Herbal Medicine Solutions To Obesity or Overweight

What is obesity?
Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30.0 or more in adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that takes a person’s weight and height into account to measure body size.

Obesity is associated with a higher risk for serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

The CDC estimates that 42.4 percent of Americans 20 years old and older had obesity from 2017 to 2018.

BMI isn’t everything. It has some limitations as a metric.

According to the CDC, “Factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and muscle mass can influence the relationship between BMI and body fat. Also, BMI doesn’t distinguish between excess fat, muscle, or bone mass, nor does it provide any indication of the distribution of fat among individuals.”

 

Despite these limitations, BMI continues to be widely used to measure body size.

What causes obesity?

Eating more calories than you burn in daily activity and lack of exercise on a long-term basis can lead to obesity. Over time, these extra calories add up and cause weight gain.

But it’s not always just about calories in and calories out, or having a sedentary lifestyle. While those are indeed causes of obesity, some causes you can’t control.

Common specific causes of obesity include:

• Genetics can affect how your body processes food into energy and how fat is stored growing older, which can lead to less muscle mass and a slower metabolic rate, making it easier to gain weight.
• Not sleeping enough can lead to hormonal changes that make you feel hungrier and crave certain high-calorie foods.
• Pregnancy, as weight gain during pregnancy, may be difficult to lose and might eventually lead to obesity.

Certain health conditions can also lead to weight gain, which may lead to obesity. These include:

• Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a condition that causes an imbalance of female reproductive hormones.
• Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare condition present at birth that causes excessive hunger.
• Cushing syndrome is a condition caused by having high cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in your system.
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) and other conditions that cause pain that may lead to reduced activity.

Who is at risk of obesity?

A complex mix of factors can increase a person’s risk of obesity.

Genetics

Some people have genes that make it difficult for them to lose weight.

Environment and community

Your environment at home, at school, and in your community can all influence how and what you eat, and how active you are. You may be at a higher risk for obesity if you:

Live in a neighbourhood with limited healthy food options or with many high-calorie food options, like fast-food.

Source a good place to play, walk or exercise in your neighbourhood.

Psychological and other factors

Depression can sometimes lead to weight gain, as some people may turn to food for emotional comfort. Certain antidepressants can also increase the risk of weight gain.

For that reason, it’s important to focus on diet and exercise while you’re quitting bad habits at least after the initial withdrawal period.

Medications, such as steroids or birth control pills, can also raise your risk for weight gain.

How is obesity diagnosed?

BMI is a rough calculation of a person’s weight about their height.

Other more accurate measures of body fat and body fat distribution include:

1. Skinfold thickness tests
2. Waist-to-hip comparisons
3. Screening tests, such as ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRI scans

Your doctor may also order certain tests to help diagnose obesity-related health risks.
These may include:

• Blood tests to examine cholesterol and glucose levels
• Liver function tests
• A diabetes screening
• Thyroid tests
• Heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

A measurement of the fat around your waist is also a good predictor of your risk for obesity-related diseases.

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 and 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 several health complications, some of which can be life-threatening if not treated:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Certain cancers (breast, Colon, and endometrial)
  
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Fatty liver disease
• High cholesterol
• Sleep apnea and other breathing problems
• Arthritis
• Infertility

 How can you prevent obesity?

There’s been a dramatic increase in obesity and obesity-related diseases in the last couple of decades.

This is the reason communities, states, and the federal government are emphasizing healthier food choices and activities to help turn the tide on obesity.

On a personal level, you can help prevent weight gain and obesity by making healthier lifestyle choices:

1. Aim for moderate exercise like walking, swimming, or biking for 20 to 30 minutes every day.
2. Eat well by choosing nutritious foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
3. Eat high-fat, high-calorie foods in moderation.
4. Green bean coffee is excellent for obesity
5. Moringa tea is also good.

Treatments for Obesity in Herbal Medicine

Herbs or plants contain wonderful therapeutic phytochemical that affect many cures over thousands of years now, even when there is no scientific evidence on their uses.

With healthy lifestyles, the following herbal remedies are noted over the years to effectively treat obesity or overweight in both genders:

In Africa, maize or corn is ground to prepare many delicacies. One particular one is cornmeal known as Eko, Agidi, Pab, etc.
When the corn is ground, water is used to sieve it to separate fibres, the water and the fine smoothly sieved may settle down so you get cloudy water on top while you have sediments below which is used.

The water in this case will be needed to prepare an obesity remedy

1. The Pap water (5 litres)
   Onion bulb 5 (Alium cepa)
   Natural lime orange juice 3 litres (Citrus Aurantifolia)
   Preparations
   Cut the onions to pieces and use both liquid mixtures to cook the onions for 20 minutes.
   Drink 25ml early mornings before food. try to eat the first meal of the day around noon and last meal around 6:00 PM.
2. Juice from bulb red onion (Allium cepa)
   Natural lime orange juice (Citrus aurantifolia)
   Preparation
   You will mix it in equal proportion.
   Usage
   You will take one glass of it every morning before foods and eat a first meal around noon and last meal around 6:00 PM.
3.  Get Orange peels like 500 gram
   Get 300 grams of ginger
   Preparation
   Cut ginger to pieces and boil with orange peel for 15 minutes
   Drink 30ml or 40ml in early mornings and follow the above dietary tips.
4. Garlic (Allium sativum )
   Aloe vera plants
   Lime orange juice/Citrus aurantifolia
   Preparation 
   You will blend the garlic with the Aloe Vera plants. You will then add it to lime orange juice.
   Usage
   You will be taking it early in the morning before eating and follow the above dietary tips.