Say Good Bye to Diabetes

 

About 18 million people die every year from cardiovascular disease, for which diabetes and hypertension are major predisposing factors. Today, more than 1.7 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and 312 million of them are obese.
Diabetes is considered as a lifelong disorder by modern medical science but according to Naturopathy it is a disorder of digestive system which can be controlled by changes in life style, regular practice of Yoga & diet restrictions.

What is Diabetes:
Diabetes is considered to be a disease of people of sedentary habits in whose life there is no place for physical exercise or physical activity. In this disease the amount of insulin produced by pancreas is reduced quantitatively, which results in the increase of sugar in blood and excess sugar eliminates outside through urine.

Cause of Diabetes:
Lack of physical activity, severe pressure of mental work & stress, unnatural ways of living & irregular & faulty diet patterns are among the root causes of this disease.  Heavy & regular use of fat & sugar products makes the digestive glands weak & disturbs the process of metabolism in the body.
Diabetes is also believed a heredity disease. In old days people get suffered with diabetes in old age but now young persons are also seen suffering from diabetes in growing numbers. A major factor responsible for this increase is change in our life style.

Symptoms of Diabetes :
The main symptoms of Diabetes are as under :
  Sugar in urine
  Sticky & concentrated urine
  Frequent urination
  Frequent hunger
  Frequent thirst
  Dryness in the skin
Weakness of eyesight
  Feeling of tiredness & weakness
  Delayed healing of wound
  Itching in body

Diabetic Complications :
Diabetes is having a lot of complications which are as under :
Kidney & liver complications
Neuropathy
Retinopathy
Diabetic Coma
Cardiovascular disease etc

Classification of Diabetes :
Diabetes may be classified into following three groups :
1.    Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)
2.    Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)
3.    Juvenile Diabetes

Treatment of Diabetes:
Alternative Therapies including Acupuncture Yoga & Naturopathy systems are specially effective in controlling the Diabetes. Research studies carried out at different institutions have proved that these systems are quite effective in controlling this disease.
While treating Diabetes it should be kept in mind that the patient is made to do adequate physical labor, his diet is controlled, he is kept free from stress, his digestive system is tackled to work properly and the diabetic complications are also controlled. Based on the above said principles the treatment of a diabetic patient should be planned.

Following practices of Yoga are beneficial in this but correct package suiting to individual patient is required to be prepared according to the age of condition of patient :
Shatkarmas     : Kunjal, Nauli, Shankha Prakshalana
Bandha     : Uddiyan Bandha
Asana     : Katichakrasana, Ardhamatsyendrasana, Vajrasana, Bhujangasana, Paschimottanasana,          Mandukasana, konasana, Halasana, Padahastasana
Pranayama    : Bhastrika, Ujjayi, Anulom Vilom, Nadishuddhi & Bhramari
Surya Namaskara Meditation

Similarly following treatments of Naturopathy may be helpful in the effective control & management of Diabetes :

Mudtherapy     : mud pack over abdomen
Hydrotherapy     :hot & cold fomentation over abdomen, cold hip bath, Hot & cold hip bath, Wet
abdomen pack, Spinal bath
Ayurvedi Massage: Whole body massage & steam bath
Chromotherapy : sun bath. Water kept in brown bottle & exposed to sun rays for atleast 8 hours in half cup dose twice a day after meals is also found beneficial.
Exercise     : Morning brisk walk at least 5 times a week for 20 minutes a day.

Diet therapy :
The diet of a diabetic patient is of utmost importance. For diet prescription the age of the patient as well as weight, occupation & type of diabetics must be kept in mind. For this the diabetics can be categorized into following three groups :
i.    The patient whose weight is below normal.
ii.    The patient whose weight is normal.
iii.    The patient whose weight is above normal.
 A normal weight person of sedentary habits who is not doing any physical labour requires food of approx. 2000 calories, medium worker approx. 2500 & heavy worker approx. 3000 or even more calories. The diabetic patient whose weight is reduced, requires some more calories than other diabetic patient & the patients having weight above normal should take food of less than 2000 calorie so that their fat could be reduced.
For diet regulation the best method is that the patient examine his urine daily to access that how much cereals intake maintains his urine free of sugar. As the health improves & capacity of patient to tolerate the cereals enhances, the quantity of cereals may be increased. The diabetic patient  may maintain their strength by taking curd etc. as a part of their food.

Daily diet schedule of a Diabetic patient :
Morning     :    bitter guard juice one ounce to two ounce.
Breakfast     :    skimmed milk 250-400 ml or butter milk or amritahar sprouted gram, moong, methi approx. 50 gm or fresh Amla juice 50 ml.
Lunch        :    Roti (mixed with wheat & gram flour) 25 gm to 50 gm, green vegetables 250 gm, salad 25 to 50 gm, pulse of moong 25 gm, curd 150 gm, butter milk one glass.
Evening      :    roaster grams 30 gm, vegetable soup or butter milk one glass
Dinner         :    as in lunch but use of curd is not advisable in night.

Food beneficial in Diabetes :
Soyabean, bean, turnip, cucumber, garlic, lauki, karela, spinach, fenugreek, bathua, chaulie, amla, amla, jamun, bel etc.

Some important things for a Diabetic patient :
i.    The use of methi in food is specially beneficial for diabetic patients. Sprouted methi or one tea spoon of its powder may be taken daily.
ii.    The diabetic patients may take the roti made up of wheat floour mixed with gram, soyabean & methi. In 10 kg flour a ratio of 7.500 kg wheat, 1.500 kg ram, 900 gm soyabean & 100 gm methi may be kep.
iii.    All the sweet products, ghee, vanaspati, too sweet fruits, fine flour & its products, preserved & packed food products, smoking, chewing of jarda, gutka & consumption of alcohol is completely prohibited for Diabetic patients.
iv.    Bitter gour or karela, neem leaves, bel, gudmar, Jamum etc. may also be helpful in the control of diabetes.
v.    A diabetic patient should examine his blood sugar at the regular interval to ensure that it is in control & the patient could save himself from any complication. The normal range of blood sugar in empty stomach may be between 70-110 mg/dl & post prandial between 110-150 mg/dl.
vi.    Regular long walks are beneficial for diabetic patients.
Diabetes  is believed as a difficult disorder but with the help of Acupuncture, Yoga, Naturopathy & regulated diet it may be controlled effectively in comparatively less time.

In our centre, we use following management therapies:

 Traditional Indian Yoga : Yoga is not just physical exercises, it is all about complete balance of body, mind & intellect, practicing Yoga under the guidance of an expert can be of immense help.

Meditation : breath awareness, Om Meditation or guided meditation focusing on the affected part, light meditation, deep meditation.

Yogic Diet (Mitahara) : alkaline foods with less oil, salt & spices.

Reiki Healing:  Reiki is a Universal Life Force energy which has got healing power. Taking Reiki sessions from Reiki practitioners can be of help.

Acupuncture :  is a 5,000 year old Chinese Therapy and is used worldwide for treatment of diabetes. This is done along with moxibustion & Chinese medicine.

Magnetotherapy:  Big magnets are used to treat Diabetes patients.

Sujok therapy –  this Korean therapy was introduced by Prof. Park Jae Woo, a Korean Cardiologist and is useful in management of Diabetes.

Naturotherapy including Panchkarma & mud therapy, hydrotherapy, color therapy etc are also useful in management of Diabetes.

Tai Chi & Qi Gong exercises for the benefit of patients.

Disclaimer : the objective of this blog is to make the patients of Diabetes aware about utility of alternative therapies & its simple techniques used in treatment.

The diabetic patients are advised to follow a suitable diet & treatment schedule under guidance of experienced Acupuncturist, Naturopathy & Yoga Therapist.