Obesity represents a complex relationship between genetic, psychological, metabolic, lifestyle and socioeconomic cultural factors. It is one of the most alarming medical conditions to affect a woman. Obesity in the recent times has taken the status of a global epidemic, posing as a universal threat cutting across boundaries and socio-economic strata.
Weight loss is the primary focus when you find yourselves overweight standing on your bathroom scales. But health experts say, 'Don’t go by the weighing machine' because what matters is your Body mass index (BMI) which is a way of relating your weight to your height. An ideal BMI is taken to be 20 and 25 and if your obesity count is more than 30 you are diagnosed with obesity. Being overweight is not a disease, but obesity is. Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for many diseases and conditions. The more body fat that you have and the more you weigh, the more likely you are to develop:
· Coronary heart disease (also called coronary artery disease)
· High blood pressure
· Type 2 diabetes
· Gallstones
· Breathing problems
· Certain cancers
What Causes Overweight and Obesity?
Lack of Energy Balance
A lack of energy balance most often causes overweight and obesity. Energy balance means that your energy IN equals your energy OUT.
Energy IN is the amount of energy or calories you get from food and drinks. Energy OUT is the amount of energy your body uses for things like breathing, digesting, and being physically active.
To maintain a healthy weight, your energy IN and OUT don't have to balance exactly every day. It's the balance over time that helps you maintain a healthy weight.
· The same amount of energy IN and energy OUT over time = weight stays the same
· More energy IN than energy OUT over time = weight gain
· More energy OUT than energy IN over time = weight loss
Overweight and obesity happen over time when you take in more calories than you use.
Other Causes
An Inactive Lifestyle
Many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work, schoolwork, and leisure activities. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity. Other reasons for not being active include: relying on cars instead of walking, fewer physical demands at work or at home because of modern technology and conveniences, and lack of physical education classes in schools for children. People who are inactive are more likely to gain weight because they don't burn up the calories that they take in from food and drinks
Environment
Our environment doesn't support healthy lifestyle habits; in fact, it encourages obesity. Some reasons include:
· Lack of neighborhood sidewalks and safe places for recreation. Not having area parks, trails, sidewalks, and affordable gyms makes it hard for people to be physically active.
· Work schedules. People often say that they don't have time to be physically active because of long work hours and time spent commuting.
· Oversized food portions. Americans are surrounded by huge food portions in restaurants, fast food places, gas stations, movie theaters, supermarkets, and even home. Some of these meals and snacks can feed two or more people. Eating large portions means too much energy IN. Over time, this will cause weight gain if it isn't balanced with physical activity.
· Lack of access to healthy foods. Some people don't live in neighborhoods that have supermarkets that sell healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Or, for some people, these healthy foods are too costly.
· Food advertising. Americans are surrounded by ads from food companies. Often children are the targets of advertising for high-calorie, high-fat snacks and sugary drinks. The goal of these ads is to sway people to buy these high-calorie foods, and often they do.
Genes and Family History
Studies of identical twins who have been raised apart show that genes have a strong influence on a person's weight. Overweight and obesity tend to run in families. Your chances of being overweight are greater if one or both of your parents are overweight or obese.
Your genes also may affect the amount of fat you store in your body and where on your body you carry the extra fat. Because families also share food and physical activity habits, a link exists between genes and the environment.
Children adopt the habits of their parents. A child who has overweight parents who eat high-calorie foods and are inactive will likely become overweight too. However, if the family adopts healthy food and physical activity habits, the child's chance of being overweight or obese is reduced.
Health Conditions
Some hormone problems may cause overweight and obesity, such as underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Underactive thyroid is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down your metabolism and cause weight gain. You'll also feel tired and weak.
Cushing's syndrome is a condition in which the body's adrenal glands make too much of the hormone cortisol. Cushing's syndrome also can develop if a person takes high doses of certain medicines, such as prednisone, for long periods.
People who have Cushing's syndrome gain weight, have upper-body obesity, a rounded face, fat around the neck, and thin arms and legs.
PCOS is a condition that affects about 5–10 percent of women of childbearing age. Women who have PCOS often are obese, have excess hair growth, and have reproductive problems and other health issues due to high levels of hormones called androgens.
Medicines
Certain medicines may cause you to gain weight. These medicines include some corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines. These medicines can slow the rate at which your body burns calories, increase your appetite, or cause your body to hold on to extra water. All of these factors can lead to weight gain.
Emotional Factors
Some people eat more than usual when they're bored, angry, or stressed. Over time, overeating will lead to weight gain and may cause overweight or obesity.
Smoking
Some people gain weight when they stop smoking. One reason is that food often tastes and smells better after quitting smoking.
Another reason is because nicotine raises the rate at which your body burns calories, so you burn fewer calories when you stop smoking. However, smoking is a serious health risk, and quitting is more important than possible weight gain.
Age
As you get older, you tend to lose muscle, especially if you're less active. Muscle loss can slow down the rate at which your body burns calories. If you don't reduce your calorie intake as you get older, you may gain weight.
Midlife weight gain in women is mainly due to aging and lifestyle, but menopause also plays a role. Many women gain around 5 pounds during menopause and have more fat around the waist than they did before.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, women gain weight so that their babies get proper nourishment and develop normally. After giving birth, some women find it hard to lose the weight. This may lead to overweight or obesity, especially after a few pregnancies.
Lack of Sleep
Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese. People who report sleeping 5 hours a night, for example, are much more likely to become obese compared with people who sleep 7–8 hours a night.
People who sleep fewer hours also seem to prefer eating foods that are higher in calories and carbohydrates, which can lead to overeating, weight gain, and obesity over time.
Hormones that are released during sleep control appetite and the body's use of energy. For example, insulin controls the rise and fall of blood sugar levels during sleep. People who don't get enough sleep have insulin and blood sugar levels that are similar to those in people who are likely to have diabetes.
Also, people who don't get enough sleep regularly seem to have high levels of a hormone called ghrelin (which causes hunger) and low levels of a hormone called leptin (which normally helps curb hunger).
Types of Obesity
The fat distribution in the body is identified among the two types of obesity android & gynoid.
Android: - Android type of obesity is likened to the shape of an apple. The shoulders, face, arms, neck, chest & upper portion of the abdomen are bloated. The stomach gives a stiff appearance, as well as the arms, shoulders and breasts. The back seems to be erect but the neck is compressed and there will be a protruding chest because of the bulk in the stomach. The lower portion of the body -- the hips, thighs and legs are thinner beyond proportion in comparison with the upper part. In these persons the vital organs affected will be mostly the heart, liver, kidneys & lungs. Though this type of obesity is found more in males it is common in females too. Those females, who are under hormone treatment for their menstrual abnormalities or after childbirth, are more prone to this type of obesity. It occurs in females around menopause too due to thyroid gland's functional disturbance. In this type, the excess flesh is less likely to reduce especially in female than males. Android type of obesity is a major risk for heart damage and heart disease due to high cholesterol.
Gynoid: - In this type the lower part of the body has the extra flesh. This type of obesity is also common to both sexes though females are more affected. Gynoid type of obesity is similar to pears. The flesh is somewhat flabby in the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and legs. The face and neck mostly give a normal appearance. In some persons, the cheeks may be drawn too. Vital organs affected mostly are the kidneys, uterus, intestines, bladder & bowels. But the functions of these organs sometimes have a direct effect on the heart. In this type of obesity, exercises or dieting will not help appreciably in reducing weight.
The third type: - Besides android and gynoid, there is one more type of obesity. Some people do not belong to any of the above type of obesity. Their whole body from head to toe looks like a barrel. Their gait is more to rolling rather than walking. The fat tissues in their body hinder the movement of all the internal organs and consequently affect their brisk functioning.
Childhood obesity
It is one of serious health problem which is to be prevented. Absence of good parenting is the first reason for it. There are a variety of environmental factors that determine whether or not the healthy choice is the easy choice for children and their parents.
Focusing on environment and physical factors for childhood obesity
Ø Sugar drinks and less healthy foods on school campuses.
Ø Advertising of less healthy foods
Ø Lack of daily, quality physical activity in all schools
Ø No safe and appealing place, in many communities, to play or be active.
Ø Greater availability of high-energy-dense foods and sugar drinks
Ø Limited access to healthy affordable foods.
Ø Lack of breastfeeding support: Breastfeeding protects against childhood overweight and obesity
Ø Television and media: Children 8—18 years of age spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media, including TV, computers, video games, cell phones, and movies
Diagnosis
Being overweight does not necessarily signify obesity. Obesity as a medical condition is diagnosed mainly on the basis of a rough-and-ready measurement called Body Mass Index (BMI) – weight in kilograms divided by the square of the individual’s height in meters (kg/m2). An ideal BMI count is considered to be 24, while a woman is considered to be overweight when the BMI count ranges between 25 and 29. Obesity is diagnosed if the BMI count exceeds 30 or beyond. While in cases of morbid obesity, the BMI count goes beyond 40.
BMI = Weight in Kilograms / Square of height in meters.
So BMI = Kg / square ms.
or BMI = Weight (lbs) * 703 / height (inches)
2BMI is indexed as follows for reference:
BMI < 18.5 = Underweight
BMI 18.5 – 24.9 = Normal weight
BMI 25 – 29.9 = Overweight
BMI 30 – 39.9 = Obese
BMI > 40 = Severely obese
Prevention:-
You can curb obesity with some of the most successful of the strategies crafted for weight loss. These include weight loss by caloric restriction, diet intake with high carbohydrate and fiber but less fat content, increased physical activity, behavioral therapy and lifestyle changes.
· Diet and exercise has been considered the best possible prevention against obesity, but care should be taken that you burn your calories or fat while exercising instead of muscles. This can be done by choosing a moderate exercise for longer duration instead of faster pace.
· And moreover, the diet intake should include fewer calories instead of just a reduction in dietary fat to control obesity.
· Once a weight loss therapy is adapted, measures should be taken for weight management in the next few months to prevent the lost weight from coming back.
· Brisk walking is one of the most comprehensive ways for weight loss and prevention of obesity.
To stay active, try to exercise 30 to 60 minutes every day. Your exercise doesn't have to be hard. Walking, swimming, and stretching are all good ways to burn calories and can help you stay fit. Try these activities to get moving:
· Go outside for a walk.
· Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
· Walk or bike to places (such as school or a friend's house) instead of driving.
· If you have to drive somewhere, park farther away than you need to and walk the extra distance.
· Tackle those household chores, such as vacuuming, washing the car, or cleaning the bathroom - they all burn calories.
· Alternate activities so you don't get bored: Try running, biking, skating.
· Limit your time watching TV or playing video games; even reading a book burns more energy.
· Go dancing -- it can burn more than 300 calories an hour!
Surgery for Obesity
Bariatric surgery – Weight loss surgery is the use of surgical interventions in treating obesity by reducing the volume of stomach, producing an earlier sensation of satiety (by adjustable gastric banding and vertical banded gastroplasty) or by reducing the length of bowel and so directly reducing absorption (gastric bypass surgery). Band surgery is reversible but others are not.
Homeopathic medicines to stay fit with fats.
Homeopathic medicines are selected individually according to patient’s mental, emotional and physical planes. Medical history of the patient is important for the prescription. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions. The medicines given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition. None of these medicines should be taken without professional advice.
Calcarea carbonica
A constitutional remedy for reducing fat. The patient is FAT, FAIR AND FLABBY. Great anti-psoric remedy with increased general and local perspiration and swelling of glands, scrofulous and rachitic conditions. Persons who take cold easily, grow fat, are large bellied, with large heads and pale skin. Craving of eggs is marked with heat as well as coldness of single parts of body. Obesity in children.
The patient feels worse by exertion, (mental /physical), ascending, cold (in every form), water, washing, moist air, wet weather, standing. The patient feels better in dry climate, lying on painful side.
Ferrum metallicum
Obesity with anemia, face puffy, with pitting of flesh. Best adapted to young, weakly persons, anemic and chlorotic, with pseudo-plethora, who flush easily and have cold extremities, suffer from weakness even on speaking or walking though looking strong. Pallor of skin, mucus membranes and face.
Worse by - night, rest, sitting quietly and during menses.
Better by slow motion, walking slowly and in summer.
Ammonium muriaticum
Especially suited to those who are fat and sluggish and whose bodies are large and fat with large buttocks, fatty tumors and thin legs. All mucus secretions are increased and retained. Generally suffering from respiratory troubles and associated affections of liver. Obstinate constipation accompanied by much flatus. Hard, crumbling stools require great effort in expulsion; crumble from the verge of anus.
Thyroidinum
It produces anemia, emaciation, muscular weakness, and sweating, tingling and increased heart rate. It exerts great influence over goiter and excessive obesity and acts best in females with paleness and uterine fibroids or mammary tumors.
Antimonium crudum
Obesity in young people with excessive irritability and fretfulness together with a thickly coated white tongue. All the conditions aggravate by heat and cold bathing. Tendency to grow fat. For children and young people inclined to grow fat, for the extremes of life. Old people with morning diarrhea suddenly become constipated or alternate diarrhea and constipation, pulse hard and rapid. Sensitive to the cold. < After taking cold. Child is fretful, peevish, cannot bear to be touched or looked at, sulky, and does not wish to speak or be spoken to, angry at every little attention. Great sadness, with weeping. Longing for acids and pickles. Gastric and intestinal affections: from bread and pastry; acids, especially vinegar; sour or bad wine; after cold bathing; over-heating; hot weather.
Worse - After eating; cold baths, acids or sour wine; after heat of sun or fire; extremes of cold or heat.
Better - In the open air; during rest; after a warm bath.
Graphites
Tendency to obesity in females with delayed menstruation. The patients are stout, of fair complexion and tendency to skin affections and constipation, fat, chilly and costive. Take cold easily. Tendency to obesity and swollen genitals with indurations of tissues.
Phytollaca
An important remedy for obesity. Reduces fat and false growths. It is pre-eminently a glandular remedy with glandular swellings –heat and inflammations. Helps to reduce fat and thus reduce weight. It is useful in rheumatism of syphilitic origin where the pains are wandering, shifting and shooting. Burning in throat as from coal fire and cannot swallow hot liquids.
General soreness, lameness, bruised feeling over whole body causes the patient to groan. Intense prostration, sitting upright makes him faint and dizzy.
Mother tincture is used for weight reduction.
Fucus
A good remedy for obesity and non-toxic goiter (also exophthalmic). Digestion is improved and flatulence diminished. Obstinate constipation. Thyroid enlargement in obese people.
Calcarea arsenicum
Complaints in fat women around climacteric or women approaching climaxis. The females tend to become fleshy and obese around menopause. Chilliness with dropsical affections. Cancer of uterus, affections of spleen and mesenteric glands are often found associated. Great mental depression. The slightest emotion causes palpitation of heart
Capsicum
Suits nicely those people who are of lax fibers, weak, diminished vital heat, fat/obese, indolent and have no vital heat or no reactive force. General uncleanliness of body and opposed to physical exertion. Burning pains and general chilliness with marked tendency to suppuration in every inflammatory process are found.
Phosphorus
Persons of waxy, translucent skin, half anemic, young people growing too rapidly, fair, blondes, quick and hemorrhagic diathesis. It affects the nutrition and function of every tissue of body. It causes pseudo-hypertrophy of muscles. Adapted to tall slender persons of sanguine temperament, fair skin, delicate eyelashes, find blond or red hair, quick perceptions, and very sensitive nature. Young people, who grow too rapidly, are inclined to stoop who are chlorotic or anemic; old people, with morning diarrhea. Hemorrhagic diathesis; small wounds bleed profusely from every mucous outlet.
Longs for: cold food and drink; juicy, refreshing things; ice cream > gastric pains.
As soon as water becomes warm in stomach it is thrown up.
Worse - Evening, before midnight, lying on left or painful side; during a thunderstorm; weather changes, either hot or cold.
Cold air relieves the head and face symptoms but aggravates those of chest, throat and neck.
Better - In the dark; lying on right side; from being rubbed or mesmerized; from cold food, cold water, until it gets warm.
Lac defloratum
Useful in obesity and where diseases are associated with faulty nutrition. Sick headaches with intense throbbing, nausea and vomiting, prostration and all complaints aggravated during menses.
Kali bichromicum
It is specially indicated for fleshy, fat, light haired complexioned people with scrofulous or syphilitic history. Symptoms tend to increase in the morning and all pains migrate quickly with rheumatic and gastric symptoms alternating. Catarrhal stage of all mucus membranes.
Pulsatilla
It is pre-eminently a female remedy with tendency to obesity in mild, gentle, yielding females who are sad, cry easily and weeps when talking. The symptoms are changeable and contradictory. The patient seeks the open air and feels better in it. Thirstlessness and chilliness in fat females. Aversion to fatty foods, still grows obese. Adapted to persons of indecisive, slow, phlegmatic temperament; sandy hair, blue eyes, pale face, easily moved to laughter or tears; affectionate, mild, gentle, timid, yielding disposition - the woman's remedy.
Weeps easily: almost impossible to detail her ailments without weeping. Especially, in diseases of women and children.
Women inclined to be fleshy, with scanty and protracted menstruation.
Worse - In a warm close room; evening, at twilight; on beginning to move; lying on the left, or on the painless side; very rich, fat, indigestible food; pressure on the well side if it be made toward the diseased side; warm applications; heat.
Better - In the open air; lying on painful side, cold air or cool room; eating or drinking cold things; cold applications.
Sepia
Obesity in females with weakness, yellow complexion and bearing down sensations. Pains extend down to back and patient chills easily. Obesity in menopausal females with hot flushes and perspirations.
Particularly sensitive to cold air, "chills so easily;" lack of vital heat, especially in chronic diseases.
Anxiety: with fear, flushes of heat over face and head; about real or imaginary friends; with uterine troubles.
Great sadness and weeping. Dread of being alone; of men; of meeting friends; with uterine troubles.
Indifferent: even to one's family; to one's occupation, to those whom she loves best.
Greedy, miserly.
Worse - In afternoon or evening; from cold air or dry east wind; sexual excesses; at rest; sultry moist weather; before a thunderstorm.
Better - Warmth of bed, hot applications; violent exercise.
Senega
Especially suited for persons of lax fibers who tend to become obese and also to children who are chubby in appearance. These children usually suffer from repeated respiratory catarrhal affections where rattling cough and profuse mucus but difficult raising are characteristics.
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