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Common Diseases > Diabetes, An Ayurvedic Perspective
Madhumeh
Chikitsa (Treatment of Diabetes)
Dr. Satish Kulkarni
Diabetes has become
one of the most common ailments today.
The number of diabetic persons is
increasing worldwide. Diabetes is a man
made disease. This means that diabetes is
related to our life style. If we adopt a
proper life style like doing regular
exercise, changing our dietary habits,
opting for more natural food suitable to
our body system and going for regular
check ups after forty years of age (after
thirty years of age for people who have a
history of diabetes in the family), we
can avoid or at least prolong the onset
of the disease.
Modern science
considers diabetes to be a metabolic
disease but according to ayurveda,
diabetes is a disease related to profuse
urination. Not specifically a urinary
tract disease, it is in fact a
dysfunction of the body’s water
system according to ayurveda. Ayurveda
lists twenty such diseases, for example, prameh
and madhumeh, along with the body
constitution types (vaat, pitta and
kafa) that cause them. Ayurveda
agrees that diabetes is a serious
disease, difficult to treat and one
wherein many complications can occur.
Alternative medicine cannot cure it but
can certainly help to compliment modern
medicine and help in controlling it to a
certain extent as well as slowing down
the progress of the disease.
Ayurveda
evolved around 600 BC. At that time, ayurvedic
scholars did not have microscopes;
nevertheless, they knew about rising and
falling blood sugar levels. They also
observed that ants gather near the dried
urine of some people. Thus they inferred
that this urine must contain sugar and
therefore they named this disorder madhumeh
(sweet urination.) They concluded
that this must occur due to an imbalance
of the water metabolism of the body. This
hypothesis cannot be accepted as it is
today, considering the advances made in
science since the early ayurvedic
times. We can only say that at the time
of ayurveda, since the microscope
was not invented, ayurvedic scholars
must have explained diabetes in this way.
Diabetes manifests
itself as excess thirst and urination.
Basically, diabetes indicates a failure
of the mechanism which regulates sugar in
the body. It is primarily a kafa
(one of the basic body constituents)
disorder involving obesity and excess
consumption of kafa aggravating
foods, for example, sweets. An increase
of kafa in the body results in an
impairment in the functioning of the
pancreas. Kafa then enters other dhatus
(tissues), thus resulting in diabetes.
Ayurveda
agrees with modern science that wrong
diet is often a causative factor for
diabetes. One has to avoid excessive
consumption of sugars, sweets, sweet
tasting foods, diary products, alcohol,
fat, etc. Obesity, excessive sexual
activity, sleep during day time, lack of
exercise, worry, stress, anxiety and
hereditary tendencies are some of the
other causes.
Ayurveda
recommends a few medicines that can help
to keep diabetes under control.
Personally, I opine that we can integrate
ayurvedic treatment with
allopathic investigations and treatment
to counter diabetes. Arogya vardhini,
chandraprabha and madhumehvati
(three tablets of each medicine at a
time, two times in a day, on an empty
stomach) are recommended medicines for
patients in whom the post pandrial blood
sugar level is below 200mg/dl. If it is
above 200mg.dl, then four teaspoonfuls of
madhumehkadha (a decoction
prepared specifically for diabetes) with
water, after lunch and dinner, are
recommended. In addition to this, rasayana
churna, which acts as a rejuvenation
medicine, is suggested. For more severe
and long term conditions, shilajit
compound is suggested. This should be
taken under an ayurvedic physician’s
supervision. Another important ayurvedic
medicine is gurmer (gymnema
sylvestre.) Gurmer is one of the
important ayurvedic medicines that
are the focus of scientific research
today. In my opinion, it is safe to
undergo ayurvedic treatment along
with allopathic drugs for diabetes as
this will add to the benefits of the
allopathic medicines. However, the
patient must discuss with his family
doctor and ayurvedic healer before
starting this joint treatment program.
Modern medicine is
very helpful in diagnosing diabetes and
treating acute and chronic conditions
resulting from it. If we supplement it
with alternative medicine like ayurveda
it will definitely help in keeping
diabetes under control and improving the
quality of life.
Note: For further
information on Ayurveda go here and
for questions please
contact Dr. Satish Kulkarni )
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