Ayurveda and Diabetes
Diabetes
is a massive widespread disease that affects many people throughout the world. 415
million people in the world are dealing with diabetes and that number is steadily
increasing. 37.3 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, and around 1 in
5 people don’t know they have it. As many people are able to live normally with
diabetes, for a lot of people it can cause some major health problems that impact
their daily lives. Diabetes affects how your body either makes or uses insulin,
which is vital for converting sugar into the energy our bodies need to
function. Type II diabetes is more common than type I, as type I is genetic,
and type II is associated with obesity and can be prevented. Ayurveda, a type
of approach to medicine that involves the whole body instead of just the parts,
can be applied to diabetes patients to be able to deal with their condition and
live a happy, healthier life.
Ayurveda originated
in India over 3,000 years ago and the name comes from Sanskrit. Ayur means
life, and veda means knowledge. So ayurveda literally means the knowledge of
life. Ayurveda can be used to help with diabetes by establishing a connection
between the whole body and the mind instead of just one part of the body. Many
of the treatments include using herbs, different diets, and lifestyle changes.
This isn’t vastly different from what a traditional doctor would tell you to do
outside of their medical practice on your own. A lot of ayurveda seems to be pretty
intuitional, just keeping your body healthy and doing what you can to lessen
the symptoms of the disease. Little changes like increasing exercise, choosing
healthier more balanced meals and snacks, and even dealing with stress in a
productive way can have a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Like
with anything, little changes overtime help achieve greater things than trying
to do it all at once.
Of course,
ayurveda isn’t just limited to treat diabetes, it can be used to treat many chronic
illnesses where patients can’t seem to find relief any other way. When I first
heard about the idea of ayurveda, I was honestly a little skeptical. I fully
believe in the importance of establishing a good connection with the mind and body
and doing as much as you can to keep your body healthy. However, I also believe
in science and medicine and the power to heal through medication. Fully relying
on ayurveda I think can only solve half of the problem in most cases. With diseases
that literally have life saving medications, just treating with ayurveda
probably isn’t going to help you out as well. I think the best approach is to
combine the two, to treat diseases with medicine but also with ayurvedic
approaches. I think then can we see a huge impact of the two working together
to solve what’s going on at the source while simultaneously helping the body as
a whole.
Applying
this idea to diabetes, taking insulin is an essential treatment for type I, but
can also be accompanied with regular exercise and healthy eating. For type II,
it is imperative to maintain a healthy lifestyle to lessen the effects of
diabetes on the body, as well as treating conditions that may have risen from
diabetes through medications. I think ayurveda is most important when it comes
to preventing diseases, as it can help establish that good connection with the
mind and body and have better habits overall. Ultimately, combining the idea of
ayurveda along with seeing a doctor to help relieve particular symptoms can be
very beneficial and I think the most productive way to manage disease.
Sources:
Ayurveda and diabetes:
Everything that you must know! Ayurveda for Diabetes: Types, Symptoms and
Home Remedies. (2022, June 23). Retrieved September 30, 2022, from
https://www.keralaayurveda.biz/blog/ayurveda-for-diabetes-guide-to-wellness#:~:text=In%20Ayurveda%2C%20diabetes%20is%20referred,referred%20to%20as%20Kapha%20Prameha.
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. (2022, January 24). The facts, stats, and impacts of
diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September
30, 2022, from
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/diabetes-facts-stats.html#:~:text=37.3%20million%20Americans%E2%80%94about%201,t%20know%20they%20have%20it.
I really liked your paper. I felt like you covered the material pretty well and even brought in information from other sources than just from lecture stuff. Good job. Some recommendations I would give would be that the last two paragraphs felt sort of repetitive so try to mix it up a little more. Maybe talk about steps were taking and things scientists are doing to try and find cures for the disease. Could break up the repetitiveness. Awesome job though!
ReplyDeleteYou had a very well thought out approach to using Ayurveda in conjunction with Western medical practices. I agree with you that this holistic approach on its own will not often be enough, but I think that the benefits of trying to find balance in our bodies will be large no matter what the ailment. The only recommendation I would make for your paper is maybe finding some studies on how beneficial exercise and proper nutrition can be to diabetes to really drive home your point. Awesome work overall!
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about little changes over time helping to achieve greater things in the end. Small changes in our behavior can take a bit of effort but eventually turn into healthy habits and practices. I agree that just taking a holistic approach might not be enough to treating chronic diseases and conditions, which is why we have modern medicine and the advances of it to improve our lives. I think putting in some more research done by the community on how life-style changes can improve and treat diabetes might be helpful to back up your claims.
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