Obesity, also called corpulence or fatness, excessive accumulation of body fat, usually caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. The excess calories are then stored as fat, or adipose tissue. Overweight, if moderate, is not necessarily obesity, particularly in muscular or large-boned individuals. In general, a BMI from 20 to 24.9 in adults is considered ideal. A BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight. A person is considered obese if the BMI is greater than 30 and is considered to have morbid obesity if the BMI is 40 or greater.
Most common causes of obesity
The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure determines a person’s weight. If a person eats more calories than he or she burns (metabolizes), the person gains weight (the body will store the excess energy as fat). If a person eats fewer calories than he or she metabolizes, he or she will lose weight. Therefore, the most common causes of obesity are overeating and physical inactivity. Ultimately, body weight is the result of genetics, metabolism, environment, behaviour, and culture.
- Physical inactivity. Sedentary people burn fewer calories than people who are active. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed a strong correlations between physical inactivity and weight gain in both sexes.
- Overeating. Overeating leads to weight gain, especially if the diet is high in fat. Foods high in fat or sugar (for example, fast food, fried food, and sweets) have high energy density (foods that have a lot of calories in a small amount of food). Epidemiologic studies have shown that diets high in fat contribute to weight gain.
- Genetics. A person is more likely to develop obesity if one or both parents are obese. Genetics also affect hormones involved in fat regulation. For example, one genetic cause of obesity is leptin deficiency. Leptin is a hormone produced in fat cells and in the placenta. Leptin controls weight by signalling the brain to eat less when body fat stores are too high. If, for some reason, the body cannot produce enough leptin or leptin cannot signal the brain to eat less, this control is lost, and obesity occurs. The role of leptin replacement as a treatment for obesity is under exploration.
- A diet high in simple carbohydrates. The role of carbohydrates in weight gain is not clear. Carbohydrates increase blood glucose levels, which in turn stimulate insulin release by the pancreas, and insulin promotes the growth of fat tissue and can cause weight gain. Some scientists believe that simple carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, desserts, soft drinks, beer, wine, etc.) contribute to weight gain because they are more rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream than complex carbohydrates (pasta, brown rice, grains, vegetables, raw fruits, etc.) and thus cause a more pronounced insulin release after meals than complex carbohydrates. This higher insulin release, some scientists believe, contributes to weight gain.
- Frequency of eating. The relationship between frequency of eating (how often you eat) and weight is somewhat controversial. There are many reports of overweight people eating less often than people with normal weight. Scientists have observed that people who eat small meals four or five times daily, have lower cholesterol levels and lower and/or more stable blood sugar levels than people who eat less frequently (two or three large meals daily). One possible explanation is that small frequent meals produce stable insulin levels, whereas large meals cause large spikes of insulin after meals.
- Medications. Medications associated with weight gain include certain antidepressants (medications used in treating depression), anticonvulsants (medications used in controlling seizures such as carbamazepine [Tegretol, Tegretol XR , Equetro, Carbatrol] and valproate [Depacon, Depakene]), some diabetes medications (medications used in lowering blood sugar such as insulin, sulfonylureas, and thiazolidinediones), certain hormones such as oral contraceptives, and most corticosteroids such as prednisone. Some high blood pressure medications and antihistamines cause weight gain. The reason for the weight gain with the medications differs for each medication. If this is a concern for you, you should discuss your medications with your physician rather than discontinuing the medication, as this could have serious effects.
- Psychological factors. For some people, emotions influence eating habits. Many people eat excessively in response to emotions such as boredom, sadness, stress, or anger. While most overweight people have no more psychological disturbances than normal weight people, about 30% of the people who seek treatment for serious weight problems have difficulties with binge eating.
- Diseases such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Cushing’s syndrome are also contributors to obesity. Some diseases, such as Prader-Willi syndrome, can lead to obesity.
- Social issues: There is a link between social issues and obesity. Lack of money to purchase healthy foods or lack of safe places to walk or exercise can increase the risk of obesity.
What are the complications of obesity?
Obesity can lead to more than simple weight gain. Having a high ratio of body fat to muscle puts strain on your bones as well as your internal organs. It also increases inflammation in the body, which is thought to be a risk factor for cancer. Obesity is also a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Obesity has been linked to a number of health complications, some of which can be life threatening if not treated: diabetes, heart, high, certain cancers (breast, colon, and endometrial),stroke, gallbladder, fatty, high, sleep and other breathing problems,arthritis,infertility
Because of the complex nature of obesity, a holistic approach is often identified as best practice. Whole systems of complementary medicine (WSCAM), “complete systems of theory and practice that have evolved independently from or parallel to allopathic (conventional) medicine”, can offer this type of an approach. WSCAM, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture & Acupressure), Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Physiotherapy, are traditional historical systems of medicine that are practiced by individual cultures. These WSCAM share a perspective that imbalances in the patient’s overall constitution are at the root of disease and dysfunction, including obesity. Therefore, treatment focused on the person’s overall well-being would ultimately address obesity. A particular approach that is frequently used to treat obesity is Naturopathic treatments.
Obesity is a condition which can bring lots of diseases to the body which can even lead to chronic state and make our body suffer. In our Nisarga Hospital we will give adequate interventions and strict diet patterns and exercise regimens. And more than that we will provide sophiscated interventions on Ayurveda, Physiotherpy and Naturopathy.
Treatment protocol for Obesity:
- Massage; Helps in improving metabolism and improve the flow of lymphatic channel.
- Steam bath; Helps in eliminating the toxins and improve the metabolism.
- Sauna bath; It will be dry heat technique which helps in metabolism.
- Wet sheet packs; Helps in producing heat with inside the body and thereby helps in digestion of stored fat.
- Diet therapy; Strict carbohydrate and fat restricted diet can holdup the further deposition of fat and helps in utilisation of stored Visceral fat and triglyceride.
- Vibration therapies; Helps in lipolysis process and speed up the breaking of fat.
- Slimming; It’s a technique of giving vibrations to particular fat build areas.
- Yoga therapy; Specific yoga techniques, asanas, stretching and practices
- Exercise therapy; Specified exercises based on the stage of condition.
- Eliminative techniques (Yogic Kriyas); It helps in cleansing whole alimentary anal from mouth to anal canal with few yogic kriya practices like Jala neti, sutra neti, vamana, shankaprakshalana, enema.
- Aerobics; It’s a type of exercise which helps in burning the fat out of the body.
- Hydrotherapy; Water treatments like under water massage, hip bath, immersion bath, Jaccuzzi.
- Fasting therapy; It’s a method of voluntary absistance of taking in food, or by consuming only one type of food or drink, like water fasting, juice fasting, fruit fasting etc.
- Mud therapy; It’s a technique of applying mud to the body, it will help in different ways by promoting the metabolism and revitalisation.
- Panchakarma; Its an ayurvedic protocol in which it holds 5 types of treatments which helps in overall health and rejuvenation.
- Herbal medications; Herbal suppliments, extractions, powders, tablets, and oils are used based on the need and condition of the patient.