecked and treated at the initial stage, obesity can spread its harmful roots and give its love to other health complexities like diabetes or high blood sugar, liver disorders, heart attack resulting from stroke, coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis and other joint disorders, sleep apnea, increased blood cholesterol, gallstones and difficulty in accomplishing tasks than the person with normal body weight.

Many of us confuse obesity and overweight. Overweight may be due to the increased weight of bone, muscle, excess fat or water whereas obesity indicates the surplus amount of body fat. Both the terms share the common meaning of excess weight in a person’s body than the actual weight he/she is supposed to be according to their BMI (Body Mass Index).

Ayurvedic remedies for weight loss: Obesity is treated using various therapies in Ayurvedic treatment. Initially you will be facilitated to take up your first Ayurvedic consultation with the Ayurvedic practitioner, where your pulse, eye sight, breathing mechanism, palm and tongue are tested to trace out your doshas also known as psychosomatic structure. After which the complete medical history of you and your family as well your customary habits and emotional stability are drawn.

It is at this stage, the Ayurvedic expert explores the actual root cause for your obesity or overweight based upon on the findings of your first consultation. Ayurveda trusts in uniqueness of an individual and suggests a healthy diet, meditation, regular physical exercises and yoga for your complete robustness along with the relevant Ayurvedic medication.

A hearty eating habit: Even before prescribing the medicines for your condition, Ayurveda highly insists on practicing a healthy eating habit with fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, Ayurvedic drinks like ginger tea with lemon and more. This divine science directs you to take small portions of meal instead of single hefty meal and always remember to take rich food items during the lunch as the fire for digestion is at its fullest potential during noon. Chew your food thoroughly instead of blind swallowing as it encourages easy digestion restricting the unused particles to get stored in your body.

Water is your best mate and obesity’s worst fate: Drink as much as water you can as this elixir of life has the power to remove the unwanted materials and toxins from your body, allowing it to glow naturally.

Ayurvedic medication: Ayurveda suggests the use of herbal medications made with garcinia, licorice, ginger, rhubarb, coriander, triphala, cumin, shilajit, fennel, guggulu, turmeric, bhibitaki, tulasi or gokshura seed based upon your predominant dosha types. Most of the above herbs work in a way to augment the digestive fire (Agni) and support quicker and complete digestion essential for weight loss. Apart from these herbs the Ayurvedic professional may also prescribe the use of Ayurvedic essential oils like Bergamot oil, Grapefruit oil, Peppermint oil, Cypress oil, Rosemary oil, Thyme oil, Lemongrass oil, Orange oil, Fennel oil and Juniper oil for fighting the general fat deposits in your body and prevent the future fat deposits also.

There’s nothing to weep or worry. First understand that obesity is a universal condition and you are not its unique victim. It’s time to pack up the problems that obesity has presented you and give it ten times back to the environmental forces that made you feel shy and uncomfortable in your day to day living. Yes! The ready redeemer for all these burning problems is Ayurveda, the incredible science of human life.

Reference links:

  1. Obesity by PubMed Health
  2. Dosha by Wikipedia
  3. Natural Weight Loss – The Ayurvedic Way by Native Remedies

What Should You Know Before Purchasing Ayurvedic Essential Oils?

Ayurveda is a spectacular science blended with nature to treat human beings who are an absolute part of nature. There are numerous ways in which Ayurveda treats illnesses and aims at bringing in total harmony between the mind and body. The brilliant healing system of Ayurveda has eight comprehensive branches that cover every single sickness related with mankind. This ancient therapeutic methodology suggests the use of herbs, Ayurvedic essential oils extracted from plants, taking up a balanced diet, regular physical exercises, and yoga for rejuvenation and meditation for strengthening your mental power from within.

Ayurveda is completely safe but any medicine besides being natural should be taken only after a proper consultation with your Ayurvedic practitioner. You must be precautious and aware of certain essential things before purchasing Ayurvedic essential oils. Those vital things are:

  1. Know what you are actually buying: Essential oils generally mean that they carry the typical essence and aroma from the plants they are extracted. These highly concentrated oils have impulsive aroma compounds with a historical use in Ayurveda for more than 5000 years in the treatment and prevention of innumerable health conditions and had recently given the name ‘Aromatherapy’. Essential oils have therapeutic values and all you need to know initially is the actual reason for purchasing the oil. Which particular illness you are going to treat or what are the ways in which you are going to use it? Everything needs to have an answer before choosing the right oil for your class.
  2. Keep your confusions at bay: Try to understand the difference between essential oils, fragrance oils, synthetic oils and perfume oils. All are different from each other and except essential oils; all the other three oils have artificial, chemical and synthetic elements added to them to bring in the real effect. Peeping slightly into the chemistry of essential oils will help you know how it affects your robustness and well-being. Synthetic elements can also cause adverse health conditions.
  3. Look for the container in which it is stored: Essential oils are highly concentrated and have the potential to degrade plastic containers or containers with rubber seals. Do not purchase essential oils in clear, transparent bottles as they can be spoiled by the reflection of light.
  4. Take time to test your essential oils: You can test the purity of your essential oils by yourselves by placing a drop of oil on a paper. Essential oils evaporate rapidly without leaving any kind of oily marks behind. If you see an oily mark it is a clear sign that your essential oil is not pure and has vegetable oils added to it.
  5. Purchase it from a reliable company: Essential oils are trusted to be the life-saving oils and any adulteration or low quality oil can have off-putting effects on your body. To avoid this, always purchase your Ayurvedic essential oils from a trustworthy company that care for its customers and does not comprise its integrity at any cost. You can get a reference from your friends or search for best companies approved by FDA, ISO and other quality certifications that often determine and assure you on the quality of essential oils.
  6. Look for the label information: Look for the information on the label and try identifying the words on it. Flawless and high quality essential oils will most of the times have words like ‘Pure’, ‘Genuine’, ‘Finest quality’ etc, with the botanical name and the country of origin, confirming that you are purchasing the right oil that you wanted to buy.

You don’t need to be an expert in testing the quality of essential oils that you buy but being aware of these quintessential things will certainly save your head from nonconstructive health effects.

Thought for the day:

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

                                                                                        -Mahatma Gandhi

Suggested Reading:

  1. Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide by D. Gary Young
  2. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals by Robert Tisserand, Tony Balacs

Reference Links:

  1. Essential oils by Wikipedia
  2. How Do I determine the Quality of essential oils? By University of Minnesota
  3. Essential Oil Chemistry by Bio Spiritual Energy Healing

Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Untold Anecdote

Most of us might have perceived Ayurveda and Aromatherapy as two different parts of the Complementary and Alternative medicine but I take great privilege in revealing the fact that Aromatherapy is an innate or in-built part of Ayurveda, the 5000 years old ancient healing methodology. Ayurveda is proudly celebrated as the Mother of all healing sciences as it has given birth to numerous traditional healing methodologies like Unani, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Acupuncture, Herbalism, Siddha, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional European Medicine and much more.

Aromatherapy is not a separate branch of Ayurveda but it is a vital part or an incredible way of treating illness in Ayurveda through the use of ‘aromatics’ and later given a separate name by Rene Maurice Gattefosse, known as the father of aromatherapy. It’s high time to put an end to this endless myth whether Ayurveda and Aromatherapy are the two poles apart? Let’s analyze.

Holistic approach: Ayurveda is a holistic healing approach that considers an individual as an entity and as a ‘Whole person’. This ancient science considers the physical, mental, emotional, environmental and sociological reasons contributing to a particular illness of an individual. While prescribing medications, Ayurveda does not stop with giving herbs or oils as remedies for a disease instead it suggests regular practice of yoga, meditation, taking an Ayurvedic diet, an Ayurvedic routine and certain other lifestyle changes according to an individual’s body type (doshas) and the unique constitution known as Prakriti. On the other hand, Aromatherapy is also a holistic method that considers the connection between mind, body and spirit.

Use of aromatics: Ayurveda makes use of aromatics to prevent and treat various health conditions. This is because it believes that the strengthening of the five human senses promotes healthy living. Inhalation of the aroma of plants and the essential oils extracted from those plants is trusted to enhance the sense of smell and directly contributes to mental health and treats hormonal imbalances.

This is the basic reason behind the use of incense sticks and other aromatic herbs and oils like sandalwood and tulasi in religious rituals and prayers for instilling the spiritual feeling. When it comes to Aromatherapy, this attribute of using aromatics needs no explanation as Aromatherapy makes use of Ayurvedic essential oils and trusts that the aromatic compounds and therapeutic properties present in these oils helps in healing illnesses invariably.

Abhyanga or the Ayurvedic massage therapy: Ayurvedic massage therapy involves the use of remedial oils like sesame oil, coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil and few other vegetable oils along with effective essential oils. It is a vital part of Panchakarma or the detoxification therapy, where the toxic substances of the body are removed and it inhibits the growth of harmful bodies through systematic massage.

Marguerite Maury, pioneer of Aromatherapy and the celebrated French Aromatherapist, in the traditional British Aromatherapy has talked on the benefits of using essential oils on dermal application through effective    massage techniques, where the concept of massaging itself is indigenous to Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic essential oils: Ayurveda is the oldest of the existing medicinal practices in the world and has a recorded use of herbal plants for more than 5000 years ago. Essential oils are nothing but the highly concentrated liquids extracted from plants and are often known as the essence of the herbal plants. Aromatherapy makes use of these essential oils to reiterate the fact that we are a part of nature and it is safe and secure to treat our illnesses in a natural manner. Dr. Light Miller in her famous book ‘Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom’ talks about the importance of doshas and the perfect essential oils for each dosha.

For Vata Dosha: Lemon, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon, Basil, Ginger, Angelica, Cajeput, Anise and Rosewood.

For Pitta Dosha: Sandalwood, Lime, Peppermint, Chamomile, Yarrow and Coriander.

For Kapha Dosha: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Niaouli, Sage, Basil, Savory, Clove and Hyssop.

Vata, Pitta and Kapha is not Greek or Latin in the world of Aromatherapy but it just indicates the predominance existing in an individual’s constitution and these essential oils are said to treat the dosha imbalances with their healing properties.

Limbic System: According to Ayurveda, the sense of smell is connected with the limbic system. This helps in recollecting the memories of a place or a person associated with an aroma. Limbic system is a vital part of the brain that stimulates the function of the nervous system, determines the body temperature and blood sugar level, enables the process of respiration, and controls sexual feelings, sleep and awake responses and much more.

The underlying principle behind limbic system and Ayurveda is that the inhalation of aromatic essential oils with healing properties fosters the essential oil molecule to pass through the nasal passage and reaches the limbic system ultimately as nerve impulses following which, the hypothalamus passes the message to other parts of the body to rejoice, relax, control hunger, hormonal imbalances, thirst and many other feelings. Even Aromatherapy indicates the same mechanism of aroma through the limbic system in healing illnesses.

Hope this information is more than enough to prove that the concept of Aromatherapy has been a part and parcel of Ayurvedic healing methodology since ages till it was given birth under a new name ‘Aromatherapy’ by its father Rene Maurice Gattefosse. Nothing to wrestle or protest but I end this post with the pride of finding something unique and exceptional in all the healing sciences that is nothing but ‘Human beings are special naturally’.

Thought for the day:

‘Healing,’ Papa would tell me, ‘is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.’
-W. H. Auden

Suggested Reading:

  1. Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing By Dr. Light Miller, Dr. Bryan Miller
  2. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils By Gabriel Mojay
  3. The Aromatherapy Companion: Medicinal Uses/Ayurvedic Healing/Body-Care Blends/Perfumes & Scents/Emotional Health & Well-Being (Herbal Body) By Victoria H. Edwards

Reference Links:

  1. Aromatherapy from Ayurveda’s Perspective by Yayoi Stavish
  2. Ayurveda and Aromatherapy by AllHealthyFamily News
  3. The Limbic System by Suzanne Bovenizer CMT, CST