A recent collaboration between the IISC's Centre of Excellence in Ayurveda for Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders and the Bengaluru-based Prayoga Institute of Education Research places focus on the role of Ayurveda in the treatment and management of Type 2 diabetes, ahead of the World Diabetes Day, which is observed on November 14 each year.
The aim is to utilise classical chromatographic techniques and advanced instruments such as the triple-quad mass spectra, and CHNS analyser to characterise individual components present in known ayurvedic formulations that are used to treat Type 2 diabetes.
The AYUSH ministry has funded the initiative with Rs 52.47 crore for research, emphasising the role of Ayurveda within the larger health framework. Led by Principal Investigator Dr Navakanta Bhat and Co-Principal Investigator Dr Sona Rajakumari from IISc, the project aims to combine traditional and modern medicine in order to make treatments more effective and improve patient outcomes.
The role of Ayurveda remains contested when discussing the treatment and management options for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. In the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Researcher Varghese Thomas mentions a case wherein successful reversal of diabetes mellitus was achieved in a patient who reported with glycosylated Hb percentage (HbA1C) as high as 14.87%. The patient had classical symptoms of diabetes mellitus viz. excessive thirst, fatigue and frequent urination. His fasting blood glucose level was 346 mg/dl and post prandial glucose level of 511 mg/dl. Based on his specific clinical symptoms the patient was diagnosed with kaphaja prameha. Treatment was given according to classical Ayurveda intervention for kaphaja prameha. The patient responded well to the treatment. His HbA1C reduced to 6.05% in a span of eight months.
In another such paper, titled, 'Use of Ayurveda in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus,' researchers mention a case study of a patient from Bengaluru whose HbA1c was brought down from 11.2 to 5.7 over the course of nine months, using Ayurvedic interventions. However, even as they continue to study the efficacy and effectiveness of considering Ayurvedic options in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes Mellitus, scientists emphasise that a combination of exercise and weight management must accompany every Ayurvedic treatment option. While, the goal of Ayurvedic practices in the treatment of type 2 diabetes like in Western medicine focuses on bringing the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) value into a therapeutic range, it cannot work in isolation, say experts.
With India now infamous for being the diabetes capital of the world, medical practitioners from across disciplines are promoting healthier lifestyles and a combination of medicine and physical activity. The number of people with diabetes Dr Arun Menon, a practising endocrinologist from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, says, “We are all at risk, given the way this epidemic (diabetes) is spreading.”
“We are now getting cases on a weekly basis, as against monthly. The spread has increased four to five times in five years,” he adds. Another shocking aspect that he observed among children with type 2 diabetes is that very few of them have a family history of the disease.
“For those who do, their parents must have gotten this disease in their 50s,” he says. “However, by the next generation, this will [happen] 20 years earlier. I have noticed that at least 40 per cent of patients who come to the hospital for any disease have diabetes. Because this is the very first time we are seeing children this young with diabetes, it remains to be seen how they grow up and grow old. It is scary that these children may go on to face major medical problems by the time they hit their 30s because this is a chronic disease and it might take 15 to 20 years for the disease to manifest. This is only the start of their journey. And it is a huge population, not just a few people.”