Can honey really help in weight loss...?

Obesity is a big concern these days as obesity, hypertension and diabetes go hand in hand.We see people struggling for weight loss. They prey for commercial, fancy and non-healthy diets .
 Sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits lead to improper digestion resulting in over accumulation of medo dhatu.

Honey in water, cinnamon water with honey and lemon honey are famous easy weight loss formulas for many .  Weight loss may happen or may not but a person can get acidity with regular cinnamon! 

Qualities of Madhu (Honey):

•  Heavy to digest- So it should be taken in a small quantity otherwise it can lead to indigestion. Indigestion of honey is very difficult to treat.
• Cold
• Dry
• Increases Vata and alleviates kapha.
• Chhedana -removes kapha and meda (body fat)
• Sweet , after taste is astringent
• Improves digestion
• Yogavahi ( It works as a catalyst substance to transport the medicinal properties of herbs into the body.) So it is used as an adjuvant with many Ayurvedic medicines.

So, it is not very nourishing but more opposite properties to as that of Medo dhatu. So it helps in reducing meda.

Nutritional value:

• It is basically Fructose, a sugar.
• Free of fat
• It has healthy glycemic index, so it is slowly absorbed into bloodstream so resulting in better digestion of sugar. 
• Contains few natural vitamins and minerals. It is better than table sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Contraindications:

• Honey should not be taken hot or with hot foods, as according to Ayurveda , it is a nectar collected from different flowers, some of which might be poisonous, when heated it's potency may increase. 
• Honey is not good for a person who is exhausted with heat.
• Honey and ghee should not be taken in equal quantity the study revealed that heated honey (>140°C) mixed with ghee produces HMF which may produce deleterious effects and act as a poison in due course (Ushnam cha samagrutham madhu marayati).*
• Honey should not be taken with salt.
• Should not be taken by diabetics.

Honey alone is not enough for weight loss. 

What other things are suggested for weight loss?

• Panchakarma procedures such as Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Raktamokshana
• Exercise
• Diet control- Avoid taking sweet, unctuous foods in large quantity
• Svedana(Steam bath)
• Dry and ununctuous foods
• Honey with Triphala or Hirade or Agastyaprash. Here honey acts as catalyst and improves the action of these medicines.
• Massage with dry powders like Triphala powder.

What's the conclusion?

Honey can help in weight loss but when taken along with other healthy eating habits and active lifestyle.

Abhyanga : Ayurvedic massage

Ayurvedic massage is so famous now-a-days. People pay so much in spas for this. It is not just to be done in spa or Ayurvedic center, but it is a part of daily routine that should be done at home as well. For many reasons we should know more about it and incorporate it in our daily lifestyle regimen.

The word Abhyanga means applying oil with movement and speed i.e. with massage.

Common properties of oil:

• Hot potency
• penetrating
• Strengthening
• pacifies vata and kapha
• Good for skin

Skin is a site of sparshanendriya, so contains more of Air element . Oil alleviates the vata dosha so oil massage is very beneficial and important for skin.

Oil massage should be specifically done on these 3 areas viz.

1. Head
2. Ears
3. Feet

Shiro-abhyanga (Head massage) :

• It removes dryness and makes scalp and hair soft.
• Helps in itchy scalp and good for hair and scalp health.
• Hair roots become strong so helps in hair fall.
• Facial skin becomes soft.
• It is very calming and sleep inducing.
• It improves strength of sense organs namely eyes, ears, skin, nose and nurtures skull bones and joints.
• Relieves the stiffness from neck joints and muscles.

Padabhyanga ( Foot massage):

Regular oil massage over feet is specifically advised as they carry our whole body weight and need extra attention.

• It cures the dryness, stiffness , numbness and fatigue in feet and sole.
• Makes feet look soft.
• Improves strength and stability.
• Oil massage  over sole is good for healthy  eyes.

Ear massage:

• It is considered as a site of Vata dosha , so putting oil and massage alleviates vata.
• It also improves the strength of sense organ.
• It nurtures the tempero-mandibular joint.

Benefits of doing abhyanga every day:

• Skin becomes more resilient so healing is faster.
• Body becomes strong.
• Person looks fresh and pleasant.
• Sign of ageing are delayed.

What is the effect of Abhyanga ?

• Massage with oil lubricates skin and forms a barrier between skin and environment, so helps keeping the skin hydrated. It prevents drying of skin and makes it look healthy.

• It improves the blood circulation so helps in quicker removal of metabolic toxins out of the body. 
• The medicated oils penetrate into the skin and calms the nerves. 
• The massage has deeply nourishing and relaxing effect on brain, nervous system, skin, muscles and joints.
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• It relaxes body and mind , so gives better sleep.
  
• It relieves muscle and joint pain.

Different medicated oils for massage:

According to the prominent dosha, oil can be chosen, to alleviate the doshas.

For Vata: 

• Sesame oil
• Bala oil
• Nirgundi oil
• Madhuyashti oil

For pitta:

• Chandana oil
• Cow's ghee
• Madhuyashti oil

Who should not do Abhyanga...?

1. One who has got any Kaphaja vikara e.g. cold.
2. Abhyanga should not be done on the same day when Vamana or Virechana has been done.
3. One who has got indigestion.

Different forms of Abhyanga: There are 15 forms of abhyanga. They are used according to the subjective need as all of then have specific effect and indications.

1. Applying oil over body
2. Mask (Lepa)
3. Udvartana-massage with herbal powders in oil
4. Oil massage 
5. Foot massage
6. Oil pouring
7. Light massage
8. Swishing oil in mouth
9. Oil pulling-Holding oil in mouth
10. Oil pulling over head (Shirobasti)
11. Netratarpana-oil pulling over eyes
12. Nasatarpana-oil pulling into nostrils
13. Karnapurana-oil pulling into ear
14. Head massage
15. oil bath

For healthy body and mind daily Abhyanga is highly recommended and everyone should incorporate it in daily regimen.