A Review Article on the Management of Childhood Obesity in Ayurveda

Childhood Obesity is a serious medical condition that occurs when a child is having weight above the normal weight for his/her age and height. Numerous factors like sedentary lifestyle, improper dietary habits, day sleeping etc can worsen this disease. This disease does not only affect children`s physical health but also disturb their academic performance and social life. In classical texts of Ayurveda, obesity is mentioned as Sthaulya. In Ayurveda, Sthaulya has been included in medoroga (accumulation of excess fat in body) and counted as santarapanajanya vikara and rasapradoshaja vikara. Sthaulya is a condition in which abnormal and excessive accumulation of medodhatu occurs in various body parts like abdomen hips etc. Sthaulya is mainly caused by continuous intake of kapha and medo vardhak ahara and vihara viz. atiguru, atisnigdha, atisheeta, atinidra, atiaasana etc. which vitiate rasa dhatvagni, medodhatvagni, kaphadosha and vatadosha consequently. Now this is the need of time to take effective steps to control obesity or Sthaulya along with improvement in general health. Ayurveda provides effective management of obesity.