Obesity in Children - An alarming problem in Kaumarbhritya

Abstract

A roly-poly child obviously attracts many attentions but if the trend remains unchanged it could be a reason of worry as this is the primitive sign of childhood obesity which is the leading problem in today’s era. With continuous change in life style and dietary habits, child has become the victim of many diseases and obesity (Sthaulya) is one of them. There are and were some human activists talking about reducing the weight of study bags; but none is thinking about the weight our babies are carrying. In present era both parents are working, to earn the luxuries and amusements, so the kids are left with the food packets at home with idiot boxes to see some “de-shaped” cartoons resulting in the reduction of healthy nutritious diet and also reducing their body activity. The body weight of our babies is putting pressure on their “cuteness”, their “happiness”, their “emotions” and on their “being”. In Ayurveda it needs step by step examination and treatment to break the ‘Dushtasamprapti Chakra’ of Sthaulya by both non pharmacological such as Yoga and pharmacological remedies such as Panchakarma therapy, Shamana therapy etc. to achieve the goal.