Confronting Diabetes

The term diabetes, when not specified, refers to diabetes mellitus, a serious metabolic disorder characterised by defects in the body’s use of carbohydrates. The other kind of diabetes is diabetes insipidus, which is quite a different and relatively rare condition, in which an individual passes large quantities of pale, dilute urine, with consequent dehydration and excessive thirst.

Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome in which the basic defect is the absence or shortage of the hormone called insulin. This hormone is carried by the blood to the kidneys, where it limits the outflow of water in the urine.

In Diabetes mellitus, an organ in the body (called the pancreas) is found not to be functioning properly. Insulin is a hormone produced by the Beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Insulin is carried by the blood to all parts of the body. The body’s cells use glucose (blood sugar) as their fuel.

Any defect in this process, either in the pancreas, where insulin is being produced, or at the sites of attachment of insulin to the cells, would interfere with the body’s use of fuel to produce energy.

Apart from the malfunctioning of the pancreas, one other cause of this disorder is unbalanced diet. Most of us consume denatured food in one way or the other. Also, food additives and unhealthy drinks, whether soft drinks, teas, coffee or liquor may predispose one to metabolic imbalance.

The symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, inordinate appetite, constant hunger, mental depression and great thirst.

In holistic lifecare, it is strongly advised that imported styles of living must be looked into especially on the use of food additives and colourants in fast foods and so-called take-away. Heavy starchy foods should be cut down drastically, if they cannot be avoided, pending total recovery from the ailment.

As we make efforts to repair a malfunctioning pancreas, there are some fruits and vegetables known to be helpful. These include carrots, paw-paw, cucumber, onions, garlic and lettuce, combined with soya-milk mixed with guinea-corn pap or porridge.

The Holistic remedy that has been popularly suggested for the control of Diabetes is a combination of the natural extracts of some herbs scientifically called Anchomanes difformis, Pergularia daemia, Vinca rosea and Viscum album