Homeopathy & Weight Loss

After having enjoyed (and by enjoyed, I mean eaten my body weight in chocolate, cheese, and other yummy foods) the festive season, I am ready to take stock of my health again as we embark on the new year.

This week is National Obesity Awareness Week, and so I have been doing some research on the topic.
Ireland has some quite stark & shocking obesity facts.  According to the Irish Heart Foundation, we are in the midst of an epidemic[1].  There are some quite disturbing facts here, in particular, how many of us don’t realise we are obese/overweight as we don’t ‘look fat’.

It’s easy to say, ‘Eat less and move more’, or to decide to embark upon a drastic bread-and-water type deprivation diet.  However, there is more to it than this.  We need to examine the reasons that we are overweight in the first place.  There are many different and complex reasons that we can suffer from increased weight, including (but not limited to):

• Hormonal issues
• Genetics
• Food addiction & Sugar consumption

How can homeopathy help to address these issues to overcome obesity?

Hormonal Issues
The human endocrine system is a finely tuned, interconnecting system that governs different processes in the body.  If one part is not functioning correctly, it can have significant knock-on effects elsewhere in the body.
Working with your constitutional remedy (and in some cases, remedies specifically guided to support the system/organ in question) can help to bring balance to the system.  This will have the knock-on effect of not only reducing weight but will also bring peace to an over-stressed body.

Genetics
You can’t change your genes.  Just as we are born with our hair and eye colour pre-determined, we are also born with the predisposition to be a certain size or shape.  Some of us are very slim, some are short, some are tall, and some of us put on weight easily.
That said, there are things that you can do to remain healthy and at the optimum weight for your shape.  Eating well and exercising are a given.  But sometimes it’s not easy to make healthy choices.  Homeopathy works to keep your body in balance.  This will inspire you to make healthier choices, including eating well and increasing your exercise.

Food Addiction & Sugar Consumption
Over the years our food has become more and more processed.  Part of this processing involves adding ingredients that have an addictive component.  This increases our desire for the food, and we continue to buy & eat it.  Unfortunately, more often than not, this has a detrimental effect on our health.  This study which names the most addictive and non-addictive foods will probably not surprise many of us[2].  But what will surprise us is the long-term effects of continuing to eat these foods; obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer.  All scary, not 100% preventable, but we can try our best to limit the damage.  In her book, Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child[3], Maya Shetreat-Klein explains how these ingredients affect the body and how to make positive changes.

As I said before, this can be hard.  These additives are designed to make you crave them.  Some scientists even liken sugar to cocaine.  Homeopathy can support your body and mind through this transition.  Your desire for sweet (or savoury foods) forms part of your constitutional picture.  By taking your constitutional remedy, you are easing your body into a healthier state, permanently!

It may seem daunting, but by acknowledging the need for a change, you have already taken the first step.  The right homeopath will listen, help and get you the remedy to help you.  Why not give it a try?  What have you got to lose? 😉

[1][1] http://www.ipcra.org/8-things-you-did-not-know-about-irish-obesity
[2] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-most-addictive-foods#section3
[3] https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/maya-shetreat-klein/healthy-food-2c-healthy-gut-2c-happy-child