Diabetes and Ayurveda Treatment (1)

What is ayurvedic treatment, is there an ayurvedic treatment for diabetes, how does the treatment work, what is the prognosis when using ayurvedic treatment. Why are more and more people adopting it as an alternative way of managing their diabetes? All these questions and more shall be answered in the following article.

Ayurveda is the world's oldest surviving healing system. A form of alternative medicine and the traditional system of medicine of India, the word is a composite of the words "ayu" meaning life and "Veda" meaning knowledge. Thus roughly translated Ayurveda means "the science of life" and involves the care and treatment of human beings. To bring it home more succinctly, Ayurveda's two cardinal aims are the complete elimination of disease and dysfunction of the body and secondly, the prolongation of life and promotion of perfect health.

In order to do this, Ayurveda considers the general life pattern of the individual, including his diet, behavior and health and profession. But before we go into all that, the question may be asked why anyone would want to go for this ancient system of medicine anyway. What is the attraction of such a system over the modern, generally more accepted scientific treatment of diabetes today? Well the reason is not far to seek.

First, diabetes as generally been regarded as a disease that cannot be cured, only managed. This management basically involves the subject keeping his fasting blood sugar level within a medically determine or advised range (between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL). Where he is able to do this, in most cases he will stop experiencing many of the symptoms of the disease and its associated complications.

To many people, this is not a cure in the true sense of the word because the individual will still be restricted to a high in fiber, low in carbohydrate, low in fat, non-smoking, none or limited alcohol intake diet as well as a continued regime of exercise and blood sugar control.

If we are to follow this reasoning, then it can be said that any "cure" which does not either rejuvenate the Beta cells (the insulin producing cells of the pancreas) as would be necessary in the case of a cure for Type 1 or help overcome the insulin resistance of the body as in the case of a cure for Type 2, cannot really be said to be one. While stem cell research- whether through the undifferentiated embryonic stem cells or (induced pluripotent) stem cells of today, brings us hope for a cure in the case of type 1, type 2 treatment still remains relatively a case of management.

Moreover, modern medical approach to treating or managing Type 2 diabetes takes dedication and discipline. In addition to that, medicine used may have side effects. For example the use of the drug metformin has been known to cause heart attacks. Again the use of insulin for the treatment of diabetes needs to be well regulated and timed so as not to inadvertently induce hypoglycemia or the obverse hyperglycemia.

Now if one is to be sincere in one's analysis, we can equally say that the ayurvedic method for the treatment of diabetes is arguably also a management one. However, the ace it perhaps holds over the modern approach is that since it is both preventive and holistic in its medical approach to the treatment of the body, it does not hold the risk of complications associated with pharmaceutical treatments.

Further, it has been scientifically ascertained that while some herbs used in ayurvedic treatment actually stimulate Beta cell production others encourage the sensitivity of the body to insulin. This then arguably constitutes a most viable alternative treatment choice for diabetes.

In classic ayurveda, diabetes was given the name Prameha which means excessive urination. It was also known as Madhumeha which is interpreted as flow of sugar from the body. Again, it was equally called Maharoga (Major disease) as almost all parts of the body is affected by it. According to Ayurveda, prameha (diabetes) is divided into 4 major types (and total 21 types). Kapha type, itself divided into 10 types, Pitta type, divided into 6 types, Vata type, divided into 4 types and sahaja which corresponds to Type 1 diabetes.

The main causes of prameha (diabetes) is said to be lack of exercise and the eating of food containing too much ushna, snigha and guru nature. Although it is also recognized that Sahaja diabetes is hereditary and caused by defects in the genetics of the patients parents.

In Ayurveda, diabetes is classified in several ways; first into the two categories of the lean diabetic and the obese diabetic. The second classification is according to causes of diabetes- Sahaja prameha (congenital) and Apathyanimittaja prameha (due to over eating and poor habits) and finally classification according to Dosha. The first two are clear. What however is Dosha?

To understand what Dosha is and indeed how Ayurvedic treatment works, we first have to understand the philosophy or "science" behind the ayuveda treatment of diabetes.

First, Ayurveda stipulates that the entire physical structure and function of man is premised on the combination of any 2 of the 5 great elements (Bhuttas). This combination will predominate and as such will determine your nature. It is this nature that is known as Dosha. Going further these combinations are categorized into Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is to do with movement, Kapha, the functions of metabolism, energy production and heat while Kapha concerns itself with physical structure and fluid balance.

The Ayurvedic view is that disease is caused by an imbalance in these qualities (Vikruiti). Treatment of Type 2 diabetes like all diseases in this system therefore requires a restoration of balance (Prakruti) by detoxifying the body of the causative toxins blocking circulation and causing the dosha imbalance and also the normal function of dhatu (tissue).

Ayurvedic treatment is remarkably modern in its approach to treating diabetes. For as a doctor may reflect on the risk factors in a patient when performing diagnoses and making recommendations, Ayurveda treatments equally consider family history (in other words genetic predispositions), sex, age, body constitution (body mass index consideration), stage of the disease, diet, etc. This means that treatment will be tailored to the specific needs of each individual and that more often than not, treatment, particularly dosage will differ from patient to patient even when they suffer from the same disease and symptoms.

The foundation step in a diagnoses which can last for up to an hour will therefore be to find a person's (dosha), I.e Vatta, Pitta or Kapha. Once found, the imbalance in the dosha is elicited by asking several questions on his or her food habits, sleeping patterns, behavior, age, height and weight, place of life, profession, medical reports, health problems, etc.

By knowing the dosha, the health consultant will be able to assess dosha attributes of the patient that are out of balance and prescribe the changes required to rebalance them. In doing this, the health consultant will make use of pulse, tongue, nail and eye examinations. The health of several organs as well as the psychological state of the individual can be derived from this study and the observation and documentation of this will assist the Health consultant in treating the disease. Incidentally, it should be noted that Ayuverdic diagnosis does not preclude complimentary diagnosis via laboratory and clinical tests.

So then, once a diagnosis of diabetes has been made, how does the ayurvedic practitioner treat it? Remarkably again (the first two approach at least) bears similarity to western practice for diabetes treatment. Thus, first, if the doshas are only slightly imbalanced, then increased activity and restriction of diet is sufficient remedy.

The administration of medicine (herbs) will be called for where the doshas are moderately imbalanced. This will serve to neutralize the imbalanced dosha and along with dietary restriction and increased exercise will serve as sufficient remedy. Where the doshas are greatly imbalanced however, then in addition to diet restriction, exercise and medicines, then Panchakarma (five actions of detoxification) will have to be administered. However, Panchakarma is more appropriate for the stout or obese diabetic not the lean one who showing excessive vata dosha should focus more on medications and diet which will increase the dhatus (rebuilding or tonification of the body).

In summary therefore, it can be said that Ayurveda practice consists of four basic nodes, namely reduction (through exercise), detoxification, nourishing and tonification (through diet) and balancing (through all three). Several agents are used in calibrated amounts to achieve this. They are namely food, exercise, routine and herbs. We shall be looking at the role each of these play in our next article.

Can Diabetes Be Cured? The Case for Type 2

As of today the prevailing wisdom is that there is no cure for diabetes, whether it is type 1 or type 2. However, it is known that in the case of type 2, following treatment, diabetes has actually been seen to go into remission in some patients. Although this may not be an outright cure, it surely gives hope that one day, a cure would be found that would do away with diabetes altogether. Some of them will be mentioned in this article.

But first, what is the evidence to show that Diabetes can indeed be reversed. Well first, it has been found that in people who qualify for bariatric surgery, that after surgery these individuals tend to quickly have their blood sugar level return to normal. Although there are some associated risks with the surgery and other post-surgery risks such as osteoporosis and nutrient deficiency, the benefits of the surgery, far outweighs the disadvantages.

The obvious and indeed often drastic improvement in patients' blood sugar status after this type of surgery and a dissatisfaction with the explanation offered by the surgeon, that it was due to the interference with appetite controlling gut hormones, led Doctor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University in 2011 to take action.

His own interpretation of why the surgery worked was that "(the surgery) led to a sudden shift of fat away from the liver and pancreas... " His approach was to using Type 2 diabetics investigate a low carbohydrate 600 calorie day diet which was calibrated to mimic the very sharp reduction in food intake after a bariatric procedure.

The diet was a liquid diet containing carbohydrate, vitamins, protein, fat, minerals and trace elements. "I predicted this could strip fat out of the liver and pancreas and both organs would return to normal - and our subsequent work has confirmed this.'

So what exactly was the study that Professor Roy embarked on that led him to confirm this. Well, it is known as the Newcastle case or diet.

In 2011 Roy Taylor and his research group at the University of Newcastle placed 11 individuals suffering from Type 2 diabetes and with a body index (weight corrected for height, the norm being 25kg/m2) of 33kg/m2 on an extreme 600 calorie liquid diet. This is supplemented by 3 portions of non-starchy vegetables a day which brings the total calorie intake to 800 calories per day for 8 weeks. Dramatically, less than a week thereafter, their blood sugar level fell from 9 to 6 mmol/l. Diabetes is said to be present when blood sugar is above 6.5mmol/l. and throughout the course of the study, it remained steady within the healthy blood sugar range.

In addition, their body mass index BMI graduated down from 33 to 29kg/m2, a direct reflection of a weight reduction from 101 to 88kg. Further it was found that this weight loss correlated greatly with a reduced amount of fat within the liver and pancreas. The result was that insulin quantity produced by the pancreas increased and the action of insulin on the liver was significantly improved.

In a corresponding second trial 54 year old Alan Tutty was able to successfully lose 26lb and reduce his weight to 13st 3lbs reversing his diabetes in the process.

Accordingly, the study did indeed prove that by a significant loss of weight, blood sugar levels in diabetes sufferers can fall and as such leave sufferers cured. This was in a controlled environment. What would happen in a non- laboratory environment? Could such an approach work in the real world. An opportunity soon presented itself.

Later that year, Richard Doughty was diagnosed with diabetes. Getting in contact with Prof Roy, he was encouraged to go on the diet. The diet consisted of the standard 800 calories and surprisingly less than two weeks (11 days) after, his blood sugar level had dropped to the non-diabetic 5.1mmol/l and he was on his next visit told by his GP "Your diabetes has resolved itself".

Nor was this just a fluke. Carlos Cervantes, 53 and from the US, already suffering from the ravages of the disease-failing kidneys and eyesight heard of Richards case and used the diet. He was able to reduce his weight from 120 to 80kg and reverse his diabetes. So too did Henry Cole, 67 of New Jersey, USA. Following the diet, he was able to reduce his weight to 70 from 81kg and his HbA1c level to 5.6% from 6.9%. And swinging back across the Atlantic again we have Steve Vincent, 58, from Southampton, England, who in December 2010 was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Following the diet with tenacity, he achieved success and was able to bring his weight down to 72 from 93kg and halve his HbA1c by bringing it down to 5.5% from a previous 10.7%.

Roy Taylors study and explanation for his results has been peer reviewed and corroborated by other scientists. One of these is Naveed Sattar, one of the UK's leading diabetes researchers and professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow. He said; if we consume more calories than we burn, we store the excess as fat. Among the places we store it are the pancreas and the liver, thus interfering with the former's capacity to produce insulin, and the latter's capacity to react to it. The effect of the extreme 600-calorie-a-day diet was to not only reduce body weight dramatically, but also to slash fat on the liver and pancreas. This then allows the pancreas to produce insulin and the liver to react to it.

But is this approach for everyone, and should you attempt it? Maybe not. Professor Roy was quick to point out that Type 2 diabetes only happens when a personal fat threshold was exceeded.

What this means is that depending on certain factors, BMI as it relates to your ethnicity, family history etc., some persons may be more predisposed to getting diabetes than others. That being the case, the amount of fat that a person can safely or should successfully try to lose may differ from one person to another. For example it has been found that some people with an apparently healthy BMI develop diabetes whilst others with BMIs in the 40s range do not.

Further, even with low BMIs people of South Asian descent can develop diabetes. As such it may be unsafe for one diabetic with a BMI less than 35 to attempt to lose as much weight as another diabetic of his weight class. Being of the same weight class does not automatically follow that their personal fat index will tally. Dr. Sattar elaborated on this "We're thinking it's about an individual's ability to make and store fat safely," he says. "Some people can store fat subcutaneously. With others, it goes straight to the liver and pancreas. That's the classic big waist, pot belly shape; the fat isn't distributed around the body." This explains why simple waist measurement - 37in or more for men, 35in for South Asian men, 31.5in for women - is now seen as a better risk indicator for diabetes than BMI.

In view of this, the sharp reduction in weight may not be for every body and it is best that one discusses it with one's doctor first before attempting to go on the diet. Though it is safe to say that losing weight within the general populations' normal range is a boon to good health.

The work continues though. The Newcastle study was in people who have type 2 diabetes of up to 4 years. Study is now being made to find out whether by a similar diet, people of longer duration diabetes could equally have their condition reversed. In a reply letter to questions frequently asked, Professor Roy Taylor continued that, "... there is good reason to believe that longer duration type 2 diabetes can be reversible, although after 10 - 15 years of diabetes it is likely that not everyone will be able to achieve a return to normal glucose control, despite major weight loss".

Whilst many are excited and bask in the euphoria of this apparent success against the disease, others demur, they opine that the true test of whether diabetes reversal amounted to a cure would depend on whether such patients can return to their old diet without hindrance. That is to say whether they can start eating anything they like again.

Well, while this may sound reasonable, it should be noted that the reversal of short duration Type 2 diabetes is premised on the individual's ability to free the pancreas and liver from excessive fat. As such where fat begins to build up again, the individual may just find him/herself sliding back into the maws of the condition.

On the obverse however (since fat build up in pancreas and liver is gradual) to contend that this automatically meant reversal did not constitute a cure would be to imply by a cure, a return to a pancreatic/liver health status the patient did not have immediately prior to the onset of the disease. In my humble opinion, in that light, reversal does constitute cure. In that very same light, it is neither safe nor expedient for such persons to return strictly to their pre-reversal diet. That indeed would be fool hardy.

Diabetes and the Paleolithic Diet

What is the Paleo diet, what does it represent. Who should go on the Paleo diet? Does the Paleo diet really work? Where can you get access to examples of the Paleo diet? All these questions and more I shall be answering in the article below.

So what exactly is the Paleo diet? The Paleolithic or Paleo diet represents modern man's attempt to return to the supposed diet of his ancestors premised on the belief that these while living on such diets did not experience many of the modern day diseases of today.

Thus diseases like high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart disease and the like was either rare or next to non-existence in their time. Of course they had other conditions to grapple with, but the point is that this fortunate circumstance bears witness to our forebear's healthy diet. And so the expectation is that if we want to reverse some of these conditions or at the very least enjoy better health, then we must certainly make its adoption part of our health strategy. This diet would essentially have been made of lean meat, nuts, seeds and berries. Also known as the Paleolithic or caveman diet, it has been in the light of the modern day clamoring for it, termed a fad diet.

As regards the diet, the period of our ancestors under consideration is essentially the Paleolithic era (hence the name of the diet) -a period lasting about 2.5 million years and which ended around 10,000 years ago with the beginning of animal domestication and agriculture.

The underlying basis for the theory is evolutionary discordance hypothesis, itself a subset of evolutionary medicine. The seeds of the hypothesis is to be found in the 1970s work of Walter Voegtlin, the gastroenterologist.

Its basic premise is that man is genetically adapted to the nutritional needs of food to be found in the Paleolithic period. These needs have not changed and remained adapted to the diet of the said ancestors. Despite the availability of a wide variety of relatively new foods like legumes, grains, dairy, and high in calorie processed foods -the main stay of much of our modern day diet, human metabolism the hypothesis claims, remain maladjusted to them. The result is these foods improper breakdown and assimilation by the body, leading to the health conditions- heart disease, high blood pressure, and yes-diabetes, earlier spoken of.

The answer to this was the Paleolithic diet. One man-Loren Cordain set out to let the world know this. He wrote his book-"The Paleo Diet" in 2002, popularized the diet and in fact being so recognized as an authority on it was by 2009 able to successfully trademark the term "Paleo Diet". By the late 2000s, the diet had gained in popularity riding on the back of several steeds, namely that of an appeal to nature and efficacy.

That said, the logic behind the diet has come under fire. First it has been criticized on the premise that there is no concrete evidence to show exactly what human beings ate during the Paleolithic period. Secondly, that evidence shows that Paleolithic man did in fact eat legumes and grains. Thirdly, that the surmise having humans adapted to specific local diets is unproven. Further, that humans are capable of greater nutritional flexibility than the diet gives them credit for and finally, that the Paleolithic period was an extremely lengthy period which saw human existence in different geographies offering different foods.

In addition it is argued that Paleolithic man did not suffer from diseases of affluence; diabetes, etc. because he hardly ever lived long enough to develop them. More convincing however is the argument that the underlying cause of such diseases is excess food energy in contrast to energy used, rather than the uptake of specific foods.

This makes sense especially if one considers that being foragers, our hunter gatherer ancestors were constantly on the move and were want in that process to burn off if they had any, their excess food energy. This lifestyle has been eliminated in modern day society and replaced by in by and large a sedentary one, where the opportunities providing ease and convenience for getting goods and services has resulted in less and less physical activity and as such a mismatch between the energy we consume and the energy we actually need. This excess energy then, deprived of avenues for dissipation, transcribes to fat, clogged arteries, stressed organs and consequently the diseases of affluence we see today.

So what then does the diet comprise? Let's look at that in detail. We have already stated that it is essentially constituted of lean meat, nuts, seeds and berries whilst eschewing grains, dairy products and refined processed foods. But in what quantities and ratios, one may ask should these foods be taken? Well because the claim is that protein comprises 19%-35% of the calories in hunter-gatherer diets Cordain stipulates that the diet calls for a similar amount, meaning more proteins and meat.

This is greater than that of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention which advises the derivation of 10-35% of calories from protein. In addition to this, proponents of the diet stipulate that the Paleolithic diets fat content is higher than that of modern day diets. However such fat should comprise mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated and omega-3 fats but avoid omega -6 and trans- fats.

In this diet, the main source of carbohydrates is to be non-starchy fruits and vegetables which will comprise essentially 35-45% of daily calories. It will also have a high fiber content but this is to be derived from the non-starchy vegetables and fruits not grains. However it should be noted that calcium is lacking in the Paleolithic diet and as such must be supplemented in order to prevent bone mineral loss.

On the obverse food groups which in the proponent's opinion were hardly or never eaten during the Paleolithic age are barred from the diet. These are gluten containing foods-essentially grains for instance like barley, wheat and rye; processed oils, salt, refined sugar, dairy products, legumes like beans and peanuts. Again, it should be noted that coffee and alcohol are not regarded as Paleo as our ancestors could not produce these.

But the arguments and counter arguments aside, is the Paleo diet really effective to prevent or counter the effects of diseases like diabetes? Let's see.

In 2007 a study was made by Lindeberg on 29 diabetic patients with either glucose intolerance or type two diabetes. Common to both though was the incidence of ischemic heart disease. These individuals were divided into two groups and placed on either a Mediterranean or Paleolithic diet. A Mediterranean diet comprises basically whole grains, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruits, fish, oils, and margarine. Similar to a Paleolithic diet excepting that a Paleolithic diet doesn't contain dairy products or grain. The results were interesting. They showed that although there was a marked improvement in glucose tolerance in both groups, the improvement was far greater in the group on the Paleolithic diet.

Further in 2009, a study was carried out by Jonsson and his colleagues to determine the health benefits of the Paleolithic diet on Type 2 diabetics. It involved the assessment of the Paleolithic and diabetes diet. The results once again favored the former with patient's on the Paleolithic diet reporting lower mean values of hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, weight, and waist circumference, with higher mean values for high-density lipoprotein.

Other studies; O'Dea's study of the effects of a Paleolithic diet on 10 northwest Australian Aboriginal type 2 diabetes patients in the 1980s equally attests among other benefits to the Paleolithic diets, blood sugar lowering qualities.

Supporting evidence can equally be adduced from Osterdahls uncontrolled 3-week study of a Paleolithic diet in 14 healthy subjects which showed that even short-term consumption of a Paleolithic type diet improves blood pressure and glucose tolerance, increases insulin sensitivity, decreases insulin secretion,, and improves lipid profiles without weight loss in healthy sedentary humans.

As such though vaunted that any regime for a Paleolithic diet should be supplemented with vitamin D and calcium in which it is deficient, and that more controlled study needs to be made before a more concrete statement can be put out on its health benefits, with the foregoing said, it is obvious that in considering a diabetic diet, evidence does suggest that the Paleolithic diet is a viable candidate diet for diabetics.

Diabetes and Ayurveda Treatment (1)

What is ayurvedic treatment, is there an ayurvedic treatment for diabetes, how does the treatment work, what is the prognosis when using ayurvedic treatment. Why are more and more people adopting it as an alternative way of managing their diabetes? All these questions and more shall be answered in the following article.

Ayurveda is the world's oldest surviving healing system. A form of alternative medicine and the traditional system of medicine of India, the word is a composite of the words "ayu" meaning life and "Veda" meaning knowledge. Thus roughly translated Ayurveda means "the science of life" and involves the care and treatment of human beings. To bring it home more succinctly, Ayurveda's two cardinal aims are the complete elimination of disease and dysfunction of the body and secondly, the prolongation of life and promotion of perfect health.

In order to do this, Ayurveda considers the general life pattern of the individual, including his diet, behavior and health and profession. But before we go into all that, the question may be asked why anyone would want to go for this ancient system of medicine anyway. What is the attraction of such a system over the modern, generally more accepted scientific treatment of diabetes today? Well the reason is not far to seek.

First, diabetes as generally been regarded as a disease that cannot be cured, only managed. This management basically involves the subject keeping his fasting blood sugar level within a medically determine or advised range (between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL). Where he is able to do this, in most cases he will stop experiencing many of the symptoms of the disease and its associated complications.

To many people, this is not a cure in the true sense of the word because the individual will still be restricted to a high in fiber, low in carbohydrate, low in fat, non-smoking, none or limited alcohol intake diet as well as a continued regime of exercise and blood sugar control.

If we are to follow this reasoning, then it can be said that any "cure" which does not either rejuvenate the Beta cells (the insulin producing cells of the pancreas) as would be necessary in the case of a cure for Type 1 or help overcome the insulin resistance of the body as in the case of a cure for Type 2, cannot really be said to be one. While stem cell research- whether through the undifferentiated embryonic stem cells or (induced pluripotent) stem cells of today, brings us hope for a cure in the case of type 1, type 2 treatment still remains relatively a case of management.

Moreover, modern medical approach to treating or managing Type 2 diabetes takes dedication and discipline. In addition to that, medicine used may have side effects. For example the use of the drug metformin has been known to cause heart attacks. Again the use of insulin for the treatment of diabetes needs to be well regulated and timed so as not to inadvertently induce hypoglycemia or the obverse hyperglycemia.

Now if one is to be sincere in one's analysis, we can equally say that the ayurvedic method for the treatment of diabetes is arguably also a management one. However, the ace it perhaps holds over the modern approach is that since it is both preventive and holistic in its medical approach to the treatment of the body, it does not hold the risk of complications associated with pharmaceutical treatments.

Further, it has been scientifically ascertained that while some herbs used in ayurvedic treatment actually stimulate Beta cell production others encourage the sensitivity of the body to insulin. This then arguably constitutes a most viable alternative treatment choice for diabetes.

In classic ayurveda, diabetes was given the name Prameha which means excessive urination. It was also known as Madhumeha which is interpreted as flow of sugar from the body. Again, it was equally called Maharoga (Major disease) as almost all parts of the body is affected by it. According to Ayurveda, prameha (diabetes) is divided into 4 major types (and total 21 types). Kapha type, itself divided into 10 types, Pitta type, divided into 6 types, Vata type, divided into 4 types and sahaja which corresponds to Type 1 diabetes.

The main causes of prameha (diabetes) is said to be lack of exercise and the eating of food containing too much ushna, snigha and guru nature. Although it is also recognized that Sahaja diabetes is hereditary and caused by defects in the genetics of the patients parents.

In Ayurveda, diabetes is classified in several ways; first into the two categories of the lean diabetic and the obese diabetic. The second classification is according to causes of diabetes- Sahaja prameha (congenital) and Apathyanimittaja prameha (due to over eating and poor habits) and finally classification according to Dosha. The first two are clear. What however is Dosha?

To understand what Dosha is and indeed how Ayurvedic treatment works, we first have to understand the philosophy or "science" behind the ayuveda treatment of diabetes.

First, Ayurveda stipulates that the entire physical structure and function of man is premised on the combination of any 2 of the 5 great elements (Bhuttas). This combination will predominate and as such will determine your nature. It is this nature that is known as Dosha. Going further these combinations are categorized into Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is to do with movement, Kapha, the functions of metabolism, energy production and heat while Kapha concerns itself with physical structure and fluid balance.

The Ayurvedic view is that disease is caused by an imbalance in these qualities (Vikruiti). Treatment of Type 2 diabetes like all diseases in this system therefore requires a restoration of balance (Prakruti) by detoxifying the body of the causative toxins blocking circulation and causing the dosha imbalance and also the normal function of dhatu (tissue).

Ayurvedic treatment is remarkably modern in its approach to treating diabetes. For as a doctor may reflect on the risk factors in a patient when performing diagnoses and making recommendations, Ayurveda treatments equally consider family history (in other words genetic predispositions), sex, age, body constitution (body mass index consideration), stage of the disease, diet, etc. This means that treatment will be tailored to the specific needs of each individual and that more often than not, treatment, particularly dosage will differ from patient to patient even when they suffer from the same disease and symptoms.

The foundation step in a diagnoses which can last for up to an hour will therefore be to find a person's (dosha), I.e Vatta, Pitta or Kapha. Once found, the imbalance in the dosha is elicited by asking several questions on his or her food habits, sleeping patterns, behavior, age, height and weight, place of life, profession, medical reports, health problems, etc.

By knowing the dosha, the health consultant will be able to assess dosha attributes of the patient that are out of balance and prescribe the changes required to rebalance them. In doing this, the health consultant will make use of pulse, tongue, nail and eye examinations. The health of several organs as well as the psychological state of the individual can be derived from this study and the observation and documentation of this will assist the Health consultant in treating the disease. Incidentally, it should be noted that Ayuverdic diagnosis does not preclude complimentary diagnosis via laboratory and clinical tests.

So then, once a diagnosis of diabetes has been made, how does the ayurvedic practitioner treat it? Remarkably again (the first two approach at least) bears similarity to western practice for diabetes treatment. Thus, first, if the doshas are only slightly imbalanced, then increased activity and restriction of diet is sufficient remedy.

The administration of medicine (herbs) will be called for where the doshas are moderately imbalanced. This will serve to neutralize the imbalanced dosha and along with dietary restriction and increased exercise will serve as sufficient remedy. Where the doshas are greatly imbalanced however, then in addition to diet restriction, exercise and medicines, then Panchakarma (five actions of detoxification) will have to be administered. However, Panchakarma is more appropriate for the stout or obese diabetic not the lean one who showing excessive vata dosha should focus more on medications and diet which will increase the dhatus (rebuilding or tonification of the body).

In summary therefore, it can be said that Ayurveda practice consists of four basic nodes, namely reduction (through exercise), detoxification, nourishing and tonification (through diet) and balancing (through all three). Several agents are used in calibrated amounts to achieve this. They are namely food, exercise, routine and herbs. We shall be looking at the role each of these play in our next article.

Diabetes and Ayurveda Treatment (2) - The Role of Food, Exercise, Routine and Herbs in Ayurveda

The Role of Food

As may already be noted, food is important in ayurvedic treatment of diabetes. In fact it is regarded as ausadam-medicine in Ayurveda. Its bid in Ayurveda (treatment) is based on the fact that beyond the calories and nutrients that we know food for, it has other qualities-six tastes (rasa) and their associated energy (virya).

On entering the mouth, food will elicit one of either two possible responses - Either one, an immediate cooling response or two a heating response. "Pungent, salty and sour foods have a heating virya, while bitter sour and sweet foods have a cooling virya". In addition to this, each food has gunas-certain qualities affecting the dosha in certain ways. Further to this, certain foods were prabhava (had a non-typical effect).

Thus by following these special effects of food on the human body, it was possible for ayurvedic practitioners to distill the causes of disease and the properties and effects of food on the human system. This accordingly enabled practitioners to create diets that could decrease the kapha, pitta and vata doshas by skilfully tailoring various tastes, associated qualities (gunas) and energetics to the individual's diet.

The ayurvedic diet consists mostly of vegetables and unprocessed foods and as study shows such a diet is very helpful in the control of diabetes. For example the results of a study carried out by Dr James showed that diabetics who consumed a high carbohydrate, high fiber diet (sattvic diet), were in the case of diabetic Type 1s, able to lower their insulin medication by an average of 40%. In addition to that, 24 out of the 25 diabetics tested in the study were able to stop completely the use of insulin within a few weeks.

The Role of Exercise

As stated before, exercise is a part of the ayurvedic system for the treatment of diabetes and disease in general. Here the recommendation is a daily regimen to promote good health and longevity. This approach particularly when tailored to an individual's Dosha balance need, has a dual focus; on one hand the physical benefits conferred by exercise and on the other, its beneficial effects on the psyche, i.e. the mind, senses, heart and spirit.

Such exercise must however be done in moderation in order to gain the full benefits and avoid associated risk- the creation of damage causing free radicals. Rather in exercising, an individual is to incorporate the concept of balaardh or the use of half of one's strength. This means that if you could do 30 press ups on the spot, then what you should rather do is 15. When exercise is done this way- within ones comfort zone, it is more enhancing of overall well-being. Such exercise should be done in the morning as it would boost energy levels for the day and assist sleeping at night.

The Role of Routine

Timing in the ayurvedic system as may have already been observed is very important and is incorporated into the ayurvedic concept of daily routine (dincharya). This daily routine consists of all aspects of regimen and diet and has been accorded the strongest healing force of all curative medicines.

Daily routine can be broken down into waking up, after waking up, elimination or toileting, cleaning of one's self, giving one's self an oil massage, exercise, taking a bath, meditation, breakfast, lunch, twilight, supper and going to bed. All of these points have specific instructions with regards to how or when they are to be done.

The two that stand out however are the wake up stage- about two hours prior to dawn between 4.30 am and 5.00am and, twilight. Waking up two hours before dawn because sattva is most plentiful in the air at this time and twilight, because it is regarded as the best time for one to see ones true self.

Seasonal routine is also very important. Since different seasons elicit different body needs, the observation of seasonal routine will enable the individual maintain balance even as the seasons change. Thus briefly we have the Kapha season (spring and early summer); Pitta season (Midsummer through early autumn); Vata season (late fall through winter).

These seasons all also have their dos and don'ts which should be followed if the best advantages for maintaining balance is to be ensured. Here special emphasis is placed on what one should and shouldn't eat as the seasons change. Nevertheless, it has been suggested by modern scholars that this should serve as a guide to aid the body in maintaining its balance and equilibrium rather than as a strict weather-food guide.

The Role of Medicinal herbs

Herbs are well used in ayurvedic treatment of diabetes. Thus the use of Pterocarpus Marsupium (Indian kino) has been scientifically shown to not only improve insulin levels but to also stimulate beta cell regeneration. In addition to this, the Indian Genera Sylvestre has been found to improve the ability of insulin to lower blood sugar in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Other herbs which have been documented to be efficacious in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes are cinnamon, Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). All these help to lower blood sugar level.

In conclusion therefore, being premised on over six thousand years of development. With the systems effectiveness for treating diabetes. With this effectiveness becoming more known, and while being effective avoiding the occurrence of side effects associated with the prolonged use of conventional drugs, it is certain that ayurveda as an alternative system for the treatment of diabetes shall definitely gain more traction and become more and more popular in the future.

Can Diabetes Be Cured? The Case for Type 1

Type 1 Diabetes makes up about 10% of all diabetes cases. It affects up to 3 million Americans mostly children and of the two most common types, Type 1 and Type 2, is the one doctors and health professionals are least optimistic about finding a cure for.

Why is this? Simply put, because in Type 1 cases the body's auto-immune system attacks the pancreas. Such an attack could be due to a genetic predisposition triggered by a virus. Whatever the case, this attack response damages the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas thereby leaving the pancreas no longer able to produce the insulin required for normal blood sugar regulation. As a result complications arise - organs of the body; eyes, kidney, heart and limbs get affected.

The general prognosis before now was that the condition was incurable. This belief has however changed over time, metamorphosing into diabetes cure research focused on the transplantation of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas destroyed under this disease. Risks associated with the procedure however include, the failure of the transplanted cells to function, side effects of immune-suppressants used during the procedure and excessive bleeding or death.

Focus is now being placed on understanding the mechanisms of the immune attack responsible for the disease and finding ways to block it. That said though, last year, in an apparent move towards a cure, researchers claimed to have found a novel large-scale method enabling them to turn human embryonic stem cells into fully functioning beta cells capable of producing insulin. They did this by the controlled differentiation of stem cells.

Differentiation or Cellular differentiation is the process by which a cell become specialized in order to perform a specific function - as in the case of a blood cell, kidney cell, heart cell, etc. Stem cells are marked out for this ability to undergo differentiation. According to the study's co-author, Douglas Melton of Harvard University ""We wanted to replace insulin injections using nature's own solution, being the pancreatic beta cell... " Now "we are reporting the ability to make hundreds of millions of these cells," he added.

The next step then was transplantation but they also needed to see how they could prevent, as often happened in transplantation cases, the rejection of the created beta cells by the body's immune system. They achieved this by creating a device which they discovered not only protected beta cells implanted into the test mice, but left the pancreas months after, still producing insulin.

Besides being highly promising for type 1 diabetics, this procedure has equal potential as treatment for many type 2 diabetics who depend on insulin injections as part of their daily treatment regimen.

What makes this particular breakthrough special is that unlike past successes at deriving beta cells from stem cells, this development was able to create glucose sensing, insulin secreting beta cells.

In focus now, would be human trials which Melton figures could kick off in a few years' time. Ultimately he says, the final product would be a credit card-sized package of beta cells ensconced in an encapsulation device that would allow sugar and insulin to easily pass through, while preventing the reverse passage of the larger bodied immune T-cells. This package could then be safely transplanted into a diabetes patient and left in place for a year or more before needing replacement.

The other method for creating beta cells which could ultimately eliminate the need for such yearly or regular replacement would be to use pluripotent stem cells as the base cells for differentiation rather than embryonic stem cells.

Pluripotent stem cells are stem cells from specialized adult cells but which have been somehow reprogrammed to change into an undifferentiated state. An example of this is endometrial derived stem cells (hEMSCs) - cells derived from the uterine endometrium. Research shows that these can be guided to differentiate into insulin producing beta cells.

The newly differentiated cells could possibly then be grafted onto the damaged pancreas (provided the initial diabetes trigger factor is avoided), for insulin to be produced. This would be ideal, because if one were to use a diabetics own pluripotent stem cell as the base for beta cell cultivation, it should eliminate the risk of the beta cells rejection. This would in turn eliminate the need for auto-immune protective devices and in that vein interval device replacement.

Finally, scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell institute have identified another strategy towards curing early stage type 1 as well as type 2 diabetes. It involves stimulating beta cells through drug therapy to make more of themselves. Since beta cells naturally replicate themselves, however at a slow rate, inducing them to do so faster, would equally eliminate the need for transplantation and immune protective devices.

As such, with the foregoing development, it is obvious that prospects for finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes is no longer as bleak as previously thought. In fact it is feasible that within the decade, various methods for curing the disease would not only be available but become essentially routine.

How to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes

.How does one avoid Diabetes, are there foods one can eat to keep away diabetes, what should one do to prevent diabetes if it runs in one's family, how does one avoid diabetes in children? All these questions and more shall be answered in the following article.

Diabetes Milletus or diabetes for short is a disease that affects millions of people all around the world. In America, 29.1 million people suffer from diabetes, 8.1 million of whom don't even know they have it. Each year in the U.S it causes up to 70,000 deaths, contributes to thousands more and is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure and heart disease.

In 2007 in the United States, over $116 billion was spent on diabetes treatment and an additional $58 billion lost due to reduced productivity. By 2012 these numbers had risen to $176 billion for direct medical costs and $69 billion for indirect cost like disability, work loss and premature death. Fast forward to 2015 and it is no gainsaying that the situation must quite clearly be worse.

In the United Kingdom, about 3.8 million people have diabetes with the situation no better in countries like China (92 million Chinese adults), India (62 million adults). Globally, at present growth rates, it is estimated that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes will rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million by the year 2030. Truly then, one might say that diabetes is a disease of epidemic proportions.

But what exactly is diabetes? To answer this question it is important to first know how the body works.

The body needs energy to function properly. A rich source of this is carbohydrates which the body converts to glucose - a simple sugar form it can readily use. Ordinarily when glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream in this way, the hormone insulin is equally released and it functions to enable the glucose pass into the cells for energy production.

Unfortunately under certain circumstances, the body is unable to make enough of this insulin or to where it does make enough, properly use it. This is what is known as diabetes. There are two types. Type 1-caused by the auto-immune response of the immune system attacking the pancreas and destroying the insulin making cells of the organ. It makes up about 5-10% of diagnosed diabetes cases.

Type 2, in which though the pancreas still makes insulin, the body has lost sensitivity to it and no longer responds to it properly (makes up about 90% diagnosed diabetes cases). The result of both types is that glucose can't get into the cells normally. As such blood sugar level rises and if left untreated leads to medical complications. Accordingly, it is imperative as with most diseases that one, looks towards prevention rather than cure.

Prevention

As far as Type 1 diabetes goes, the prevailing wisdom is that it can't be prevented. In fact, for now, it can't even be predicted who will or won't get it. Evidence however suggests that there may be a genetic predisposition to it. A genetic predisposition to the disease though is not ordinarily enough to trigger it. What triggers it in most cases is an external factor- a virus for example, as in the case of a child.

Having said this, research does show that breastfeeding, avoiding early introduction of solid foods and other factors might play a role in lowering the risk of developing the disease.

That is for type 1. For Type 2 though, prognosis for prevention is rosier. Since Type 2 is predisposed on the body losing its sensitivity to insulin, there are several steps one can take to prevent this from happening or where it does happen, to even reverse it. These follow;

First, eat a healthy balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet would comprise the 5 major food groups eaten in the appropriate portions or servings.

To help guide citizens on what constitutes this, the UK government devised the Eat Well plate which is the national food guide designed to help UK citizens have a healthy balanced diet. It is based on the basic five food groups and the guide stipulates the percentage of a person's plate that should be made up of each food group.

Thus Fruits and vegetables-33%, Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods-33%, Milk and other dairy products-15%, Meat, fish, egg, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein-12% and foods and drinks high in fat or sugar-7%. It is noteworthy that the second group though should be whole grain-that is whole wheat bread, brown rice etc. and not refined grains like white bread and white rice.

In America, it is the MyPlate nutrition guide provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The guide was revised by the American Diabetic Association in such a way as to make non-starchy vegetables like spinach and cabbage constitute about 50% of the plate, grains and starchy foods like whole grain bread and rice 25%, and protein such as chicken and fish constitute the other 25%.

Eat more Fiber containing food and whole grains

What is common to both the UK's Eat Well Plate and the United States MyPlate nutrition guide though is the emphasis on fiber and whole grains. High in fiber foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Examples of grains on the other hand are whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice.

Both these- whole grains and fiber, lower your risk of developing diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. In fact research shows that substituting whole grains for even some refined carbohydrate products -white bread or rice could lower diabetes risk by as much as 36%.

In Nurses Health Studies 1 and II a study spanning over 18 years and looking at the health and dietary habits of 160,000 women, it was found that women who averaged two to three servings of whole grains a day were 30% less likely to have developed Type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. It was found that the bran and fiber in whole grains slows down the digestive processes by making it harder for digestive enzymes to break down the starches into glucose, resulting thereby in slow increases in blood sugar (low glycemic index) and less strain on the pancreas.

In addition to its diabetes fighting qualities, fiber lowers the risk of heart disease and also promotes weight loss by making you feel full.

Avoid highly refined grain products like white bread

In contrast to whole grain food, white rice, white bread, mashed potatoes, donuts etc. cause sustained increase in blood sugar and insulin levels. This is what is meant when they are said to have a high glycemic load. This resulting load leads to increased insulin output and conversely increases the chance of developing diabetes.

Skip Sugary drinks like soda

It has also been advised that skipping sugary drinks like soda etc. and going for the alternative water, coffee or tea is also a good diabetes prevention measure. Sugary drinks not only lead to increased weight but evidence suggest also increase chronic inflammation, high triglycerides and insulin resistance whilst decreasing "good" (HDL) cholesterol, these being all risk factors for diabetes. In fact a synthesis of eight studies made, found that for every additional 12 ounce serving of sugary beverage that people drank each day, their risk of type 2 diabetes rose 25 percent.

Cut down or eliminate red meat

In addition to the above it has been shown that the cutting down or elimination of red and processed meat from ones diet lowers the risk factor for getting diabetes. Red meat should be replaced by healthier protein sources like fish and poultry. In fact analysed information from eight long term studies show that eating just one daily serving of 3 ounces of red meat lead to a 20% increase in the risk of getting diabetes. For processed meat, it's even worse-namely a 51% increment.

Quit smoking

It has also been found that smokers are near 50% more likely to get diabetes than are non-smokers. As such an endeavor to lower ones risk of getting diabetes should make the stoppage of smoking a top priority.

Moderate consumption of Alcohol

Surprisingly too, it has been found that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (up to a drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) may be beneficial to help lower ones chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is because alcohol increases the efficiency of insulin at getting glucose inside cells. On the other hand, if you don't drink do note that there is no need to start as these same benefits can be derived from other means - exercise and diet for instance.

Lose weight

In Type 2 cases, being overweight has been fingered as a risk factor for developing diabetes. Being obese results in a 20-40% increase in your chances of developing diabetes. As such, studies show that losing weight by as little as just 7% when done together with exercise, can reduce the chances of developing diabetes by almost 60%.

Be more physically active

Exercising, whether as a regular fitness regimen or incorporating physical activity into your daily routine, is another sure way to lower your risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. This is because exercise will not only help you lower your blood sugar, but in addition to this, also help you lose weight and increase your bodies sensitivity to insulin. An exercise program that includes both aerobic and resistance training (weights usage) has been found to achieve the best results.

In addition to the above, many nutritionists and health experts advocate skipping fad diets. In the place of this, they recommend simply making healthier choices. The reason for this they say, is that though possibly helping you to lose weight, their diabetes preventive effects is not only unattested to but in addition to that, by limiting a particular food group, may make you miss out on essential nutrients.