Significance Of Ayurveda on Diabetes, A review
Ayurveda literally means “Life Science” or “Life Knowledge.” This life-care, healthcare, and disease-care system addresses the good, bad, blissful, and sorrowful aspects of life. It describes the factors that are beneficial and harmful to life. Ayurveda Deals with prevention of disease as well as curative aspects of disease. It is not merely a treatment or medicine, it is a way of life.
Keywords: Ayurveda, Life science, prevention, curative.
Among various diseases, Ayurveda has shown significant positive results in diabetes according to various research journals. Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreas organ of our body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin produced by the pancreas is not used by the body effectively.
Keywords: Diabetes, Ayurveda, insulin
Insulin is a hormone that is produced in our body by pancreas which helps in controlling the sugar level in blood.Hyperglycemia, or High blood sugar level is a common side effect of uncontrolled diabetes which has serious effects in the body and can cause severe damage to different body parts including kidneys, eyes, nerves, blood vessels, etc over time.
Keywords: Pancreas, Sugar level, body parts.
Diabetes Mellitus type 1 and type two are related to insulin where as Diabetes Insipidus is due to irregularity of Anti diuretic hormone.
Causative Factor/ Hetu
Ashyasukham swapnasukham dadhigramyoodanup rasaa pyaamsi Navaaanpaam gudvayikritan ch prameha hetu kapahakrich swaramn. C.chi.6
- Inactivity, sedentary life, laziness, lack of exercise,
- Excessive sleep
- Over use of yoghurt
- Meat and soup of domestic , aquatic and marshy land animals
- Consumption of unmatured/ non aged grains
- Products of jaggery and sweets
- All kapha promoting factors
These are the causative factors for diabetes as mentioned in Ayurveda.
Ayurveda and modern terms correlation
- Hetu – wrongful diet (high glycemic food, lack of exercise, etc)
- Dosha imbalance: High Blood glucose
- Insulin secreted by pancreas: Dhatvagnimandhya
- Cells become resistant to insulin: Apachitdhatuvridhi
- More glucose in the blood: Kleda vridhi
- Body tries to dilute this high sugar level: Prabhoota mutrata: Polyuria
- Regular manifestation of this condition will cause actual disease.
Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent diabetes which generally begins during childhood. Cells that produced insulin in the pancreas have been destroyed by the immune system. This need daily injections of insulin to survive.
However, type 2 diabetes is something where pancreas does not produce enough insulin or cells ignore it (insulin resistance) DM2 generally occurs in those abovoe 40 years of age associated with obesity and sometimes hereditary. This type 2 diabetes is considered as life style disease.
Signs of abnormal blood sugar levels:
hyperglycemia:- nausea, tiredness, hyperacidity, blurred vision, irritability, increased breathing
Hypoglycemia:- Headache, Hunger, sweating, confusion, shaking, irritability, blurred vision, drowsiness, etc
Preventing Diabetes:
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.
- Healthy controlled sugar diet.
- Oral medications
- Insulin medications and insulin shots.
Diabetes treatment options:
Diabetes cannot be cured keeping the blood sugar level within normal range can control it. The treatment and management of diabetes varies from patient to patient.
Type 1 DM treatment options:
Patient do not produce insulin. Patients who lack insulin must make certain adjustments in their diet and must maintain insulin level which is given by injection which is given time to time daily.
Type 2 DM treatment options:
Patients having type 2 diabetes may not need insulin. Ayurveda in this case can be controlled by diet and exercise. Sometimes oral medications are also needed including insulin sometimes.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to heart attack, nervous disorder, nerve damage kidney disease and eye disease.
Ayurveda approach
The principal of ayurveda explains diabetes as vata and kapha vikar, the vitiated dosha for diabetes mellitus is basically vata whereas the vitiated dosha for the diabetes insipidus is kaphaja vikar.
Certain home remedies can help control diabetes:
Bitter gourd
Amla
Tulsi and neem leaves
Fenugreek seeds with milk
Shilajit
The role of the patient is essential to control the diabetes otherwise only medicine would not control it. Proper exercise and diet plan is needed.
Protocol to be followed:
Advice and education about diet change and physical activity.
Focus should be on:
Prakriti – what type of person he/she could be?
Lifestyle advice according to their VPK.
Yoga and meditation.
Shodana karma:
Main highlight is on cleaning all unwanted toxins from the body in order to give body tissues the opportunity to repair and renew.
Panchakarma:
Nasya, Vasti( Dashmoola kwath, sesame oil), Vaman( Madanphala, Vacha, Yastimadhu,), virechan( Argawadha, Gandharvaharitaki) and rakta mokshan (according to the severity)
Shirodhara (Til oil, Aswagandha oil)
Snehana: Snehanapan Mahatikta ghrita, Triphala ghrita, Dhanvantar Ghrita.
Sneha (massage) – Sarshapa oil, til oil, Narayan oil,
Swedana contraindicated
Ayurveda herbs to reduce blood sugar level:
Mohana Churna- some herbs lower glucose level while some are active in widening blood vessels, some are in calming mind and some rasayana to strengths the condition. Total herbs of 20 members work together to manage the disease. 1 tsf a day.
Shilajeet,Turmeric, neem, coccinea indica, amalaki, triphala, karela, vacha, etc.
Karela: two glasses a day.
Amalaki Haridra Honey
Triphala Daruharidra Devdaru musta
Duduchi Gurmar Gokshura
Arjuna Vijaysar haritaki
Shudha Shilajit/ Shilajitwadi Vati
Ayurveda treatment differs from patient to patient.
The ayurveda method gives hope to DM as there is a possibility of stopping the medicine entirely or not starting at all.
Moreover, other medicines for constipation, drug induced acidity, general debility, sleeplessness etc are not required.
Complications like sudden hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia is not frequent after consuming ayurvedic medicinal herbs.
Complication of long standing diabetes are not common while ayurvedic management is approaching.
Herbal preparation
Madhumehantak powder- Kutaki, Methi, Bel, Jamun, Babul, Mesh shringi
Madhumehari Yoga: Karela, Bel, Jamun, Neem, Shila
Salsaradi Kwath: Shal, khadir, Mesh shringi, karanja,
Nimbadi powder: Neem, Amrita, Haritaki, Amalaki, Bakuchi, etc 21 more herbs,
Kariradi powder.
Minerals:
Shilajeet
Swarana MAkshik
Yashad Bhasma
Herbo minerals formulations:
Salsaradi Bhavit shilajeet
Arogya Vardhini Vati
Chandra prabha vati
Shiva gutika
Vasanta Kushmakar Ras
Summary:
Diabetes is a chronic condition with high blood sugar level in blood which leads to devastating condition of body parts like eyes, kidneys, Heart.
There are various approach to control diabetes as it is not curable. Prevention of Diabetes is better than treating it after its incidence.
Ahar, Vihar and Aushada is the approach of ayurveda.
Modern medicines are helpful to control the sugar level and reduce the future risks.
Ayurveda focuses on Tridhosa and pathogenesis of Disease so treatment option in Ayurveda for diabetes is very significant.