Article: PANCHAKARMA PERSPECTIVES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY (STHAULYA): A REVIEW

Article Category: Review articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.1304110

Pages: 167-171

Author: Mohita Bohra *

Abstract: Acharya Charaka enumerates obese individuals in eight types of condemned (Ashta-ninditiya) individuals in the context of treatment. Overweight and obesity are abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. Though not considered a disease due to the lack of a universal concomitant group of symptoms or signs and the impairment of functions that characterize disease according to traditional definitions, it holds a competitive threat to human well-being. Where different efforts and treatments prove futile and the need to combat obesity increases, Panchakarma is a very effective and non-invasive treatment modality at best. The different procedures focus on the purification and correction of the metabolism at the molecular level. Various studies have shown immunological and metabolic changes associated with weight loss after the treatment. Panchakarma therapies aim towards not only reduction of body weight but also the correction of digestive fire and eliminate of waste products like free radicals causing various diseases, thus correcting the whole cycle of metabolism and bringing rejuvenation along with the correction of disease.

Keyword: Ashta-ninditiya, obesity, Panchakarma, purification, rejuvenation.