Ayurveda and Diabetes

 Ayurveda and Diabetes

Ayurveda translates to the “science/knowledge of life”. It is a medical practice that incorporates the idea of balance between mind, body, and soul. The goal of ayurveda is to find the specific connections that one person needs within their body for it to be balanced, helping the individual live a healthy life. The practice of ayurveda has been around for a long time. Many might find it hard to believe, as it incorporates ideals and practices that can seem somewhat unconventional when compared to our modern day practice of medicine. However, after deeper consideration, that is not the case. Disease is caused by an imbalance within the body. There are so many small things within our body that are necessary for our survival and health. If those things stop working or become unbalanced, complications can and will arise, leading to disease. Ayurveda attempts to balance the imbalances that are found within the body. Modern medicine is also concerned with righting the imbalances, in ways that are similar and ways that differ from ayurveda. 

One of the most well known examples of a disease within the body is diabetes. People who have diabetes are unable to regulate or control their blood sugar on their own. There are different types of diabetes, Type I and Type II. Type I diabetes is genetic, the body is unable to make insulin, and therefore can’t lower blood sugar when it gets too high. People with Type I diabetes will give themselves insulin to maintain their blood sugar levels. Type II diabetes is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Those diagnosed with Type II diabetes often have a family history of diabetes, have a higher risk percentage because of their race/ethnicity. Those factors along with other environmental factors like diet, exercise, and high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can lead to a person developing diabetes. 

Thinking specifically of Type II diabetes in terms of ayurveda leads to an interesting train of thought. When patients choose to seek help from professionals who specialize in ayurveda, those professionals ask them in depth questions about all aspects of their lives. They want to know about stress levels, diet, time spent being active, overall sleep, and past medical history. After learning everything they can about that person, they offer suggestions on how to improve their health. These suggestions almost always start with altering the diet and improving physical activity. The suggestions vary from person to person, but share many similarities. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that some of the first things they suggest are the environmental predisposers that can lead to the diagnosis of Type II diabetes; diet and exercise. It makes me wonder how many people could avoid having Type II diabetes if they could implement and live a lifestyle where they are eating healthy foods and getting some exercise. Obviously this would not guarantee them that they would never get diabetes, there are other uncontrollable factors involved, but it could greatly lower the chances that they would have diabetes. 

It is also important to note that living a more healthy and balanced lifestyle will not only decrease the chances of developing diabetes. This will benefit the overall health of an individual in so many ways. They will be less likely to develop heart conditions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and many other different preventable diseases. Living a balanced life is the goal that ayurveda tries to help with. By finding and living a balanced lifestyle that works for the individual, not only will their physical health benefit, many different aspects of their life will begin to feel more harmonious to one another. We have a tendency to talk about health and balance speaking in an only physical sense. Eating healthy, drinking water, working out, and getting so many hours of sleep a night are certainly very important aspects of being in good physical health. I’m of the belief that someone can be doing all those things and be physically healthy, yet not have a good overall health. There are other factors that play into health. Ayurveda talks about two others, mind and soul. I would add social factors to that list as well. If we are unbalanced in our mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or social health, our physical health will suffer too. True balance, balance between all of these factors, is what leads to a healthy life. Neglecting one or focusing too much on another, will cause others to fall out of balance and our overall health will begin to suffer. If one could find a healthy and sustainable balance between these factors, just like ayurveda teaches, I believe they would be generally a more healthy and happy person.