AYURVEDIC TREATMENTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS: NATURAL AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Obesity is a matter of increasing concern. The World Health Organisation estimated that in 2022, 16% of adults were living with obesity – an increase of over two-fold since 1990. Obesity increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease, as well as strokes and certain cancers. It can also negatively impact bone health, reproductivity, and overall quality of life by affecting sleep, mobility, self-confidence, etc.

Losing weight is never simple or easy. Often, you need to implement more than one lifestyle change for significant, long-term results. This is where ayurveda treatments for weight loss can play a role. The holistic approach that involves diet, herbal medication, and physiological therapy, has proven to be a natural and effective way to initiate or enhance weight loss.

Understanding Weight Gain in Ayurveda, and Causes of Weight Gain

According to the principles of ayurveda, the physiological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of an individual depends on the balance of the three doshas that determine these aspects: vata, pitta, and kapha. An imbalance of these could lead to notable changes, including weight gain.

Following is how each of these doshas plays a role in regulating digestion and, subsequently, maintaining a healthy weight.

• Vata dosha – As the dosha that brings about movement, it is involved in the flow of elements in the body, including breath, blood, thoughts, and even the movement of food through the body. It also plays an important role in fat processing and digestion. An imbalance of this dosha could therefore lead to the improper fat digestion, and a subsequent accumulation of fat in the body, thereby leading to weight gain.
• Pitta dosha – This dosha is involved in digestion, metabolism, energy production, and transformation within the body, and plays a key role in inflammation and in the burning of calories. Fluctuations in this dosha could therefore lead to excessive inflammation or a build-up of calories in the body, thereby leading to weight gain.
• Kapha dosha – Kapha dosha is involved in bloating, water retention (particularly in the face and around joints such as the ankles), and in digestion as well. An imbalance could potentially lead to excessive, long-term water retention and bloating, thereby contributing towards weight gain.

A general understanding of how these doshas function within our body can help us to be more aware of changes that take place in our body. This awareness would enable us to seek professional guidance on what sort of dietary, therapeutic, and lifestyle changes can be made to bring these doshas to a state of equilibrium that support the maintenance of a healthy body weight.

Ayurvedic Treatments for Weight Loss

Adhitya Ayurveda offers several ayurveda treatments for weight loss, including:

• Sarvanga Abyanga: This involves a full body massage using warm herbal oils. Trained therapists focus on specific pressure points that improve blood circulation, thereby reducing stress and relieving the body of pain and stiffness. The massage also helps to balance doshas within the body, thus helping to improve digestion. In fact, it is a key part of the detox treatment that uses Panchakarma for weight loss, which readies the body for the process of toxin elimination.
• Swedana Karma: This involves the use of a steam bath, and poultice therapy. The treatment is used to liquefy doshas in peripheral tissue, open pores on the skin, and enhance the elimination of toxins by inducing sweating. It also helps to relieve the body of heaviness and stiffness. This treatment can be focused on specific areas, or can be applied on the whole body, using either wet or dry therapy methods.
• Vasti: This involves the use of oil and a decoction enema that is used in Panchakarma to help balance vata dosha. Not only does this treatment purge the body of toxins, but it also helps to neutralise neurological, musculoskeletal, and digestive disorders. In combination with a vata diet for weight loss specified by a medical professional, this is often an effective use of ayurvedic herbs for weight loss. This treatment is suitable for all ages, and is known to rejuvenate and nourish the body, while offering preventative benefits.
• Udvarthana: This is a dry massage therapy that involves massaging the entire, or specific areas of the body using a herbal powder. It functions as an ayurvedic detox for weight loss, and brings about fat reduction by improving blood circulation, stimulating nervous function, boosting tissue nutrition, and liquefying fat. These improvements subsequently help to improve skin and weight management.

Benefits of Ayurvedic Weight Loss Treatments

The ayurvedic approach to weight loss is a holistic one. It does not focus on weight loss alone, but aims to address the root cause of weight gain in terms of identifying imbalances in doshas and how this can affect digestion, metabolism, and accumulation of fat. Ayurvedic treatments for weight loss, such as those mentioned above, can kick-start the process of countering the underlying issues so that digestion, metabolism, and even immunity and clarity of mind, are elevated. Ideally, combining these treatments with a change in diet to suit each individual’s dosha can help to expedite the process, and to gradually attain and maintain a healthy weight over time. Such diets might focus on one particular dosha, or might be a combination diet, such as a kapha vata diet for weight loss, or a vata pitta diet for weight loss.

Adhitya Ayurveda’s comprehensive ayurveda treatments for weight loss offer packages that are tailor-made for you, following an initial consultation with our experienced ayurvedic doctors. They involve a holistic combination of ayurvedic treatment, ayurvedic diet, and yoga/meditation. Treatment programs are carefully curated and altered, if required, on observing how each individual’s body responds. The minimum recommended stay at our center for ayurvedic treatments for weight loss is seven nights. Browse through our website for more information on treatments, packages, and other offerings to support you on your natural, holistic weight loss journey.