Can homeopathy help you lose weight?

If you’re one of those people who have tried hard to lose weight with exercise and a healthy diet, but have been unsuccessful in doing so, give homeopathy a try!

‘Homeopathy has been successfully employed as a mode of treatment for weight loss, for many years now in the Europe and South Asia. But one should understand that it is no miracle cure. The homeopathic treatment for losing weight is constitutional and it requires a detailed case history of the patient and proper evaluation for selecting a suitable constitutional remedy,’ informs Dr Shreepad Khedekar, director and homeopath, Imperial Clinics, Mumbai.

How is the approach of homeopathy towards the weight loss process different?

Unlike the other conventional medications that are prescribed just by diagnosing the symptoms, homeopathy needs a detailed case history and also family history of obesity to ascertain if one has a predisposition to obesity. ‘Fat stores are regulated over long periods of time by complex systems that involve input and feedback from fat tissues, the brain and endocrine glands like the pancreas and the thyroid,’ explains Dr Khedekar.

The practitioner might also ask one about the eating habits, lifestyle habits and other underlying health conditions before prescribing a remedy. ‘The tendencies to overeat and be sedentary, the diminished ability to use dietary fat as fuel and a high, easily stimulated capacity to store body fat are all genetically influenced. The variation in how individuals respond to the food-rich environment and the differences in acquiring obesity-related conditions are also genetically determined,’ says Dr Khedekar.

How does homeopathy work for weight loss?

Homeopathic remedies are made from sources like plant extracts, herbs and other natural substances that don’t have any side effect on the body unlike the conventional weight loss pills or treatments. Homeopathy works on a simple principle that the symptoms caused by a substance in its undiluted form can be reversed by the same substance in its diluted form. ‘Homeopathy attempts to correct digestive disorders, improve metabolism and help in easy elimination – the three main prerequisites for reducing weight. The medicines are prescribed after studying the pattern of symptoms as they appear in the patient,’ informs Dr Khedekar. 

Unlike conventional medications that restrict the absorption of nutrients or induce a feeling of fullness, homeopathy drugs treat the symptoms that cause weight gain. ‘But remember homeopathy isn’t a magic cure. One needs proper diet and exercise regimen in place along with the medications to achieve desired weight loss goal,’ says Dr Khedekar. The homeopathic remedies are tailor made for one’s needs. What works for one isn’t going to work on the other as the basic reason and trigger for the condition of two different individual would differ.

Some of the common homeopathic drugs are as follows:    

Calcarea Carbonica: This is prescribed to those who are obese and present with classic symptoms of the condition like excess abdominal fat, have  low metabolism, sweat profusely mostly from the forehead, have difficulty in controlling appetite, eat to calm nerves, have an affinity towards foods like boiled eggs, suffer from indigestion and constipation. This medication is also offered to individuals who suffer from excessive weight gain due to an underlying thyroid condition.

Natrum Mur: This medication is prescribed to those who have excess weight gain in areas like the thighs and the buttocks. People who are obese and cannot tolerate the heat radiated from the sun, are anemic and suffer from underlying depression along with weight gain, are offered this homeopathic remedy.

Lycopodium: People with chronic gastritis problem like flatulence and constipation along with excessive weight in the thighs and buttocks can benefit from this remedy. Also people who are prescribed this medication are the ones who crave for sweet foods and eat far beyond their capacity. They typically have a short temper. 

Nux Vomica: This remedy is usually offered to people who have gained excessive body fat due to a sedentary lifestyle. Such people usually have a strong affinity towards spicy and fatty foods and stimulants like coffee and alcoholic drinks, have intolerance to cold air, suffer from constipation and extreme anger.

Antimonium Crudum: This medication is usually given to very obese children. Children who are prescribed this drug are also the ones who are extremely irritable and have a short temper. Such children usually suffer from alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation due to over eating. They mostly have craving for acidic foods like pickles or other spicy dishes and can benefit from this drug to suppress the symptoms. 

Reference:

• http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/homeopathic-weight-loss-remedies-work-treat-obesity.html
• http://www.drhomeo.com/obesity/natural-homeopathic-remedies-for-weight-loss/

You may also like to read: 

• Is homeopathy the future drug?
• Homeopathy, tricology and technology for hair loss 
• Should homeopaths prescribe allopathy drugs 
• Homeopathy and Marxism – why bad ideas don’t die  

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