Diabetes and Ayurveda

Disease and everything about it can be, and usually is, a complex thing to not only treat but also to cure, which is normally the bigger hurdle. There are a lot of diseases in our vast, changing world and due to these circumstances, more and more will arise in the future. Many diseases we now face are treatable but few are curable. Medical researchers are constantly searching and trying to find ways to not just treat disease but a cure which in many cases is a lifelong pursuit and does not end in success. One of these diseases in specific, one that has become a nationwide issue here in the United States is diabetes. Diabetes has been around for a very long time and up to this point we have come up with a treatment in order to keep the individuals alive but not a cure. Obviously coming up with a cure is much harder than just treatment because there are so many different parts and pieces to the puzzle than just fixing nonfunctioning cells. Our bodies are not like a car where you can just swap out a worn-out part and everything works again. The body is much more intricate and temperamental than that. It requires not only acknowledging the problem at hand, but also looking at several other factors that could and most likely will be affected by trying to fix the problem. This ties into the idea of Ayurveda which in simple terms, is an ancient Indian practice where physicians approach treating/healing sick individuals via treating the whole person as a unit (mind, body, and spirit) not just specific parts of an individual that might be afflicted. Ayurveda is very interesting and I will return to this idea and practice later on.  

Diabetes has been a problem for a long time, especially in the United States. A statistic from the CDC says that U.S. went from only 1.6 million people diagnosed with diabetes in 1958 to 23.4 million in 2015 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Now we are up to about 37.7 million people that have been diagnosed with diabetes. Not only has the disease become more prevalent since the 50’s but it has jumped way up even since 2015. Along with the increase of diabetes cases, our government is spending billions and billions of dollars on the treatment of these individuals. Our government is already way in over their head in debt and this does not help.

On a similar note, Type 2 diabetes is, for the most part, preventable. It’s not like Type 1 where individuals are born with a deficiency or an autoimmune disease which is out of that individual’s control. Most people can avoid getting Type 2 diabetes by simply exercising regularly and eating a well-balanced diet. A pretty straight forward approach but with the direction our world is moving maybe not as straight forward as one might think. With more advanced technology and increase of fast-food joints, allows diabetes to creep into people’s lives. Don’t get me wrong, our technological advancements are influential and have been a key piece to new discoveries. All I am saying is that with the new conveniences we have, we still need make sure we keep up on our health. Reflecting back on the Ayurveda approach, keeping our whole unit healthy. Not just the mind and spirit, the body as well.

I have mentioned this idea of Ayurveda which is, as I mentioned before, an approach where the physician treats the sick individual as a unit, treating the mind, body, and spirit as one in order heal the sick individual. It is an ancient technique that started in India centuries ago and has been passed down from generation to generation. The effectiveness of the treatment is somewhat debatable and most medical websites tell people to consult a licensed doctor before receiving treatment. Although the validity Ayurveda is debatable, the idea of is what is fascinating. Treating the body as unit allows us to understand the interconnectedness of almost every system in our bodies. So, trying to alter of fix something that is not functioning properly, like the pancreas, is very hard because by altering a certain piece of the body or organ, this could have a cascading effect that could cause larger issues possibly damaging other systems. So, the idea of treating the body as a unit is very important and if more western medicine physicians adopted this idea into their practice, I feel like they would have a better understanding and could be more precise on treating their patients.

Although we haven’t found a cure for diabetes, researchers push on to reach the final break through. For Type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that it can actually be reversed. People who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes can get their beta cells working again by exercising regularly and eating healthier. Although the disease can be reversed, this is not a cure. The disease will only go into a remission state and could come back again at any time in that individual’s life, similar to cancer (Sherwood, 2022). Type 1 is not as hopeful. Scientists have tried many different avenues to cure the disease but there is always a cost that comes with the potential cure, which a lot of times is a suppressed immune system. Having a suppressed immune system can make one vulnerable to simple sicknesses we once didn’t give a second thought too. So, this is less than ideal. Although finding a cure for diabetes may seem impossible at times, I think pushing on in this endeavor will be well worth it not only to individuals who are suffering from this disease but also a massive financial burden lifted from the U.S. government.

 

 

 

 

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

Sherwood, A. (2022, July 13). Can you reverse type 2 diabetes? WebMD. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/can-you-reverse-type-2-diabetes#:~:text=Although%20there's%20no%20cure%20for,diabetes%20is%20an%20ongoing%20disease.