Some young mothers despite normal delivery gain weight steadily because they are fed on fatty & starchy food in place of proper nutritious food under the erroneous notion that the weakness caused by labour can only be compensated by a rich diet. Sometimes young mothers, after delivery is also make rest more than it is necessary. Just as exercises is a must till almost the last stages of delivery for easy delivery, mild exercise after delivery is necessary for the contraction of the uterus to its original size. But exercise becomes more difficult if there is a weight increase. There fore, obesity worsens the condition. Women, who use contraceptive devices, oral contraceptives on a regular basis also tend to become obese. This is due to the effect on the hormones contained in those drugs.
Menopause:
Some women tend to gain weight during their menopause. Due to hormonal imbalance, obesity sets in, even though they had maintained normal weight previously. Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's life. Some women seek medical solutions in the form of hormone supplement for their irregular monthly cycles, disturbing symptoms & mild discomforts. Obesity caused by hormone pills is a bit difficult to get rid unlike other forms of obesity. Yet unani medicines successfully treated these hormone pills related obesity.
Mind over body:
Some women suffer from obesity for identifiable psychological reasons that manifest themselves as expressions of their underlying unhappiness and for no other reason. Such persons feel unwanted at home & outside. They develop severe complexes, become discontented with every one around & become indifferent towards anything & everything. They lose interest in every activity, which provide a pleasant diversion. In such cases, unless the under lying cause is attended to, they remain obese. Whenever they feel tense, overcome with unknown fears they seek a diversion in frequent eating. This type of eating gives them only a false sense of their tension being eased. At such times due to the absence of actual hunger, they resort to eating snacks, which please their palate. This naturally ads bulk the body.
Hormonal influence:
Endocrine glands are organs, which pour internal secretion into our blood. But for these glands, the growth of our body & mind becomes defective & results in various disorders & diseases, obesity being one of them. The glands produce some chemical substances, which are called hormones. Hormone is a circulating chemical substance that is capable of acting on distant organs from its original site. The glands that function in a unique way need a mention in this chapter because a few glands & other functions are responsible for causing obesity. These are the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pacers & gonads. Hormones are the agents that stirrup activity and bring about psychological changes in our behavior & bodily functions. Abnormal conditions of our health, is the direct result of an excess or deficient secretion of these hormones.
