Nathan Kingery

Professor Karpel

Biology 4500

Ayurveda’s Relationship with Diabetes

Ayurveda is all about the balances of body, mind, and spirit. Balance is important when it comes to one’s overall health, as well as almost any part of life. With one of my first readings about ayurveda, it was defined more as having the main purpose of it to promote a healthy life, not necessarily fight any disease as it is a alternative medicine. While I am not a large advocate of alternative medicines, since effectiveness and longevity of these treatments often don’t yield meaningful results, apart from some miracle cases, however I do think that there is something to be said about having balance in your life. Not having the proper amount of balance in life could lead to all sorts of health complications. One disease that could be a result of having improper balance in life is diabetes.

Diabetes is a life changing disease and impacts millions of people. It is an epidemic in the United States and is one of the leading causes of death. The vast majority of these cases are the result of improper diet and lack exercise. I have had people in my life that suffered from this disease and it is a painful experience, for not only those who suffer from this disease, but for their friends and family as well. When you take a step back and see how many cases of diabetes are preventable, it is really quite surprising that it has gotten so widespread and out of hand. The numbers of people with diabetes is only expected to rise and it surprises me that more people aren’t taking the necessary steps to keep themselves healthy and active.

Most of the cases of diabetes are preventable with proper diet and exercise. Balancing your body I feel is something that everyone struggles with at some point in their life; some more than others, but it is absolutely necessary to keep you healthy. Bringing balance to your body can be done through a healthy diet and regular exercise. I think that this is one of the most important things to balance, because if you balance body you will live a longer and more fulfilling life.

The first paper we read talked about the number of people who suffer from diabetes along with a detailed explanation of the two types of diabetes. This article made an impact on me after seeing the numbers of people who suffer from type II diabetes and how it accounts for 90-95% of all cases. I didn’t know this number was so high since type II is preventable with a balanced lifestyle. Another part of the paper that I found interesting was the preliminary screenings they are able to do to help diagnose problems before they come an issue. I didn’t know these types of screenings were available and I think it is important that anyone who could be at risk to get a screening to see if they need to make some lifestyle changes.

Diabetes affects more than just your overall health though. On average someone who suffers from diabetes pays ~2.3 times more in medical expenses than someone who doesn’t have diabetes. This is also on top of loss of productivity, as you have to monitor yourself constantly and ensure you are keeping balance. Expected numbers of patients who suffer from diabetes in the united states are expected to reach 30.3 million by the year 2030. Again, going back to type II being the most common form of diabetes, and that it can be preventable with changes in lifestyle, it is surprising that it has reached this scale and not that many people are changing to prevent this.

After reading both of these articles, along with our conversations in class, I have made some changes in my own life to minimize my personal risk of getting diabetes. I have changed my diet as well as exercise schedule. Coming from a background where I have had several family members pass away due to diabetes, I know I don’t want that as part of my life and will take the precautions and form the proper habits now to avoid the risk later in life. Obviously, no one wants to get diabetes, but not as many as there should be are taking precautions to reduce their risk. With more awareness, knowledge, and effort to this subject, I think that this could change, but it is going to take more time before more people start taking steps for a better tomorrow.