The universally accepted fact for weight reduction is either one has to exert more for what one is eating or eat less for what on is exerting. There is no medicine whatsoever for reducing weight without serious side effects and there is no surgical procedure to solve this problem without serious complications.

These days certain clubs have advertised reduction regimens. They have caught hold of the weakness of the customer and repeatedly advertise saying.

"No dieting, No exercise and No gadgets", etc Having paid a huge sum in advance, the person invariably follows what the club says and they are put on restricted diet and given, so called diet supplement. They are also using electrical gadgets to stimulate specific muscles directly claiming that it gives exercise to muscles by making them contract by electrical impulses. The T.V. advertisments actually show that these gadgets whereever and whenever you are sitting either at home or in the office. This is giving exercise to muscles without actually doing voluntarily. How can natural impulse contraction from the nervous system be interfered with the external electrical stimulations ? This is like D.C. shock given to heart for cardiac arrest in an intensive care unit of a hospital! But, what is to be followed after a person looses substantial weight is never specified! Can a person who has lost weight, go back to his normal diet? The so-called diet supplement, which curbs the appetite-is it safe? It is said that it contains potentially harmful ingredients.

Diuretics (unless the patient has water retention tendency and to be prescribed by duly qualified physician), appetite killers, sedatives and certain drugs to increase metabolism like Thyroxine preparations, are being prescribed in modern medicine by some practitioners without relevant evaluation. These drugs are highly dangerous with undesirable serious side effects. People should understand that diet and exercise are the only methods to attain and later maintain the ideal weight.

During the course of weight reduction some of the fat, beneath the skin is lost and it results in dark patches around the eye lids, wrinkling of the face, loose and flabby folds on the abdomen and on the back, loose skin on the limbs, etc., Hence to restore normal skin turgidity, treatments like steam bath, massage, sun bath, etc., are the adjuvents in the treatment regimen of obesity. Many patients are misled by some health clubs that frequent steam baths can reduce weight. People are under the illusion that due to steam, the body fat melts and comes out in the form of sweat. This is totally wrong and patients fall prey to such advice by the commercialized clubs because they can do away with dieting. Moreover, steam baths and massages above certain frequency are hazardous to health and cause tremendous weakness. They have to be prescribed under medical supervision only.

Depending on the severity of obesity the diet, exercise and treatment regimen can be planned. People, who have to lose only 10 to 15 Kgs., can manage at home with a little effort. In severe obesity cases, it is advisable to get admitted in a nature cure institution where under the guidance of experts they can undergo dieting and lose substantial weight in 4 to 8 weeks time, so that remaining unwanted weight can be shed off at home.

People should understand thoroughly when they undertake a reduction diet and exercise, in all probability, some degree of dietary restriction or discretion with regular exercise will be necessary permanently after ideal weight is attained.