Abstract

PATHYA AND APATHYA - AN AYURVEDIC FRAMEWORK FOR STHAULYA W.S.R. TO OBESITY

Dr. Shubham U. Ingle*, Dr. Rajiv J. Mundane and Dr. Umesh N. Patil

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Abstract

Purpose: Ayurveda is not merely a medical science. The first aim of Ayurveda is to maintain the health of a healthy person so that no diseases should manifest. Treatment of diseases is the second aim of Ayurveda. To maintain the health of a healthy person Acharyas had described various do’s and don’ts. The concept of Pathya (wholesome) and Apathaya (unwholesome) is one such concept. Apart from being a part of regime of healthy living, Acharyas had also extended the concept of Pathya and Apathaya as a part of the treatment of the diseases. This indicates the importance of Pathya and Apathaya in Ayurveda. Today in present era, each and every person is under stress, and are knowingly or unknowingly neglecting the concept of Pathya in their day to day life and suffering from dreadful disease like Sthoulya and its complication. Sthoulya is one of the life style disorders and common growing health problem worldwide. According to ICMRINDIAB study, prevalence rate of obesity and central obesity varies from 11.8% to 31.3% and 16.9% - 36.3% resp. In India, obesity is one of the major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and provides platform for so many complications like HTN, DM, OA, infertility as well as psychological disturbances like stress, depression. Method: All of the literature on Pathya - Apathya in terms of Ahara, Vihara and Manasika entities for Sthaulya was gathered from several Ayurvedic classical books. Scientific sources like PubMed and Google scholar were used to look up the most current publications in the field's existing literature. Pathya-Apathya applicability and relevance in Sthaulya were determined through the analysis of the acquired data. Result: In Sthaulya Chikitsa, Acharya Charaka stressed the use of Guru and Apatarpana drugs as a specific Sthaulya regimen. Karshana Karma is advised to be practiced by adopting Pathyas like Vyayama, Ushna jala sevana and others described, according to Chakrapani and Gangadhara, "Stokabhojana" or "Alpabojana” is once such practice which will cause Karshana karma. In this regard Rooksha Ahara sevana and Ahara with Laghu guna have also been considered. It can also be considered that the activities which bring Laghutva and Rukshata to the body have to be followed for the management of Sthaulya. Conclusion: In order to effectively treat obesity, Management cannot be achieved just through the use of medication. Apathya sevan is the major contributor to this disease. Hence, proper pathyapalan is crucial while managing sthoulya (obesity) effectively.

Keywords: Apathya, Charaka, Chakrapani, Obesity, Pathya, Sthaulya.