Glucose, which is also called blood sugar, is the main sugar in your blood. It is the primary source of energy in your body and comes from the food you eat. The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that controls how much glucose is in the blood.

Diabetes is a lifestyle metabolic disease that leads to high blood sugar levels in the body. It becomes high either because your body doesn't make enough insulin or it fails to make proper use of the insulin it makes.

Madhumeha (a variant of Prameha) is the name in Ayurveda texts for diabetes. While there is no complete cure for diabetes in any medicine, Ayurvedic treatment for diabetes is very effective. With proper Ayurveda treatment, you can keep diabetes well under control.

More than 500 million people have diabetes in the world. If not treated in time, diabetes can cause major damage to your eyes, nerves, kidney, and other organs.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1: Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease. The body's immune system attacks its own cells in the pancreas. This attack affects the creation of insulin in the pancreas leading to diabetes.

Type 2: Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, with more than 90% of diabetes cases falling under this type. People with Type 2 diabetes develop a resistance to insulin which leads to an increase in the blood sugar level in the body.

Apart from these two common types, there are prediabetes and gestational diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal. However, it is not high enough to be termed as Type 2. Proper treatment in time can reverse this condition. However, 80% of people with prediabetes do not know they have this condition. 

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in some women. In many cases, it may go away after the baby's birth.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

The signs and symptoms for Type 1 and Type 2 are more or less the same. However, the signs may develop quickly for Type 1 and can be more severe also. Some of the most common symptoms are 

• Frequent urination: Urinating more than ten times a day is a common sign
• A feeling of thirst always: There will always be an urge to keep drinking water.
• Fatigue: You will feel tired for no clear reason
• Mood swings: You may become irritable more often
• Feeling hungry often: As the body is resistant to insulin, it prevents the flow of glucose (energy source) to your muscles. This lack of energy makes you feel hungry.
• Weight loss: You will start to lose weight for no reason at all
• Non-healing wounds: Any sores or wounds will take a long time to heal
• Blurry vision: You may experience problems with your eyesight as things may start looking blurred
• Infections: You may start getting frequent infections on your gum, skin etc.

Diabetes risk factors

Type 1 Diabetes is more prevalent among children and teenagers. The risk increases if a parent or sibling has this condition.

Your chance of getting type 2 diabetes goes up if you:

• Are overweight or obese - BMI (Body Mass Index) higher than 25
• Have diabetes in the family (parents or siblings)
• Lead an inactive lifestyle
• Age higher than 45
• Have high blood pressure, high cholesterol 

Diagnosing Diabetes

Doctors use blood tests to check if you have diabetes. 

HBA1c or A1C test checks the average blood sugar levels for the last three months. A test value higher than 6.5% indicates that you have diabetes. The doctor may suggest you to take two HBA1c tests to confirm. This test does not need any period of fasting.

Other tests include random blood sugar tests and fasting blood sugar tests. A blood sugar level higher than 200 mg/dL in a random blood sugar test or a level higher than 125 mg/dL in fasting blood sugar indicates that you have diabetes.

Ayurveda and Diabetes

As per Ayurveda, digestion plays a very important part in the overall health of a person. 'Agni' or the digestive fire needs to be in good shape for the digestion to work well. If the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) are out of balance, Agni will not work correctly.

Eating food high in fat and sugar, having an inactive lifestyle, and stress can all create an imbalance in the doshas. This imbalance will lead to the accumulation of waste in the body as the digestive fire is weak. It further causes blockages in the channels, thus affecting the function of insulin, among other issues.

'Ojus' is the essence of digestion as it gives power and energy to our body and mind. Due to the frequent urination, which is common in diabetes, most of this Ojus flows out of our body. As a result, we soon become tired and feel hungry more often. 

Ayurveda texts mention the following points as the leading causes of diabetes. 

• Sleeping too much during the day
• A lack of exercise and physical action
• A diet heavy on dairy products like curd
• Eating a lot of meat 
• Having too much sweet and sugar

Ayurvedic Treatment for Diabetes

The main steps in the Ayurveda treatment for diabetes are

• Therapies and procedures to cleanse and rejuvenate the body
• Herbal medicines to control diabetes
• Changes in your diet 
• Lifestyle changes 

Ayurveda procedures like vasti, virechana, and vamana to cleanse the body form the first step of treatment. Other procedures for diabetes include Takra dhara and Udvartana. Your doctor will decide on the right treatment method as per your condition. 

Medical management using herbal medicines will start after this. The aim is to improve the function of the pancreas, thus improving the production and function of insulin in the body. 

Along with procedures and medicines, a change in your diet gives you the best results from the treatment. 

Ayurvedic Diet for Diabetes

As per Ayurveda, there are some foods that you need to take if you have diabetes. Also, there are foods that you need to avoid.

To be taken

• Leafy green vegetables, radish, bitter gourd, cucumber, onion, etc.
• Fruits like Apples, pomegranates, oranges, guava, and citrus fruit
• Soybean oil, mustard oil
• Lime juice without sugar and Ginger tea
• Thin diluted buttermilk
• Beans and legumes
• Include fenugreek seeds, Amla (gooseberry), and drumstick in your diet

You will need to avoid the following items 

• Sugar, jaggery, sweets, chocolates, and honey.
• Bakery products
• Concentrated milk preparations such as ice cream 
• Synthetic soft drinks and fruit juices
• Fruits like Mango, grapes, custard apple, and jackfruit 
• Fried food items

Lifestyle changes for diabetes

Along with medicines and diet changes, you will also have to make changes to your lifestyle. These changes will help you get the best out of the treatment. 

• Stop smoking if you are a smoker
• Try to lose weight if you are overweight or obese
• Have small portions of food at regular intervals
• Exercise regularly - at least 150 minutes per week 
• Focus on reducing stress

Yoga for Diabetes

Yoga, along with Ayurveda treatment for diabetes, seems to work well for most people. The key benefits are

• Yoga postures help stretch the pancreas and thus improve insulin flow
• Yoga stretches muscles increasing glucose absorption
• improves circulation, and lowers high blood pressure
• Regular practice of Yoga aids in weight loss
• Yoga helps to reduce stress 

The image below shows the main Yoga postures for diabetes.

Complications of Diabetes

If not treated in time, diabetes can be dangerous as it damages many organs in the body. The main complications are 

Diabetic retinopathy: Many people with diabetes develop eye problems. If you do not treat this in time, it can lead to loss of vision.

Diabetic foot: Issues with circulation can affect the nerves, especially in the foot area. Wounds and sores will take much longer to heal. The diabetic foot may even need amputation in some cases.

Heart problems: As high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, heart attacks, and even stroke can occur

Nephropathy: Diabetes, if not managed properly over a long time, can create severe issues for your kidney.

Other issues seen in people with diabetes include hearing loss, gum diseases, skin infections, sexual problems, and depression.

In summary, diabetes is a serious issue that needs attention and proper treatment. Fortunately, Ayurveda treatment for diabetes gives great results. You will also need to make changes in your diet and lifestyle. With good care, diabetes can be under control, and you can lead a normal life.

Ayurveda hospitals for Diabetes

There are a lot of Ayurveda hospitals, and some of them know how to treat diabetes better than others. They do things the right way as per Ayurveda and have great results to show for it. 

Some of the best Ayurveda hospitals for diabetes are

• Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda
• Rishi Ayurveda Hospital
• Nagarjuna Ayurveda
• Rasayana Ayurveda
• AyurVaid

You will need to be in the hospital for about 21 days for the treatment. Please get in touch with us to get a free treatment plan from these hospitals.