Naturopathy treatment for weight loss is an interesting topic. The global figure is changing. Being overweight is primarily an issue of health. Excess weight in terms of complementary medicine is seen as an excess condition of toxicity that needs to be eliminated. Did you know that central obesity is as much linked to cardiovascular disease as cigarette smoking?

However there is no ad campaign telling us that fast food will lead to gangrene, although it can. Obesity is associated with complications in pregnancy, heart disease, late onset diabetes and certain cancers, in particular those related to oestrogen and the gastrointestinal tract.

People often have an excuse as to why they are overweight. Age, menopause, slow metabolism, child bearing, convenience and big bones, are some excuses people use. From a naturopathic perspective, there are legitimate reasons why people may gain weight that can be identified and addressed.

Why only Diets Don’t Work

• We feel deprived.
• Diets perpetuate an unhealthy obsession with food
• Diets often provide inadequate nutrition
• Diets treat the symptom and not the causes
• Diets upset the bodies’ metabolism, slowing down our Basal Metabolic Rate BMR.
• Diets don’t address cravings
• Diets don’t work alone, often needed in combination with counselling and ongoing support networks.

Effective Weight Loss Measures

• You must sweat you must go hungry
• Have reasonable expectations i.e. 1kg /week.
• Include a realistic intake of energy
• Ensure diet is nutritionally adequate.
• Reduce meal portions or have five small meals per day.
• Eat complex carbohydrates, nuts and seeds, legumes and grains and fat to give satiety.
• Eat food high in fibre to slow digestion and increase satiety.
• Relax, take a deep breath, and eat slowly.
• Select food low in saturated fats i.e. red meat, milk and cheese
• Limit sugar, supermarket foods low in fat are high in sugar
• Drink 6-8 glasses of room temperature water a day.
• Exercise, exercise, exercise to increase your BMR. Buy that wet weather gear.
• Follow the rules of healthy eating for life and not a diet for weeks/months.

Naturopathic Causes Weight Gain and Obesity

• Excess calories consumption and deficient exercise
• Blood sugar imbalance AKA Insulin Resistance
• Functional hypothyroid AKA Low Basal Metabolic Rate
• Deficiency of good fats EFAs leading to decreased Thermogenesis
• Low stomach acid AKA Hypochlorydria
• Sluggish liver AKA fatty liver

Naturopathic Treatment of Obesity-Weight Loss :- Principles

• Balance blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity
• Boost the BMR
• Stimulate thermogenesis
• Increase stomach acid
• Improve liver function

Naturopathy considers obesity to be less about diet and more about correcting underlying imbalance through lifestyle change that requires a plan of care that supports long-term sustainable health optimization.The Naturopathic Treatment of Obesity-Weight Loss works on six Principles of Naturopathy.

• Let nature heal
• Identify and treat causes
• First, do no harm
• Educate patients
• Treat the whole person
• Prevent illness

Conclusion

Naturopathic practice is oriented to facilitate patient self-healing and use the clinical encounter as an opportunity to inspire and guide patients to develop a healthier lifestyle. Treatment of obesity is a frequent focus of Naturopathy practice. While single therapeutic agents undergone testing in research trials, to date there has been no whole-system study that supports the effectiveness of naturopathic medicine for obesity. Yet, the naturopathic philosophy of the healing, including the focus on treating the whole person and preventative care suggest that it is ideally suited for the treatment and prevention of obesity.