Our body, as a whole, is complex and full of intertwining connections. When linking the metabolic pathways, we find that these connections are what keep the body functional and healthy. We learn in the early years of our education that the body sought after homeostasis. So what happens when the is body misaligned and in need of balance? When we fall sick we tend to go to the doctor and pursue more westernized medicinal treatments.
When compared to Eastern medicine, Western medicine is in its early stages. Prior to the invention of the technological advances of Western medicine, holistic medicines were commonly used. Types of treatments in Eastern countries, such as acupuncture or Tai chi, can be referred to as the oldest codified system of medicine. In India, the idea of Ayurveda originated from one of the holistic medicines of India. Ayurveda is constructed upon five key essential elements. The elements can be translated from Sanskrit which includes Prithvi (Earth), Apas (Water), Tejas or Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air), and Akasha (Ether/Space). In Sanskrit, Ayurveda can be translated to “ the knowledge of life”. This idea of Ayurveda is established from the idea that disease can be attributed to an improper balance or complete stress in a person’s consciousness. The concept promotes interventions of certain “unhealthy” lifestyles and logical therapies to recover the needed balance between the mind, body, spirit, and the environment. The balance can be regained by the start of a purification process which is then followed by either herbal remedies, yoga, meditation, therapy, and/or special diets. The goals for Ayurvedic treatment consists of symptom reduction, resistance to certain simple diseases, and the elimination of impurities. Many plants (herbs and spices) and oils are used in Ayurvedic treatment. The gap between Eastern and Western Medicine widens the bridge of medicinal treatments and preventative procedures for a variety of illnesses. The connection between the two could lead to a deeper understanding of how to prevent and treat diseases.
Ayurvedic medicine has several applications to today's common illnesses and diseases, like diabetes. Diabetes can be broken down as the imbalance between cells and organs within the human body. Oxford languages define diabetes as a condition in which the body's capacity to generate or respond to the hormone insulin is compromised, resulting in improper carbohydrate metabolism and high glucose levels in the blood and urine. This can occur in either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Both type one and type two diabetes can be caused by different non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors. They could be caused by endocrine diseases, hereditary predisposition, virus and infection, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, etc. Knowing that I have a family history of diabetes that runs in my family I need to be sure that I can eliminate the main modifiable risk factors for type two diabetes. Growing up I never realized how severe the consequences are when you don’t commit to treatment or the stigma on diabetes. Obesity is huge throughout the world but is mainly prevalent in the United States. Over the past decade, self-reported obesity among U.S adults has risen tremendously. Obesity and physical exercise are seen as modifiable risk factors. While there are many causes of diabetes, there are always effects.
The main major complications of diabetes can be segmented into microvascular and macrovascular. Microvascular complications hurt the eyes, kidneys, and neuropathy. Macrovascular complications of diabetes impact the brain, heart, and extremities. This is why some patients with diabetes lose their arms and legs. It is a chronic disease and has severe tolls on both emotional, economic, and the health of those who suffer from this disease. The issues that arise from having the imbalance not only affect metabolism but other parts of the body. Diabetes has a disruption within the interconnections of the bodily systems of the body. This will then disrupt the balance of the body. Because the body is unable to merge the glucose into the cells, it attempts to compensate through alternative channels, resulting in a slew of complications. This causes an imbalance in the body's primary autonomic systems.
The costs of having diabetes can be very frustrating for many families and can leave a deep hole in their pockets. Over the years the price for insulin has skyrocketed due to the ever-growing need and demand for insulin. Taking care of those who have diabetes is about 2.3 times more expensive than other patients. The direct costs are more towards the actual need of the patients (i.e insulin). According to the American Diabetes Association, every year the estimated cost of someone diagnosed with diabetes increases. From 2007-2012 there was an outstanding 41% cost increase. In the span of five years, the estimated total economic cost of diagnosed diabetes rose by 71 billion dollars (14.2 billion per year).
The indirect costs could be due to hospitalizations, loss of work, loss of productivity among many other indirect costs. The social factors that contribute to diabetes are where the individual grew up, treatments, physical and social influences, and that they are labeled. In places where there is a low-income, poor diet, high crime obesity is more prevalent which negatively affects diet and exercise. Diabetes is more than just biology, societal factors among other things can also lead to a greater risk of “catching” this disease.
Before researching this topic of Ayurveda I never gave a second thought to the other practical medical treatments other than westernized medicine or took my time to research preventative treatments. I never thought that Eastern or Western medicine was “superior” over the other. Reading different research articles and understanding the benefits of Ayurvedic treatments opened my view towards other important outlooks of medicine. I do believe that there is a connection between parts of the body or even between out of the body and the environment. In my opinion, there has to be somewhat of a connection between the environment and the body due to the advancement of medicine. Before the invention of medicine, early humans would use different remedies to help cure diseases that were connected to the environment. Modern medicine provides a wide range of medicines to treat symptoms and prevent additional problems, but Ayurveda places a greater emphasis on nutrition and lifestyle to avoid disease. While there is a prevalent disconnect between Eastern and Western medicine, both approaches to health are critical in illness prevention and treatment.
Work Cited
American Diabetes Association (2013). Economic costs of diabetes in the U.S. in 2012. Diabetes care, 36(4), 1033–1046. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc12-2625
Wang, D. Z. (n.d.). How Combining Eastern and Western Medicine Makes You a Better Oriental Medicine Practitioner. The Future of Integrative Health. https://blog.nuhs.edu/the-future-of-integrative-health/how-combining-eastern-and-western-medicine-makes-you-a-better-oriental-medicine-practitioner.
Interesting outlook. I didn't include this in my post, but in researching socio-economic status with diabetes on a global scale, I found that first world countries had a much higher occurrence of T2DM than their third world counterparts. Although I'm sure just the fact that the population of first world countries is higher making them have more cases plays into it, I postulated a couple other explanations. One hand was the life expectancy issue. As T2DM develops later in life, a shorter life expectancy would greatly reduce the number of cases. Another possible explanation is the lifestyle differences. Third world countries have much less sedentary time compared to those of us living in first world countries. This active lifestyle would likely combat the occurrence of T2DM as well. However, after reading your blog I thought to check the national distribution. In contrast to the global scale, lower income areas have a higher rate of T2DM cases. The southern states are much denser with diabetes cases. Although the prevalence of fried food there is higher than other states, they are also populated by fewer people and have a lower income on average. Why would we see one trend globally (rich countries have more diabetes but then see the exact opposite trend nationally??
ReplyDelete