Diabetes is a most common disorder affecting humans after the 4th decade of their life. It is considered as a lifestyle disorder. The disease has been explained even in ancient ayurvedic literatures written in first century BC under the heading of prameha or madhumeha. But sad thing is India has more diabetic than any other countries in the world. 50 million Indians affected by it and globally 350 million people are affected. Not sure if we call diabetes as a disease or not, because it has become the part of our life because of many reasons!
Definition of ‘diabetes’:
It is a group of disorders where the blood sugar level of person becomes higher than normal range. The rising blood sugar level is because either body fails to produce insulin or body fails to use proper insulin. i.e.; insulin resistance. Insulin is the principal hormone that regulates the uptake of glucose from blood to the tissues.
Common causes for diabetes:
- Genetic defects
- Hereditary
- Lifestyle like sedentary lifestyle, eating more than required, high calorie diet like excess sweets, curd, excessive sleeping, lack of exercise etc..
- Obesity
- Drugs like glucocorticoids(steroids),thyroid hormone
- Infections (viral) can also trigger diabetes
Signs and symptoms:
The common signs and symptoms are loss of weight, polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger) and laziness. If nerves are affected, the affected person may feel tingling sensation or numbness or burning sensation of limbs, reduced functionalities of eyes, tongue & ear.
Diagnosis of the disease:
If a person’s blood sugar during fasting is greater than 110mg/dl or blood sugar after two hours of food intake is 150mg/dl, the person is diagnosed as diabetic.
Technicality of Diabetes:
Classification: Mainly 3 types
Type I: Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) Or juvenile diabetes is one where body fails to produce insulin. It is usually inherited and not possible to prevent (insulin needs to be injected to blood).
Type II: Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) Or adult onset diabetes, where body cells fail to use insulin properly. Sometimes combines with insulin deficiency. It is the most common type (can be controlled in early stages with medicines).
Type III: Gestational diabetes. Diabetes occurs in pregnant woman who was previously non-diabetic. It can damage fetus, mother or both.
Treatment:
Type I: Insulin has to be injected or pumped in to the blood.
Type II: Early stages can be controlled with medications that improve the insulin production from pancreas or improve insulin sensitivity. In later stages insulin may be required.
Type III: Treatment may be same as type II.
Treatment in Ayurveda:
Ayurveda treats diabetes according the body constitution and strength of the person (rogi bala). Either shamana (palliative therapy) or Shodhana (purificatory therapy) are advised along with some dietary or life style changes.
Shamana: According to the patient’s condition, different tablets(vati), decoctions(kashaya) and powders are administered.
Shodhana: According to the disease and strength of person(rogi bala) suitable panchakarma treatments are given to remove the aggravated doshas followed by shaman medicine.
Home remedies:
- Regular exercise and brisk walk.
- Yoga and pranayama.
- Juice of Indian gooseberry (amla) and turmeric powder.
- One tea spoon of fenugreek (methi) seeds soaked in water over night.
- Bitter guard (karela) juice: 10-15 ml daily (early morning would give better results).
- One tea spoon of powder jamun seeds.
Complications (if NOT treated):
Cardio vascular (heart and circulatory system) diseases, stroke, diabetic retinopathy (causing reduced vision), diabetic kidney disease, diabetic neuropathy (resulting in numbness), diabetic ulcers (non- healing ulcers may require amputation occasionally).
Diet:
- Avoid high calorie diet like sweets, curd, cheese and oil items.
- Avoid junk food and ice-cream.
- Consume wheat products, barley ganji, old rice with curry prepared with green gram and vegetables are preferable.
Conclusion:
As prevention is better than cure, prevent diabetes with high activity life and low calorie diet. Both high and low blood sugar can create medical emergency. So if you are already diabetic, please follow your doctor’s prescription strictly and monitor your blood sugar level regularly. Remember that :“health is wealth”..!