Ayurvedic medicine is a holistic healing that draws a connection between the mind, body, and spirit. A deficiency in any of these dimensions can greatly influence the other dimensions, and your overall health. This connection between the mind and body can be seen in modern medicine based off the use of placebo medications. It has been shown that some patients receiving placebo medications are able to produce physiological changes in their body solely based off the expectation from their mind that the medication will work. Ayurvedic medicine is known as the science of life, and the idea that everything in the world is made of energy. These energies can be split into three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, each of which are related to a bodily function. “Vata is the energy of movement; pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism and kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure” (Lad, 2021). It is the decreased function of any of these doshas which is seen to be the cause of disease in the body.
A process that can largely affect each of these doshas and your bodies overall health is metabolism. Metabolism is a process that can be linked to many pathways throughout the body and works by extracting energy from the food you eat. This energy is then converted to a form your body can use for its physiological processes. Diabetes is an example of a disorder that can impair metabolism by reducing the amount of insulin in the body, which in turn prevents the body from storing extra energy. For example, in the body, carbohydrates will be broken down into glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream to carry energy throughout the body. If blood glucose levels raise too much, the body will promote the pancreases to release insulin, which causes the liver to remove glucose from the blood and turn it into glycogen (Diabetes and Metabolism, 2021). Glycogen is then able to be stored in the body for later use. Those with diabetes have decreased insulin levels and are not able to stimulate the liver to remove the glucose. This leaves high levels of glucose in the blood, as well as prevents the body from storing excess glucose for later use.
Ayurvedic medicine sees diabetes as an imbalance in the dosha of Vata. The major causes of this imbalance are physical inactivity, excessive sleep, and eating excess sugar and curds (Ayurveda and Diabetes, 2022). To treat diabetes and bring Vata back into balance it is vital that the person starts to maintain a healthier lifestyle (including diet and regular exercise). Several herbs such as Amla and Triphala are recommended, as well as the introduction of bitter fruits and vegetables into the diet.
Works Cited
Lad, Vasant. “A Brief Introduction and Guide.” Ayurveda, 6 Dec. 2021, https://www.ayurveda.com/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide/.
“Diabetes and Metabolism: The Impact of Type 1 and Type 2.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 2021, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diabetes-and-metabolism#diabetes-and-metabolism.
“Ayurveda and Diabetes: Everything That You Must Know!” Kerala Ayurveda , 2022, https://www.keralaayurveda.biz/blog/ayurveda-for-diabetes-guide-to-wellness.
I really enjoyed reading about the research you conducted on Ayurveda. The mind is such a powerful thing, and I think that we still don't understand the true power of thought. The placebo effect has shown the power that mindset and thinking can have on our physical body. Ayurvedic medicine focuses on the balance between different areas of our life. If our mind is able to balance the processes within our body, it will be able to prevent and treat disease itself. From researching both topics, Ayurveda and diabetes, I have come to the conclusion that both western medicine, along with ayruvedic medicine is necessary to control the effects of diabetes as well as prevent the disease all together.
ReplyDeleteThe way you included the use of placebo medications to replicate balance was very interesting to me and something I hadn't thought of while researching this topic but it makes so much sense. If our mind can trick our body into feeling like it's back in balance again then we should be healed. I also enjoyed how you mentioned the energy splitting into the three doshas as that is something I had read about and was able to learn more about them and their connection to diabetes. Specifically how Vata was the dosha affected due to having diabetes.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I hadn’t thought about before was how the placebo effect can play into proving how mental health can play a role into healing. That point was very thought provoking to me and it was interesting to read about. I also enjoyed reading about how ayurvedic medicine views diabetes and what treatments are typically used in holistic medicine.
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