Ayurveda and metabolism

            For as long as humans have been around, we have been researching and discovering ways to solve our problems. Whether it is the domestication of fire to fix cold, dark nights, or inventing cars to travel from place to place quicker, our understanding of the world and control of our environment have improved drastically. While we have not fixed everything, at least we have scientific explanations for almost any worldly phenomenon. In this writing, the focus will be on medical research and understanding, emphasizing improvements in understanding of metabolic disorder.

            Archeologists can learn much about ancient civilizations by their beliefs surrounding disease and medicine. Every culture has different ideas about the causes of disease, ranging from the gods punishing people to an imbalance in internal body systems. As one of the oldest traditional systems of medicine (estimated to be as old as 2nd century BC), Hindus practiced and believed in ayurveda as a gift from Brahma, the creator of the universe. Many old systems of medicine, including ayurveda, focused on a holistic approach to medicine as health is heavily influenced by all aspects of life. In ayurveda, life exists in a balance, with small issues resulting in imbalances that can present as illness. Further, the body is composed of seven important tissues: tissue fluids, fat/connective tissues, blood, bones, marrow, muscle, semen, and waste. Three humors maintain balance of the seven tissues and explain the many physiological functions of the human body. If these humors are not functioning in harmony with one another, imbalances in tissues can cause illness and pain. Five karmas (actions) are used to restore the balance of three humors. These karmas are purgation through use of powders, therapeutic

 

emesis, detoxification of blood, use of enemas, and administration of medicines through nasal routes.

 

Essentially, plants and toxins are used to appease blockages disrupting the flow of tissues so that the

 

body can restore its own normal function.

            In many ways, ayurveda principles are still accurate and used to this day. There are many

organ systems in the body that must work together in harmony, or the other systems cannot do their

job.  The immune system must function to protect the other systems from pathogens, the digestive

system must provide the rest of the body with nourishment, etc. If any of these systems have

imbalances, the rest can suffer. Diabetes is a result of one of these abnormalities and imbalances

in the metabolism of the body. Insulin is a product of many cell functions, and if there is an

imbalance in any of the prerequisite reactions, the desired product can not be produced. Finally,

the product can not be used as a future substrate, preventing occurrence of resulting reactions.

Diabetes has many chain reactions beyond issues with nourishing cells.

            As ayurveda suggests, the body has many ways to stabilize imbalances in blood sugar,

but diabetes is a result of poor control of these pathways. Essentially, diabetes occurs when

issues cause the body to lose the ability to restore balance in blood sugar. There are 2 types of

diabetes, with differences in cause and treatment. Type 1 is typically associated with issues

involving B cells in the pancreas, resulting in insufficient amounts of insulin being produced.

WIthout this insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high and glucose levels within the cells

are low. When cells do not receive glucose, they have low energy and cannot perform many

vital cell functions. Type 1 diabetes usually cannot be cured, but it can be treated with insulin

injections. Other causes for Type 1 diabetes include endocrine diseases affecting hormones,

viruses and infections, physical damage to pancreas, or, most commonly, autoimmune diseases.

            Type 2 diabetes is very different from Type 1, as the issues stem from insulin resistant receptors on the cells that prevent glucose uptake. There can be plenty of insulin and glucose around the cells, they just have receptors that need higher amounts of insulin before they accept the glucose. Treatment can still be done with insulin injections, but this can worsen the problem by making the receptors more insulin resistant. While some people are more at risk for Type 2 diabetes than others, based on age, race, and genetics, the chances of getting type 2 are increased by physical inactivity, high body weight, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be treated by weight loss and a healthy diet, but not always.

            Secondary effects of diabetes reach every body system. High blood glucose and hypertension can damage the sensitive blood vessels of the eye, leading to cataracts and glaucoma. Hyperglycemia can cause pain and numbness in the peripheral nervous system. Coronary heart failure or stroke may occur as a result of high blood pressure.

            Type 1 diabetes can be very difficult to predict or prevent, as family history and genetics can play the biggest role. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes can typically be prevented with a healthy amount of physical exercise. Our bodies evolved with our ancestors running miles and miles every day while eating a very pure diet. For that reason, they are not well adapted to sitting for hours on end while doing computer work and snacking on highly processed foods. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help maintain the balance of all of our body functions, even down to a cellular level. When muscle cells are active, cellular respiration happens at a higher rate, increasing the amount of glucose that is consumed. This prevents a buildup of glucose remaining in the bloodstream. If there is a high amount of glucose in blood vessels and cells are not consuming it, the cells eventually learn not to bring in excess glucose by becoming more insulin resistant.

            In conclusion, the human body is very effective at regulating itself and maintaining proper balance of the many organs systems. People have known this for thousands of years, even without modern technology and understanding of the body at a cellular level. However, this balance can be very fragile, with something as small as chemical resistant receptors causing tons of problems. It seems that the ancient Hindus understood that disease often results from a small part of a body process malfunctioning, resulting in an avalanche of issues that are difficult to fix.