Obesity, Leanness & Sleep
Obesity
Excessive fat accumulation is the cause of obesity. The fat accumulation is caused by the intake of rich, fatty, sweet and cold foods, day time sleep, mental and physical inactivity, genetic disorders etc. The accumulation of fat is in the buttocks, belly and breast.
Obesity is a problem with eight handicaps. Tiredness, copious sweating, severe thirst, deep hunger, difficulty in movement, difficulty in sexual intercourse, body odour and shortened life are these handicaps. Obese is ridden with strong digestive power which digests the food quickly and log for more eating. If the urge to eat more is not met it results in disastrous consequences in the form of various disorders.
Measures directed towards the de-accumulation of fat make the body slim. Austere lifestyle, medication, mental and physical activities help slim the body. Dieting plays an important role. Food and drink items capable of neutralizing vata and reducing kapha and fat are needed to consume. Warm enema followed by medications and massage with oil are result giving practices. Coarse cereal-rich diet is preferable. Honey water and fermented drink after meals are helpful. Less than normal sleep, increased mental, physical and sexual activities are alleviating measures. Day sleep is harmful.
Leanness
Almost all opposite measures of obesity help leanness. Rich food consisting of fresh cereals, meat, meat soup, milk and milk products, black-gram, riche, wheat, jaggery, sugarcane etc is ideal for intake. Regular oil massage, sweet and fat enemas, happiness etc help a lot.
Sleep
Sleep is a life nourishing factor. Nourishment is obtained only from the normal sleep at night. Enforced sleep (due to excess of kapha, mental and physical over-activity, illess) gives negative results.
Sleep is not a factor not to be overlooked or neglected. Many positive and negative things emerge from the sleep. While normal sleep provides positive results, abnormal (under-sleep and over-sleep) gives negative results. Potency/impotency, happiness/misery, life/death, strength/weakness, knowledge/ignorance and many more things depend on sleep.
In the absence of normal sleep, it can be induced by various measures. Oil massage and bath, gentle rubbing of the body, intake of rice with curd, wine, soup and meat, gentle sounds, emollient applications to the eyes and face etc are sleep inducing factors. Negative sleeping can be corrected with appropriate measures. Physical and mental activity, bloodletting, fasting, medicated smoking, evacuative therapy etc are the correcting measures.
Though day sleep is generally negative result provider, in certain cases it helps to restore the equilibrium of dhatus and helps kapha to support body parts and functions. The old, women, children, patients of injuries, indigestion, diarrhea, dyspnea, colic, hiccup, insanity, those involved in long journey, night vigil, constant reading, singing, drinking, walking distances, carrying weight, manual work and the like fall in this category.
