Ayurveda and diabetes

    Ayurveda is a natural form of medicine that was found in India. It’s used as more of a lifestyle medicine than a prescription. Ayurveda is used as a therapy to regain balance in life. This can be between the body, mind, spirit and the environment around the person. The natural therapy begins with a purification process that may include massages, yoga, a specific diet and meditation. Exercise and diet are especially important in maintaining a balanced and healthy life. This method is used in hopes to resist the chance of disease. It’s also used to reduce symptoms of sickness or disease a person might have as well as add harmony to their life. This is very similar to the term biologist know as homeostasis in the body, constantly trying reach an equilibrium. 

    Diabetes is a great example of what happens when the balance in the body is disconnected. There are multiple types of diabetes, each having their own imbalance in the body with sugar levels. There are 2 types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 occurs suddenly at mostly young ages but can occur at any age. It tends to occur in the more thin or normal body habitus. Endogenous insulin can be low or absent in type 1 and ketoacidosis is common as well as autoantibodies are usually present. Type 2 gradually occurs in adults and tends to be the opposite than Type 1. It is often common in the obese body habitus and ketoacidosis is rare. Autoantibodies are absent in type 2 along with normal, decreased or increased endogenous insulin levels.

    Beta cells have a lot to do with diabetes and the organs affected. The pathways are all connected to the beta cells in the pancreas. The pancreatic beta cells are producing insulin and from there contribute to the pathways. From the final common denominator from insulin, there are a couple different pathways that can occur. It can cause hyperglycemia through 3 different pathways. The first is the incretin effect that causes hyperglycemia and the kidney increases glucose reabsorption. The second is the alpha cells are defected resulting in production of glucagon leading to hyperglycemia. The last pathway resulting in hyperglycemia is the final common denominator producing amylin. From here there are 2 pathways able to reach hyperglycemia. The first being going straight from amylin production to hyperglycemia. The second way, the amylin leads to increased rate of glucose absorption in the stomach and small intestine the causes hyperglycemia. 

    The pancreatic beta cells also affect the brain, colon and immune system. The insulin final common denominator can affect the brain by increasing appetite, decreasing the dopamine surge, and increasing sympathetic tone. The final common denominator can affect the colon and biome due to the abnormal microbiota and the possible decrease of GLP-1 secretion. Its effect on the immune system is immune dysregulation and inflammation. The final common denominator can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can affect the liver, muscles and adipose. It increases glucose production in the liver, decreases peripheral muscle uptake in the muscles and increases lipolysis in adipose tissue. There are a lot of ways diabetes affects other organs and pathways and most times can result in health issues. 

    In 2013, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death. There are a couple different factors that play into diabetes being so high on the cost for the person living with the disease. The direct factors are more correlated to the economy and dealing with money. The cost for diabetes is 2.3 times higher than other patients. The cost has increased by 41% costing billions of dollars to those who suffer from the disease. A person being hospitalized for hyperglycemia is charged more than $16,000. All treatments for the damage diabetes can do to the patient ranges from $2,000-$40,000. The indirect costs are more due to the inability to move, work or being disabled.

    A study in 2012 found that the estimated cost for diabetes was $245 billion dollars. Most of this price comes from medical costs from in-patient hospitalization. In five years, the price was increased by 41% for treatment of diabetes. Although there is already a burden of having to live with a disease, there is now also the burden of costs for treatment added on to that. The consequences are very high and draining on the body then added cost make it very difficult and expensive to live with diabetes.

    Although diabetes is very expensive directly and indirectly, it is also very taxing socially. Many focuses with treatments are related to diet and exercise. Patients with diabetes are being monitored with activity and diet because this can impact their daily lives and how they feel day by day. Their physical and social environments are also observed to have poor living conditions and income and education all play a role in overall health. This can be where Ayurveda comes in to play. Finding a balance in life with food and health and become a treatment option. Although treatment like insulin is very high in cost, a balance in life can be easy to obtain. Taking time for yourself can be nearly free, because swapping out food choices and going on walks for exercise are not very costly. People being labeled to have diabetes can also be difficult on the patient, especially at a very young age. There are consequences that come with poor social factors. In poor conditions, obesity can run in the family. It can be more susceptible for newborns to be born with diabetes as well. It can also lead to a person being high stress, higher chance for depression and anxiety and mental health issues. People suffering with diabetes are often times categorized and known to be “the person with diabetes.” A friend of mine had type 1 diabetes, and since elementary school he was always known as the “diabetes kid.” Our classmates at this time had no clue what that was at the time, but the name stuck from there on out.

    Although Ayurveda isn’t an exact solution, it is a form of treatment that more people should be aware of. A balance of life is just as important as medication prescribed because it can keep people in better condition. I didn’t believe that it was a true solution, but a balanced life helps maintain a healthier lifestyle. For many people, getting a better balance of their environment, mind and body can make all the difference. In some cases, like diabetes, it has to make all the difference. When all that is available is limited treatments, the patients have to find ways to have a healthy balance. Ayurveda should be taught and practiced more to try for a healthier, well-balanced lifestyle and purification of sickness. Healing and balancing may at times be more beneficial than trying 3 different prescriptions as a treatment.